Friday, May 20, 2011

Chan Brothers Tour of Italy: Florence Peruzzi Shopping (Day 3)-Part 2


After our hearty lunch of Pizzas at Pisa and the purchase of the beautiful umbrella featuring the leaning tower of Pisa, the tour group of 24 made our way to another part of Italy, Florence, which is 89 km away. Florence was the third city in Italy we visited after Rome, Pisa. Yesterday, we had also visited the Vatican city, the smallest country in the world.

I am not sure whether to call Pisa a city. As a tourist to Europe, in Italy, I do not exactly know the nomenclature of Pisa, to call it a town, a prefecture, etc. The most important thing to do as a tourist is to have an open mind and to explore! (Below is a photo of a Jewish Synagogue in Peruzzi):


When we arrived Florence, we stopped by some distance away to where we were heading: Peruzzi to do our shopping as the bus could not park too close to it. The tour manager was like a teacher, leading his pupils to navigate the small streets there. There were quite a handful of majestic churches, of which we would be visiting tomorrow. Today, it would be just pure shopping for us.

Finally, we reached a shop at Peruzzi selling leather products. Italian leather is famed world-wide and before our shopping, a staff there demonstrated to us the art of making a gold leather belt. There were many China Chinese who were ultra rich and spent thousands of dollars on the leather products. The leather there in Peruzzi is still not cheap. My wife and I did not buy anything from the store and we went out into the cold streets, to visit other shops selling clothes and other accessories. We looked at the pigeons too and the many dogs accompanying their owners. I think the dogs served a purpose to their owners: they can help ward off aggressors and robbers; I see quite many young couples going shopping with their large dogs throughout my vacation in Europe.

There was a tap, supposedly meant for the public though I did not know what it is used for. I saw dogs quenching their thirst with the taps, hence they must made be for them?

My wife and I did not buy anything from the shops as the items were too expensive. So was the bulk of the travel group. The tour manager bought another luggage and a senior tour mate helped him carry the luggage. The tour mate was humorous at heart as he found a pair of luggage wheels on the ground as we passed and lied to the tour manager that they came loose from his expensive luggage. The tour manager was sharp enough to see through the lie immediately.

We made our way back to our bus alighting point and waited patiently for the bus. A cool evening it was. We saw school children dressed in their own clothes marching past us. The bus came and we boarded.