Well, PH, in Ballsbridge stated that they were paid very little by an American for babysitting and this is the reason for the post. Later though, PH says they like them individually?

I would think that PH needs more contact with Americans before stereotyping.

Something to consider is that many Americans who travel overseas are not well-to-do, have saved for the trip and are pinching pennies while on holiday. While it would be nice if they could tip to everyone's expectations, in many cases it's simply not possible.

Most of us are working class folks and do love our country. We also love your country which is why we choose to visit.

Please do not judge the American people as a whole based upon a bad tipping experience.

I personally admire the strong will and love of country the British display. Those of us in the US feel that way about our country as well.

Remember, we are and will always be - brothers in arms.

Christian American, Cincinnati, USA

I personally had this sort of thing happen in Rome on my honeymoon. The "soldiers" act like your friend, say nothing of the fees they want to charge you, and ogle your wife to the point of making her uncomforrtable.

When you try to refuse, they begin to get angry. When you agree to take the pic and then start to walk away, they get angry.

It's a no win situation for the clueless tourist.

Robert Bright, Gallipolis, Ohio, USA

History records that Roman Centurions were often licentious... :)

Carl Street, San Francsico, California USA

I am not sure why you would say the American was backward. dorothy here said she paid 2 Euros per photo, the article said they had one photo taken and offered up to 6 Euros.....3 times what she paid.

Hopefully he gets ome jail time. Assault and battery, not to mention attempted extortion here gets quite a bit of jail time. I suppose he'll get slapped on the wrist and sent out. You are so progressive there.

GG, Phoenix, AZ, US

You folks over there might want to adopt an old yank tradition: QUOTE PRICES IN ADVANCE. It's basic contract-law (and common sense) that EXACT consideration (i.e. price) must be offered-- AND ACCEPTED-- before a working contract can exist. If you perform a service without stating an exact price, then you're lucky to get more than a "thank you" because your sevice is GRATUITOUS.
If someone wants money without an advance quote, then they're working for TIPS-- and therefore can't expect a PENNY.
If you deal with a Yank, just quote your fee beforehand and you'll have no problem in most cases; dont expect them to read your mind and customs and just KNOW what you expect in return. When you sell to tourists, then you should know your audience, not complain over miscommunication. The fact that they dont' do this, just shows they're into extortion by luring them with false promises and then socking them with the bill-- literally. What's so hard about telling prices in advance?

Bob, Detroit, MI/USA

How provincial these Brits!

Cesare, Roma, Italy

Quote "a violent Roman centurion? Infamy!" unquote.

Indeed. maybe he was trying to give a more authentic experience by acting like a real Roman centurion -- aggressive and corrupt, and quick to attack.

Kinda like most modern government cops, for that matter.

Dave P., Moscow, VA, U.S.

PH: Guess you should have worked out the rate of pay prior to the work then. Not to mention, there's a bit of difference between 6 hours of babysitting and 3 minutes of posing for a photograph.

Paul: The $2 brought the total of what they were offering him up to about the hourly minimum wage for entry level jobs here. I'm guessing they didn't waste an hour the man's time. If the guy was tweaked about the initial 4 euros, what's wrong with offering him 2 more dollars?

Sandro, Albuquerque, NM, USA

A $2 bill ???- no wonder the Italian feller belted him.......

Paul, London,

I have recently returned from Rome with my mum & 2 sisters & we sought out the most handsome gladiator at the Colosseum having vetted many other older, less authentic looking gladiators & we very pleased with our guy. We knew that the gladiator would charge for a photograph with him & he advised us that it would be 2 Euros per photo. As he had lovely eyes we were prepared to pay this & ended up getting 12 photos for 10 Euros (& that was us giving him a 2 Euro tip!) He was exceptionally nice & drew quite a crowd which he got plenty more business from. We would definitely search him out again on our next trip to Rome.

Dorothy Mullin, Glasgow, Scotland

Quote "28 unlicensed fake centurions", unquote.

Does this mean then, that there are licenced fake centurions?

A.Brown, Aberystwyth, Wales

A violent Roman centurion? Infamy!

DC, Belfast,

A yank once gave me 90p for baby sitting his four awful spoilt brats for 6 hours. I think they inherently wish that they could still own slaves. They're such an enigma, the most technologically advanced nation that is at the same time completely backward. In general I always like them individually, but collectively??? U-S-A, U-S-A, Need I say more?

PH, Ballsbridge,