My new passion: VESPA

this post has been draft for more than 2 months, I couldn't get myself finish it the way I wanted and was about to cancel, but changed my mind just about now :)

Sean Jordan's Vespa and me!

Derek Sivers, in a hilarious short talk from the TED stage, says that we should keep our goals to ourselves.
I do truly believe him. Even though i have always thought that if I am telling someone about my plans, i'm feeling sort of a responsibility towards my plan and accountability to the person I'm telling. But every often when planning something it happens that I'm visualizing it so well, squeezing all the possible positive emotions from just the thought of it, that I no longer feel the need of actually realizing it. Like I have got enough joy just even thinking about it, that after now i have less motivation to accomplish it in reality.

But here, I'm gonna reveal one of my plans, which I'm accountable to few people. These are kind of friends, whom I won't be trying to disappoint or let down.

As someone who's known of loving everything Italian, I must state that I have found another proof of greatness of my favorite nation. They produce awesome scooters! and Vespa being the greatest brand of them.

Carlo's scooter back in 2008, in Genova

It all started when I noticed the strange (for Europe) lack of bicycles in Italy and the plenty of small vehicles that looked different from motorbikes and easier to ride. Then on my 2nd trip to Italy I met Carlo and we made a "giro" on his scooter around Genova and across the Ligurian sea shore... That was truly unforgettable. The first thought I had after that ride was "I'm gonna get one at home!".

My sister has been convincing me to start saving money for a car. I knew i can't save that much money and besides, one car won't be enough for the two of us. I don't like cars much, but for the recent months I've started to feel the terrible lack of a personal vehicle. and I remembered Vespa... started a basic research and found out that there are no Vespas in Yerevan. No one imports them, because they are expensive. There are scooters of Chinese production that are currently in use by local pizza/shaurma delivery services but are not reliable.

Just in the middle of this research i got to meat Sean. A Canadian from Hungary traveling around the world on his old-style Vespa. I told him about my passion and he convinced me that I should definitely get one. When we met, he offered me a ride around Yerevan, so that I could feel how it is to drive a Vespa in Yerevan.
Needless to say, that experience was plain awesome! Of course we got some attention (maybe I shouldn't be wearing those heels :D) and probably it will be much more intense when I drive it alone, but it was not as difficult with local drivers as I thought it would be.

Vespa is a very popular brand.
in La Feltrinelli, buying Vespa merch. :)

During my trip to Italy, I saw so many Vespas, that I couldn't help but wonder: how much time will it take until scooters become a popular transport mean for Yerevan residents? Sooner of later they will, because of the increasing traffic. Inevitably. Maybe I should contact Vespa for establishing a local dealership :)

in Trastevere..

this was the most awesome Vespa I saw in Rome

This one is just the best!