No Roman Taxi Driver is going to pull the wool over my mothers eyes!

Imagine a local Roman taxi driver trying to tell my mother that she owed him 14 Euro when the taxi driver yesterday only charged her 10!  There was no way Mum was going to get out of that taxi until she had got a fare deal and the driver backed down giving her a 4 euro discount.

It all started on our first morning in the city when we asked the hotel to hail us a taxi.  The driver was not impressed that we were not prepared to walk five blocks with our heavy suitcases and that the fare was not going to help put his children through college.  After much yelling and hand gesturing with the hotel concierge he finally drove us to our destination but not before Mum was prepared to get out of the taxi because she was concerned that something was terribly wrong.  A day later and now she is arguing over fares!  What a quick learner.

Negotiating fares with taxi drivers has not been the only adventures we have taken.  Our first famous Roman sites (and after a grueling walk) were the Piazza Novona, Pantheon and Trevi Fountain. Mum, even though she loved the Trevi Fountain thought it was a little compact but the crowds were fascinating.  She is amazed by the numbers of visitors to the city from all over the world and described it as a pilgrimage to ancient Rome. She wishes she could get rid of the crowds so that she could wonder through the sites and look at them in detail. Not sure that Italy's economy would agree.

Day 2 and we first visit one of Rome's famous food markets just across the street from our apartment.  Here we buy meat, fruit, veges and other non descript goods to tide us over for dinners.
After food shopping we travel on a 'Hop On Hop Off' bus past Rome's icons and stop to explore the area around the Spanish Steps.  Again Mum is flabbergasted (her word) by the numbers of tourists. We enjoy a leisurely lunch in a cafe before spending a few minutes watching 'bum cracks' appearing as people settle to sit on the steps. Then checking out the shop windows we make our way to the bus stop to head home.

I myself am very pleased to be back in this fantastic city.  The weather is sunny and pleasant. I have managed to use a little bit of my poor Italian but have found that most people you speak with have very little patience for my fumbling.  Some have looked down right confused.  Oh well, can't stop trying I guess.