No
city in Europe is easy to drive in. I used to drive in them twenty years ago, but
no more. Traffic in most European cities is horrendous. Each country, indeed each
city, seems to have its own protocols known only to the locals. I value my life
too highly to risk driving in Paris or Rome, Athens or Budapest traffic. No.
These days I take taxis. I drive happily in the countryside, through Tuscany, Provence,
the Swiss Alps, but when I come to any large city I head for the airport
(always some miles distant from the city) and turn the car in. From that point,
I am at the mercy of the taxi drivers.
Which
brings me to the taxi drivers of Rome. They are amazing. First of all, they are
the friendliest I’ve ever encountered anywhere. They converse happily about
where we are, what we’re seeing, where we’re going, and life in general. They
manage to drive safely through unbelievable mazes of traffic, always knowing
another way when one is blocked. They chat on their cell phones and speak
volumes with their very Italian hand gestures while still managing to steer
their vehicles through crowds of tourists. They never seem to lose their cool. They
impart words of wisdom. “Did you know é
Roma backwards spells Amoré?”,
and “the Rome of the Caesars, Roma Antica
is Romantica?”
They
are a gallant lot. When we unknowingly booked into a hotel a full block down a
pedestrian- only lane, our driver pulled over on the densely trafficked Via del
Corso and dragged our too many bags all the way to our hotel entrance, without
regard for the traffic jam he caused in the process.
I
never heard a Roman taxi driver yell at another taxi driver or beep his horn,
even in the most frustrating circumstances. In fact, unlike Paris, where taxi
horns are part of the music of the city, car horns are never heard in Rome.
Perhaps there’s a law against blowing horns, I don’t know. But Romans don’t pay
much attention to other laws. There’s little reason to think they’d observe one
about blowing horns. I think the answer lies rather in the sense of community
and the innate old world courtesy of the men and women who drive taxis in this
ancient city. Rome taxi drivers are invariably courteous to one another. In the
tightest places they give way to another of their kind. And somehow we always
get where we’re going safely and by the allotted time.
On a
recent excursion by taxi to the Villa d’Este, several miles north of Rome, our
driver, Gianni, gave new meaning to the words “multi-tasking”. He owned a fleet
of some twenty taxis, and was in constant contact with his drivers on three
cell phones, entering each call in a large notebook on his lap while driving. He dispensed advice on the best routes from A
to B, sent cabs to places where they were needed and in general kept track of
his entire fleet, all the while gesturing and telling us all about the country
side through which we were driving. It
was a brava performance. And the most amazing thing about it was that I was
never once nervous. I’m normally a very nervous passenger. I much prefer to be
in the driver’s seat. But I would have staked my life on this man’s ability to
get us safely where we were going.
I’ve
been in Rome countless times. In all those times, I’ve never seen a traffic
accident. That says something about Rome drivers in general, and about Rome
taxi drivers in particular.
So
here’s to the taxi drivers of Rome!
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Following are my published novels. Go to my Goodreads page, to find more info and reviews.
To purchase one of these books, just click on the book link below and select the vendor of your choice.
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COMING SOON! Blair's latest novel, Romantic Road, is a romantic mystery set in Europe. It is set for release in 2014! Stay tuned.
• Romantic Road
~ My latest novel takes you on a chase across Europe with our heroine
who finds herself in a series of precarious situations. She encounters a
handsome stranger, but is he helping her, or is he dangerous? This
story has hair raising suspense, romance and a sprinkling of humour
To be released in 2014 through Wild Rose Press
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"The Memory of Roses by Blair McDowell
is simply an incredibly lovely story. It’s also a love story, and a story about
finding yourself, and about closure. The theme running through the book is
“all’s well that ends well.” -- Marlene, Reading Reality
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"Delighting In Your Company is a unique paranormal romance that brings together island folklore, history, and mystery with an unlikely romance between the past and present that had me going through a torrent of emotions and made it impossible to put down." -- The Romance Reviews
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~ A robbery has taken place at her family home, and it is being investigated by her old flame;
~ Alyssa James who she barely knows, is about to become her new stepmother;
~ and Alyssa’s brother, Hugh James, is a charming Irishman who is intent on bedding and wedding the rich and beautiful Sayuri.
It’s a confusing and difficult time for Sayuri, especially when dangerous accidents happen to her father and herself – or are they accidents?
“I found Sonata to be a charming novel that left me laughing out loud
in parts and gnawing nails in others. It was a delight to read.” – Night Owl
Reviews
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Abigail's Christmas is a holiday story about Abigail who goes looking for a tree on Christmas Eve, and ends up with the man of her dreams in a sleigh in the Rockies --- with a wedding in the offing! Is it real? Is she dreaming? Or is it just Christmas magic?
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Blair McDowell