Ci vediamo Roma - just for the weekend

My customers are a little crazy at the moment. They are all leaving common sense at home and coming to Rome in a dream like daze.

Yesterday I had a family complain about a hotel. It is always the same old story. They paid £1000 for 4 nights in Sorrento in a nice 4 star hotel with a pool and then they come to Rome and pay £400 for 4 nights in a cheap old 3 star hotel and then get angry at me about the poor quality of hotel. Hello! You paid more then double in Sorrento so of course the hotel in Rome is going to be vile in comparison.

Today I had a young couple call me from Ostia as they wanted me to tell them where they could hire a small boat for a few hours. I know it is my job to know 'everything' about Rome, but come on! Hiring a boat surely is not a spur of the moment decision. You've got to give me more then 10 minutes to find out that kind of information for you.

Then the same couple called back a few hours later to say that their hire car had been broken into and their suitcases, passports, mobile phone and camera had been stolen. They had checked out of the hotel, packed everything in the car - valuables and all - and then drove to Ostia (in search no doubt for a small boat since I could not help them with that query) and they are now flying home tonight with nothing except literally the clothes on their backs.

Another girl was biten by some mosquito and her ankle is the size of a tree trunk, an old man at a 5 star hotel called me to say his wife is upset that the hotel did not wish her happy birthday, we had booked a taxi to take customers to the train station, but rather then wait in reception for the driver they decided to go AWOL and take a last minute walk in Rome, almost causing them to miss the train...oh... the list goes on and on.

And on that note I am leaving Rome tonight. Malito, Calabria here I come (again.)

I have a seat booked on the midnight express from the gypsy encampment...sorry I meant to say Tiburtina. Bel ragazzo has gone down this afternoon and will be there to pick me up when I arrive at about 5:30 tomorrow morning.

Ahhh...bliss. I am actually not going for pleasure, but for medicinal purposes but that is neither here nor there. The doctor does not take all weekend and I am sure he would prescribe a bit of fresh Calabrian air.