Ways to make a living in Europe

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Ways to make a living in Europe.
During our travels in the last 5 weeks, we have come across four different ways in which the young or old or desperate enough entrepreneur, can make a living, although I am unsure how lucrative these endeavours would be. However, there seem to be a large number of individuals involved in these occupations so there must be some gain. The ways to make a living are as follows:
Begging. For this job you need to be a gypsy or have some terrible affliction...if you have both or can fake both you're on to a winner. Most will have a cup which they shake in front of you and a picture of some children. Supposedly if you give them some money it will go to them. Yeah right! We have encountered gypsy beggars outside Harrods in London, and in very other major city we have been to. In Rome however, they have it down to a fine art, particularly the woman, at least I assume they are women, it's hard to tell. Firstly you dress in as many layers of grubby clothes as possible, underneath a padded sleeveless vest. On one foot you don't have a shoe, you have about 20 socks one on top of the other and you drag this foot behind you. Their skirts are long and their headscarfs are pulled right over their faces so you cannot determine age or any form of actual health. If you're really good you plant yourself in the middle of the sidewalk, on your knees and forehead on the pavement like a Muslim praying and stretch your cupped hands out in front of you in the hopes that someone who has to step over and around you may drop a coin in there. We have yet to see anyone who has.
Street hawkers: usually men of Indian or African ethnicity. They will try and sell you anything but the constants in each city were sunglasses, carried on a folded up piece of cardboard. Doesn't matter it your already wearing some, you obviously still need another pair. Genuine gucci handbags and genuine rolex watches, yeah right, spread out on a half a single sheet sized piece of cloth, often with thin ropes tied to each corner. Umbrellas and hats because you need these rain or shine and various other souvenir trinkets like Eiffel tower and Pisa key rings...1euro, 1 euro, 1 euro. Also gimmicky toys and scarves with the name of the particular city you are in at the time on them. The Police come round the corner and it's fun to see them run. Hence the strings on the corners of the cloth, you can pull them together, run and not lose your stock. We really wanted to buy a whistle so we could blow it and watch them scatter! You have to watch the ones with the roses too. They will come up and force a rose into your hand...a gift for you...but try and walk away without them following you harassing you for the next two kms! Kept my hands in my pockets ALOT!
Street performers: don't mind them so much, as least they put some originality into the way they earn a crust. Although they were everywhere, Barcelona was where they excelled. A whole long street with different performers in their different costumes and getups, all trying to get you to part with your money and we did, for some very energetic and limber acrobats who tumbled their way through the crowds. Basically, if you want to take a photo of them, be prepared to click and then walk away fast.
Prostitutes: forget the red light district in Amsterdam. The place to find a good looking hooker is next to motorway on or off ramp and in the small parking/picnic areas on the side of the road just outside main towns in Spain and Italy. If you see a chair there, you know it's somebody's patch and if they're not sitting in it, then they're probably busy completing a transaction somewhere close by. We saw more than one girl being dropped back to her chair after the business had been done. Straighten the mini skirt, pull up the stockings and your ready for the next punter. A lot of these girls were lookers as well, young and pretty with great figures, well you could see quite a bit of them after all. The latter profession appeared to have the best results in terms of money. Not sure about the professional hazards involved though.
So there you have it. Four different ways to earn money in Europe if you ever get stuck for a buck.

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Comments

[Gaylene]

Hey I could do that!!!! The beggar with the 75 layers of clothes and socks I mean, not the pro!!!! . go on, buy that whistle!!!! Hilarious. I'm getting inspired to travel if not just to have a laugh. Do they not realise that tourists may visit more than one spot?. The fact that they all have the same routine is just too much. How 'bout a vid of the guys with the string on their wares. Dean you blow the whistle and Shelley do the filming. .... again, hahahahhaha. xx

[Raewyn]

Pressies
Can I please have a pair of sunglasses, a genuine Gucci handbag, a Rolex for hubby and perhaps he would like a prostitute as well. Thank you in anticipation xxxxx