The Third Place

Well, it’s been about two weeks since I got the licence for the Vespa, and I must say it’s great! No traffic, no parking problems, no stress. I definitely recommend it to everyone.

Some info on the licence, for Portugal:

• If you have a driving licence, category B, issued before March 30th of 1998, you can drive a <50cc scooter. Anything after that, you’ll need to get a new one.
• To get a new one, if you do have a driving licence, category B, you’ll just need to do a practical exam. If not, theory and practical exam.
• After applying for the exam, you’ll have to wait around five weeks to get a set date.

Good links about Vespas and scooters (in Portuguese):

• Vespa Clube de Lisboa
• ScooterPT

Yes, me.

I’m now a proud owner of a black Vespa LX 50, four strokes. Funny part: minutes after buying it, a guy (looked like one of the bike shop customers) turns to me and says “That’s a great machine, congratulations!”. Well, I have no idea if it is, and it sure looks good to me, but I can’t stop feeling I’ve entered a very exclusive club, or better, two exclusive clubs: motorbike owners and Vespa owners. And I just want it to commute, avoiding (most of) the traffic and not pay parking.

Next step: learn how to drive it.