vespa - oh thy dreaded sound

Amsterdam is jam packed with scooters these days.  They have even made their way onto the bicycle paths - which is a complete annoyance.   More annoying are the teenagers who roam in packs on their vespas and terrorize my neighborhood between the hours or 2-5 AM.  Last night they were cruising our street again.

When we moved here last year I went and bought myself a vespa.  I had one in NYC and it was a terrific way to zip around the neighborhoods quickly and not be beholden to taxis in traffic or subway delays.  But as I am figuring out every day - the city and the village are very different places.  Here vespas are considered a nuisance - and the bicycle reigns king supreme.  So I put my vespa on the market shortly after purchasing it.  However, in typical "American style" I had just about every option included on it - which has made it near to impossible to sell.  But such a target for theft!

My poor vespa has been vandalized 3 times in the last 3 months.  Every time one thing gets replaced, another goes missing.  The fact that it is parked directly under a street lamp and is on permanent display hasn't done the least to stop this.  My vespa has become the easy target.  It is currently in the shop having 4 things replaced - all in hopes of selling it at some point - oh the pain.  Oh the euros.

So last night I awoke to the sounds of a vespa gang (how ridiculous does that sound?) outside on the street.  I got up to peek from our upstairs window - prime viewing spot!  There they were - all circled around where my vespa is usually bolted down.  Obviously, they were back for some more shopping.  Watching them all down there - congregated and vulnerable - I had a strong urge to retaliate for all of their mischief.  I really wished that I had a paint gun (and knew how to use it).  I mentioned this to my husband later and he quickly replied that although it sounded like a good idea to him - it was probably something that could land me in jail here.