A 20-EURO LESSON

From Rhodes to Rome in the blink of an eye--and with suitcase, too. Amazing! Not 45 minutes after arriving from the airport, hopping the Leonardo Express train to Rome's Termini station was I ripped off by a taxi driver. After being thrashed about in the backseat and hanging on for dear life, we arrived close enough to my hotel in the via dei Coronari. The driver said he couldn't drive into the street (a lie). And then it happened, the ol' slight of hand trick. He said it cost 25-Euro (2nd lie: the taxi metre was hidden). So I handed him a 20-Euro bill. He handed me my suitcase and while I fumbled with it and looking for another 5-Euros, he slipped the 20 into his back pocket and pulled out a 5-Euro bill, then said I still owed him another 20!!! I could have yelled for the police, but it's his word over mine and after getting up at 4:00 a.m. for my flight I was in no mood for 3-hours of Italian police paperwork. So this wise old bird just became wiser and was warned to watch more carefully when handing over money to anyone. In fact the first time I purchased something I counted out the euros so loudly everyone in the shop heard me! Hahaha!

Rome is more grueling then I remember it. It's more crowded, too. June 1st and the tourists have descended on the Roman ruins, ruining my view. The Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, Piazza Navona, and all the other hot spots are bursting with lookie-lou's. However, it's the Italian version of July 4th and a long weekend, so the throngs are not all tourists but Romans out for a good time. They fill the streets for shopping, eating, hanging out, watching the celebrations and parades, listening to the President speak, watching the army march, and drinking their vino, experiencing a typical holiday spirit. Seeing the Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi after his scandal was interesting. I also heard that the Italians plan on vetoing his nuclear power plant policy. The Italians will vote "No Nukes!" just like the Germans did. Thank goodness.

[Photo Copyright by M. J. Milne, 2011]