I find it amazing that you got an Alfa Romeo to move around without les portes falling off.

<i>I figured that going backwards had to be feminine.</i>

Heh.

Great story. It's a perfect example of why I never rent a car in Europe and use public transport instead. I know it would be merely hours, not days, until I had a major catastrophe on my hands.

Hi coco - It is a 159. It is fun driving but all the French drivers seem to want to race me. We came down from Paris on the motorway at 130-140 but it was seldom out of 4th gear. LOL
jody - hope you make it to Le Sagittaire and enjoy it as much as we did! Be sure to report back.
hopscotch - those car photos are my wife's cypershot. It seems to do a pretty decent job. We use it for the food photos and close up stuff.
Mathieu - you got the real joke!
It seems a lot of you have had similar experiences. Great for a story but not so funny at the time! It was very tense for awhile...Sandra didn't say a word though I swear she had her door partly open and was preparing to bail.

robjame, loved the photo of you with sun glasses and a green scarf. You have to look just right when you're driving an Alpha-Romeo.

Anselm

Bonjour Anselm
You would love it here in the Dordogne. We have had three lovely meals here as well as wonderful dinner with our hosts. We have been visiting a different marche each day as well as some great churches and local sites.
I must get posting some photos.
I could get used to the Alpha-Romeo!

Rob, I shared your pleasure of an Alfa upgrade in Rome. I expected a the sister Fiat but wan't sad to net the Alfa for driving through Umbria. Don't recall, but possibly had my own questioning moments pulling out of the diagonal parking at Termini.

I really enjoyed driving the car, handled beautifully in the hills and felt just right on narrow winding roads. Occasionally the 4-door sedan felt like a stretch limo on town streets, though we never entered a &quot;centro storico&quot; or anything like it.

Sometimes a rental should be basic. Sometimes it should be an extra treat.

Anyone who has never had a crisis of technology in a rental or when driving a friend's new car, please accept your MacArthur Genius Grant now ...