Gentleman friends
Liz is a very attractive single pensioner aged 65 who, quite amazingly, managed to afford an overseas trip back to Rome on a very small income.
"Having once thrown a coin into the fountain of Trevi at the age of 18," confides Liz, "I knew I would return to Rome one day - I just didn't think I'd have to wait until I was 65 to do it, so it was a real spiritual experience for me."
She looks ten years younger than the average sixties woman, but then Liz admits that she has led a charmed life, always lived alone and avoided all the hassles of marriage and children that make other women old before their time.
"Also," laughs Liz. "a lot of the nice things in my life are paid for by my gentleman friends. Nothing sexual about the friendships, mind you, they are just nice old guys I’ve known for many years."
"I have been on several short trips with my gentleman friends as a companion," explains Liz, "I keep them out of trouble and they pay all of my expenses, even my clothes!"
"Because of the generosity of my gentleman friends I was able to save up quite a bit of money," explains Liz, "and with my savings I took a sentimental trip that I've been longing to take for most of my adult life."
"I have wonderful memories of going on an end of school trip to Rome with twenty girls and two very strict teachers," laughs Liz. "This time around I was traveling alone and I could stay up as late as I wanted and get up to as much mischief as I wanted!"
"I wanted to stay in Rome for a while and soak up all the ambiance of its ancient and modern culture," says Liz, "but my most memorable experience turned out to be a brief encounter with a Roman spruiker!"
"It was off-season," Liz explains. "The city was not swarming with tourists, and I hadn’t bothered to book ahead for a hotel - I had been told that there were plenty of cheap places available at that time of the year."
"I left my baggage at the railway station's locker-room, picked up a free map of the city from the tourist office and proceeded to take a leisurely look around."
"It was early morning, I had plenty of time, I was bursting with excitement and I wasn't really interested in finding a hotel until later in the day," says Liz, "but I had only walked two blocks before a tall, mustached man in a bright red uniform spruiked me into taking a look at a room."
Liz had never seen anyone spruiking rooms before, but this guy was apparently very good at it.
"He was a caricature of a doorman," laughs Liz. "His hair and moustache had actually been waxed and the red of his uniform and the black of his hair were a stunning combination."
"He stood in the middle of the pavement outside the pension at which he was employed loudly announcing its charms in sing-song English," explains Liz.
"How could I not be charmed by this man? What did I have to lose by taking a look at the room he offered?"
"It was near the station, I didn't have far to walk with my baggage, and if I liked the room I would have the rest of the day totally free to do some sight-seeing."
Watching her face show a slight sign of interest, the Roman Spruiker then gave Liz the hard sell. A special price? How could she refuse! So, she followed him into the pension and as she entered the hall she wanted to turn back and run away.
"A lot of Italian buildings are shabby on the outside but palatial inside," explains Liz, "but this particular building was shabbier inside than it was outside. And it smelled. A strange mixture of garlic and urine!"
Worse was to come.
"He led me to the elevator and only in ancient movies had I seen an elevator like this one," laughs Liz.
"It was an open cage with wire doors and I was sure it would not take his weight and mine, but miraculously it cranked its way up to the 4th floor and while we stood together in the cage he continued to extol the virtues of the room he was about to show me."
"The private bathroom turned out to be a dirty shower in the corner of the room. There was no hand basin or toilet and had I taken the room I would have had to use the communal toilet and I dared not imagine what it would be like!"
"The beautiful view turned out to be a window blocked by shutters that looked like they had never been opened," says Liz. "And the bed looked like it was alive with bugs."
"I told him that the room was not what I wanted," relates Liz, "and, no thank you, I said when he ushered me towards the elevator. I preferred to walk down the stairs rather than risk my life again in that antiquated contraption!"
"I pressed some money into his hand, god knows how much it was, a few hundred or a few thousand Italian lira," laughs Liz, "and left him with a cheery ‘ciao’!"
"You know what," sighs Liz, "I can still see his big brown eyes looking sadly at me as I walked away."
"Having once thrown a coin into the fountain of Trevi at the age of 18," confides Liz, "I knew I would return to Rome one day - I just didn't think I'd have to wait until I was 65 to do it, so it was a real spiritual experience for me."
She looks ten years younger than the average sixties woman, but then Liz admits that she has led a charmed life, always lived alone and avoided all the hassles of marriage and children that make other women old before their time.
"Also," laughs Liz. "a lot of the nice things in my life are paid for by my gentleman friends. Nothing sexual about the friendships, mind you, they are just nice old guys I’ve known for many years."
"I have been on several short trips with my gentleman friends as a companion," explains Liz, "I keep them out of trouble and they pay all of my expenses, even my clothes!"
"Because of the generosity of my gentleman friends I was able to save up quite a bit of money," explains Liz, "and with my savings I took a sentimental trip that I've been longing to take for most of my adult life."
"I have wonderful memories of going on an end of school trip to Rome with twenty girls and two very strict teachers," laughs Liz. "This time around I was traveling alone and I could stay up as late as I wanted and get up to as much mischief as I wanted!"
"I wanted to stay in Rome for a while and soak up all the ambiance of its ancient and modern culture," says Liz, "but my most memorable experience turned out to be a brief encounter with a Roman spruiker!"
"It was off-season," Liz explains. "The city was not swarming with tourists, and I hadn’t bothered to book ahead for a hotel - I had been told that there were plenty of cheap places available at that time of the year."
"I left my baggage at the railway station's locker-room, picked up a free map of the city from the tourist office and proceeded to take a leisurely look around."
"It was early morning, I had plenty of time, I was bursting with excitement and I wasn't really interested in finding a hotel until later in the day," says Liz, "but I had only walked two blocks before a tall, mustached man in a bright red uniform spruiked me into taking a look at a room."
Liz had never seen anyone spruiking rooms before, but this guy was apparently very good at it.
"He was a caricature of a doorman," laughs Liz. "His hair and moustache had actually been waxed and the red of his uniform and the black of his hair were a stunning combination."
"He stood in the middle of the pavement outside the pension at which he was employed loudly announcing its charms in sing-song English," explains Liz.
"How could I not be charmed by this man? What did I have to lose by taking a look at the room he offered?"
"It was near the station, I didn't have far to walk with my baggage, and if I liked the room I would have the rest of the day totally free to do some sight-seeing."
Watching her face show a slight sign of interest, the Roman Spruiker then gave Liz the hard sell. A special price? How could she refuse! So, she followed him into the pension and as she entered the hall she wanted to turn back and run away.
"A lot of Italian buildings are shabby on the outside but palatial inside," explains Liz, "but this particular building was shabbier inside than it was outside. And it smelled. A strange mixture of garlic and urine!"
Worse was to come.
"He led me to the elevator and only in ancient movies had I seen an elevator like this one," laughs Liz.
"It was an open cage with wire doors and I was sure it would not take his weight and mine, but miraculously it cranked its way up to the 4th floor and while we stood together in the cage he continued to extol the virtues of the room he was about to show me."
"The private bathroom turned out to be a dirty shower in the corner of the room. There was no hand basin or toilet and had I taken the room I would have had to use the communal toilet and I dared not imagine what it would be like!"
"The beautiful view turned out to be a window blocked by shutters that looked like they had never been opened," says Liz. "And the bed looked like it was alive with bugs."
"I told him that the room was not what I wanted," relates Liz, "and, no thank you, I said when he ushered me towards the elevator. I preferred to walk down the stairs rather than risk my life again in that antiquated contraption!"
"I pressed some money into his hand, god knows how much it was, a few hundred or a few thousand Italian lira," laughs Liz, "and left him with a cheery ‘ciao’!"
"You know what," sighs Liz, "I can still see his big brown eyes looking sadly at me as I walked away."
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