That'll Be A €60 Fine, Then

We were sitting outside Meeting Bar in Acciaroli

this morning, enjoying a pre-lunch drink.

The sun was shining in an almost cloudless sky

and there were lots of comings & goings

of various locals and holidaymakers alike,

 pulling up in cars &

offloading passengers to shoot in to

pick up dolce for post-lunch. 

At the particular moment that the Polizia Locale car

pulled up outside the church,

there were a couple of cars & a Vespa 

or two parked up.

As both female officers got out of the vehicle,

one of them gave 3 sharp trills on her whistle;

this warning to illegally parked motorists that 

the Polizia are about and ready  to start handing out

parking tickets always makes us chuckle - 

no way would you get such a warning in the UK.

(I should point out that, around here,

motorists MUST park in a marked 

parking space, otherwise they're parked illegally).

There was an ice cream coloured VW Beetle with its

roof down parked a few metres along from the bar. The officer blew her whistle again as she walked towards it; the owners of the other cars all scooted out & drove off.  

Another 3 whistle blasts, and that was it - final warning had been given - pen was put to paper.

Too late, the owner & his two passengers 

came back to the car, to find a 

Penalty Notice attached to the windscreen. 

He argued half heartedly, but he knew it 

was too late - once the ticket is written, 

it can't be cancelled.

And so, his Sunday morning bar bill suddenly jumped by a further €60.