Nice to Meet You See You, Florence, Italy [Part I]!
It is believed if you drop a coin from the famous Fontana del Porcellino's mouth and it lands in the grid below, you will return back to Florence someday. Well, that someday is today! I am back in Florence! :)
- Photo Taken 2012
After a few days away from selfie sticks/ umbrella vendors, we walked right into all the tourists traps. Good thing, we have mastered the art of RBF (resting bitch face). :)
Tip to future self: Decided on a hostel based on accessibility. Ask which floor the hostel is located on BEFORE booking. Our temporary home happened to be on the very top floor of a building with a non-working elevator. Just peachy. :)
This unexpected baggage-stairs challenge definitely used up my last bit of energy. We headed to Mercato Centrale around the corner. For an authentic lunch, Da Nerbone is a hidden gem! :) The delicious aroma filled the air. :) We joined the line with tourists and locals. Our excitement for the food was suddenly exchanged with an Uh-Oh. The entire menu is in Italian! Lucky for us, the market was equipped with wifi! We frantically searched for an English menu. Scanning through sites after sites, we found it just in time. :)
I had a bolito burger (boiled meat) and Bubble ordered risotto. We stood elbow to elbow at the end of the counter chowing down our food. :) I will take another plate!
We stuffed ourselves and now it is time to walk it off. :) Right outside is the Leather Market. Stalls after stalls set up selling everything leather. Leather bags, leather jackets, leather belts, leather wallets. I was surprised to see the pursue I purchased two years ago was still around! Guess the style hasn't evolved yet and I am still 'fashionable'. :)
I wanted to bring those pursues as souvenirs. So we walked around practicing our negotiation skills. Athough no one took our bid, we did figured out the typical price range (15-20 euros). Don't be fooled!
If we didn't know better, we would have been tricked. A vendor dared to offer the same replicate purse for 250 euros! We played along. 10 euros? He rejected the offer and insisted it is authentic. No way would it be worth 10 euros. He lowered his price to 220 euros, 200 euros... then 30 euros. We insisted on 10 euros and he tripped himself. He said no way it can be 10 euros, he paid 15 euros for the purse. LOL! Basically he just exposed his ridiculous markup! :)
Sidestory: We were passing through Ponte Vecchio when we overheard a selfie stick vendor desperately trying to convince two girls to make a purchase. It was hilarious.
Girls: We already have one.
Vendor: You have this one? What about this one?
Me: Haha! How many selfie sticks does one need?!
We walked through the Gold Market. So bright and shinny! Who wants to be my best friend and buy me this ring?
Side Story: We were sitting on the steps outside of the Duomo figuring out dinner plans when a lady came up to us asking if we spoke English. Bubble responded yes. She then handed her camera to him and asked for a photo of her and the Duomo. This angle, that angle, this pose, that pose, he ended up giving her a full photoshoot! :)
We decided to wine down early for our winery tour tomorrow. :)
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