RonA
specialist in repairing sealed for life equipment
- Messages
- 1,939
- Location
- Stockton on Tees, UK
Just back from a superb 12 days in Italy, Tuscany to be precise. Apart from some very enjoyable trips to local medieval cities & wineries took a 3 hour trip down to Venice.
The day we visited was hot 38 DegC & taking sage advice from elsewhere, carefully checked the prices in a restaurant before sitting down to a very pleasant meal near the Grand canal. All went well & we didn't end up paying through the nose as per some of the horror stories that abound in the press about the place.
After walking round the sights for several hours started to make our way back. I had read about Venice's mayor introducing his so called ‘Antisocial fines’ but thought this wouldn't affect us, after all what could we do that could be classed as Antisocial.
On nearing our ferry departure point, my wife & daughter were looking in a back street shop window (full of tourist tat). My grandchildren 4 & 9 were hot & tired, there was no seating nearby, so the squatted on the floor to one side but not blocking the shop window. The shop owner promptly marched out of the shop & was about to photograph them on her mobile phone until I glared at her so hard she thought better of it. Instead she went next door & got another shop keeper to come outside & have a word with the grandchildren. Clearly her command of the English was limited as all she could repeat was the word “Window”.
We decided to move off & as we did another older guy appeared telling us we were “Lucky” , presumably because he wasn't going to report us for ‘Antisocial’ behaviour.
Clearly the message is, we want your money but we don’t want you.
It was all very reminiscent of the bleeting we used to get about tourists from the Lake district authorities, till foot & mouth hit & they had no income.
RonA
The day we visited was hot 38 DegC & taking sage advice from elsewhere, carefully checked the prices in a restaurant before sitting down to a very pleasant meal near the Grand canal. All went well & we didn't end up paying through the nose as per some of the horror stories that abound in the press about the place.
After walking round the sights for several hours started to make our way back. I had read about Venice's mayor introducing his so called ‘Antisocial fines’ but thought this wouldn't affect us, after all what could we do that could be classed as Antisocial.
On nearing our ferry departure point, my wife & daughter were looking in a back street shop window (full of tourist tat). My grandchildren 4 & 9 were hot & tired, there was no seating nearby, so the squatted on the floor to one side but not blocking the shop window. The shop owner promptly marched out of the shop & was about to photograph them on her mobile phone until I glared at her so hard she thought better of it. Instead she went next door & got another shop keeper to come outside & have a word with the grandchildren. Clearly her command of the English was limited as all she could repeat was the word “Window”.
We decided to move off & as we did another older guy appeared telling us we were “Lucky” , presumably because he wasn't going to report us for ‘Antisocial’ behaviour.
Clearly the message is, we want your money but we don’t want you.
It was all very reminiscent of the bleeting we used to get about tourists from the Lake district authorities, till foot & mouth hit & they had no income.
RonA