Beware the Gladiators!

I heard a story last night that I thought it would be good to pass along. At the Coliseum in Rome, there are men who dress up as Roman Gladiators, and invite you to have your picture taken with them 'for a tip'.

Their idea of a tip, you find out AFTER the photos are taken, runs in the Euro 10-20 range, and if you were naive enough to give your camera to one of them to take the pictures, you won't get it back until you pay up!

My thoughts: If you absolutely HAVE to have a photo of these 'gentlemen', use your zoom lens and try to sneak one while they are busy scamming someone else! Better yet, go explore the Coliseum and ignore them entirely.

Besides, Swiss Guards at the Vatican have more colorful uniforms, are usually younger and more, hmm, photogenic, and don't charge you anything.

The bottom line: you'll be traveling with a group of people- there really is no need to give your camera to a complete stranger.