Tracks of the StoneBear Copyright MMXV ALL Rights reserved
ROF= Ring of fire journey
ITL= Italy Journey
Friday November 20, 2015
ITL Rome, Italy 4D
Growing up in a small town, no wonder I'm not an urban guy. I could not live in an urban loft condo. So, these few observations are just some of the things seen in the huge urban metropolis of Rome that sound unfavorable. Not so. I liked Rome, the crossroads and center of Western Civilization. But Rome is still a huge, dirty, grafitti painted, crowded city. An interesting place to see with a lot of history, but it's not my favorite place.
1. Panhandlers: There were few panhandlers but they were every where, at every tourist point. The 60 year old hunchbacked gypsy woman in a black dress and shawl,... cup in hand. These were sweet old ladies and I'm sure some of them were at the mercy of the world for a few alms dropped into their cup.
some think I'm a patsy because I usually drop something into the cup. Whether their plight is unplanned hardship, self inflicted circumstances,... I don't know. I don't care. After a lifetime walking on the road to Emmaus, it is not my place to judge a persons misfourtune. I put something in their cup because... ... just because. The reason is incedental. They are a person, & if my little something gets them somewhat through the day... that is ok. ... There, but for the grace of God, go I.
I kid T-bone some and say that this is their day job... working the tourist crowds in a bibushka shawll 'cause the markets are closed... that they are really a day trader & have positions in FOREX, Pork Bellies, FCOJ, and of course... Hog Futures.
2. Street hustlers: In every city, Rome, Venice... Florence... there is an army of indigent, mostly foriegn SW Asian... Bangaladesh, Pakistani, North African/ Egyptian, Tunisian... guys that I'm sure work for a King Rat that work every tourist point with... Shawls... I looked at the shawls... made in China, or India. I know these shawls cost about 10 cents. Maybe a cost 50 cents at most... and they start hawking these at 20 Euros/ $20.
And there are 4 to 6 guys swarming every tourist with the same shawls. All speaking in forign dialect. 20 Euros,... 25 Euros.... and they are professional hunters. Like the big cats... they cut the weakest tourist out from the herd and move in for the kill.
Once they get you to start haggling over price they are moving in for the kill/ the sale.
25 Euros... 12 Euros.... 8 Euros... 2 for 10 Euros.... They're professional hustlers.... they've got the shawl in your hands by this point, feeling the fabric. Hagle, hagle hagle. T-bone bought one shawl for 5 Euros,... later that agternoon got one of them down to 2 shawls for 6 Euros. It's the street husltle.
All these guys sell shawls when the wind is blowing cold,... umbrellas when it's raining... 6 guys will offer to sell you selfie sticks for 5 Euro in one block.
They are unskilled, uneducated forigners that are unemployable... but they can hustle product. These are my kinda guys. I enjoy the sales banter and hageling. Hageling is universal. Buy something. I have a shawl from Rome that I do not need, will never wear, but I love mixing with the local street hustlers. I want to tell them to go back to their home country and make it better; I'm sure they come from some hopeless places. Street hawking does not produce anything.
3. Urban shop vendors: On every street, there are window shop fronts,... some 10' wide,... a 4 foot door,... and every square inch of wall space has every convienigce store crap on display. Some are coffee shops, sandwich shops with some really good local cheeses and prochutto. Some wine shops... Tbone bought a bottle of red cabernet for 3.5 Euros. I tasted and it was perfectly fine for her nightcap.
Some are coffee stands with lottery tickets, candy bars... instant point of purchase crap. 2 doors down is a storefront shop with the same exact convienence crap of chewing gum and candy bars.
These are businessmen with their "store/ shop". I think the real businesmen are the Italian landlords collecting rent from these tiny shop owners. The Italian landlords have the nice villas in the suburbs. And these are the guys legitimate enough to have rented a storefront shop. Many street vendors set up tables of junk, most have a frame tent canopy over their tables... like local craft show vendors.
4. pickpockets: There were many warnings about pickpockets at transit points. There were Many police and security guys around. Evidently they do NOT go after the pickpockets for petty crime... it's rich tourists being fleeced so ?who really cares?
A local Rome citizen rousted some young pickpockets that had targeted us tourists. Thank you local guy! The kids were 12- 13 and thought it was cute that we thwarted their con.
A young lady tried to "help" us in a ticket kiosk at the train station. They were watching us being confused; this is how they make a living. The police don't roust them... there are too many.
As an old Marine I usually do a 360 degree visual sweep to asses any threat; you do the same.
You never drink twice from the same stream.
