Now let me tell you about the 6A bus experience....

Yesterday was a lucky day.  Firstly, I want to make an observation as to why I think this country is going bankrupt....their transit system.  For the past few days we have been taking buses around the city in order to save time and see everything.  We discovered that not everyone punches their bus ticket in the machines provided on the bus...each bus has two machines...one in the front and one in the middle.  We figured out that most people get onto the back of the bus and watch for the inspectors to get on....they usually get on in the front.  So we thought we would try it.   For three days we hopped on and off buses.  I occasionally would punch my ticket because my conscience was getting the best of me.  Yesterday morning on the way to the airport I took my sorella's ticket and put in my purse as we got onto the back of the 6A bus heading to the Santa Maria Novella station.  After the 3rd stop...the inspector came on the bus through the back door and asked me for my ticket.  Oh oh!  I gave him the two tickets...thank goodness I still had two spaces that weren't punched and still valid.  He was reading old dates/times from the day before and told me they weren't valid...I played the dumb tourist and said "oh I forgot to punch the ticket"....he kindly punched both of them for me and gave me a look.  I thanked him in my very sweet english voice.   You can always tell the inspectors because they have the pouches and they look like ticket checkers.  I have seen them ticket people and send people off the bus.  Fines for invalid tickets can cost up to 400 Euros.  I heard about a guy who rode the bus system for two years and never bought a ticket.  Tickets cost 1.20 euro and are good for 90 minutes....I think that is a good deal.  You can get off at a stop...go do your shopping and then hop the return bus home.

Here are some more pics.....one of my garden.