Vespas. They’re dangerous you know.
When Vroom with a View first came out and I was promoting it in bookstores in Australia and the UK I always ended my talks on a cautionary note. Sure, riding around Italy on the back of an old Vespa was an impossibly romantic thing to do. But it can have serious, long term repercussions. Within ten months of doing the trip I was married. A year or so later I became a father. Buzzing through Rome on a 40-year-old motor scooter is clearly not an endeavour to be taken lightly.
I’m not sure if Dominic attended any of those talks. But if he did, he clearly wasn’t listening. With his fortieth birthday fast approaching he bought himself a Vespa on eBay. And shortly after he married his girlfriend Sarah. (That’s a picture of them on their happy day – on the Vespa!)
All I can say is that I hope they’ve got an extra room handy. If my experiences are anything to go by they’re going to need it for a nursery.
The Blog!
January 31st, 2006 at 1:03 pm
Too late. Last year in April I rode – well, not a Vespa, but some kind of scooter – for the first time. Guess what… my companion in life will give birth to a boy in about two weeks. So I think the warning should be extended to scooters of all kinds.
February 4th, 2006 at 1:58 pm
I came to your site some weeks ago through WomanWandering. I added your blog-link to my site, hoping to spread my own enjoyment of your blog. I hope it is okay, if not, please let me know. Thanks!
February 4th, 2006 at 6:51 pm
Peter, it’s funny how I’ve been noticing Vespas around the place since reading Vroom! Today I was in a coffee shop on Byers Road, Glasgow, and noticed that the scooter randomly sitting in the window display in front of me was a Vespa. My mate, an Orcadian, said he knew someone back in Orkney who made a go-kart out of a Vespa which could get up to 70mph!
I should have hopped on the one in the window to see if women started throwing themselves at me…
February 5th, 2006 at 10:52 am
There could be problems with this posting Peter … I know that, as a woman there’s no way in hell I’ll be boarding a Vespa anytime soon. Vespa sales could plummet as women make the ‘connection’. You may be ostracised from the ‘Vespa community’.
Hmmmm, and should I feel lucky to have escaped unimpregnated after spending quite some time riding round Rome on the back of a lovely Roman man’s scooter back in 2003?
February 5th, 2006 at 4:01 pm
Hi Peter,
I could potentially qualify as one of the ‘Vesbores’ that Sally refers to !
After reading ‘Vroom’, my Wife and I went to Verona later in 2005 and I took numerous Vespa piccies on my mobile phone ‘cos I thought they made pretty cool screensavers.
A particular favourite was a rather fetching ‘Rasta’ one, painted in the Jamaican National Flag colours….happy to add to your [surely extensive] collection !!!!!
On another note, just come back from Montreal….you really need to check out some cool bands “Arcade Fire”, “Stars” and “Jonas”, all well worth a blast [Jonas is a young guy who is trying to bring back rock n’roll and is kinda Rolling Stones in style. See Jens’ albm coming out in UK this week.
Alex