Pinoyspotting: Rome and Barcelona

Send us your photos with Filipinos you meet in your travels. Each photo should be accompanied by an extended caption that will give the names of the people in the pictures, their city and country of residence and how you met them. We request that you get permission from them to publish their photos on the web.

Positively Filipino is not responsible for pictures posted without the subject(s) permission.

(Photo by Albert Romero)

We met Jeffrey who was touting a Filipino restaurant outside the Vatican.  We had to say no since we had just arrived in Rome from LA and were eager to eat Italian.  He volunteered to show us around and gave us a travel tip: no need to buy bus tickets after dark since the bus inspectors are off duty.  He took us to Trastevere where I found that I was more familiar with the area than he was.  We fed him dinner and gave him a some money for walking around with us.

(Photo by Albert Romero)

We met Emma while riding the Metro in Barcelona. She was our lucky charm as two of us in our group were detained by the Metro inspectors (karmic debt from Rome) because they suspected us of hopping the turnstiles. It was touch-and-go for a while because the inspector did not understand English and no one in our party was fluent in Spanish. The inspector was already mentioning paying a 100 euro fine and calling the police. Emma stepped in and soon we sorted out that we had to insert the same ticket used to board in order to exit this one particular station (I swear it was the equivalent of a speed trap because there were no instructions).  All was well after Emma helped us.

(Photo courtesy of Albert Romero)

Met this lady at the top floor of the bullring in Barcelona.  I was tired of climbing stairs and asked her if I could ride her elevator. She initially said that I had to pay (her job was to collect ride tickets) but relented after I charmed her (allow me this moment of fantasy).  I never got her name.