Taking the Pisa and dodging the Tourist Police - The Sea legs blog day 7

Pisa and Florence today, on a 5 hour whistle stop tour. The one thing about cruising that could wear a bit thin is that you never really have enough time in port to appreciate the finer points. Most ports seem to be a long bus ride from the place of interest.

With only 30 minutes at Pisa, it was another James Burke – inspired itinerary:

Hike to rendezvous point
Drink Cappuccino
Take picture of your partner pretending to hold up the Leaning Tower

Drink Water (31 degrees in the shade)

Let partner take picture of you pretending to hold up the Leaning Tower

Buy Pisa Hat

Battle through crowds to Bus Park
Back on bus

Florence was slightly (but not much) more relaxed. In Florence you run the gauntlet of Africans selling dodgy goods. Dolce and Gabbana bags (or Dodgy and Kabanos as they say in Poland), and posters of the great works of art. You get dire warnings on the street that you as the purchaser can get fined for buying this stuff as well as the street hawkers. You really have to give these guys due credit though, they work for the few Euros they make, and it has to be better than scraping a living and dodging bullets and beardy religious police back in Somalia or Chad.

Vicki liked one of the posters so we started the bartering process.

“How much?”

“35 Euros!”

“(expletive deleted)

J & V begin to walk off…….He follows…. (got him on the hook)

“I can do you special price!”

“Oh Yeah?”

“20 Euro for two!"

“Give us a break ……….”

Walk off again… he’s still following us. It’s looking like a 5 euro poster to me…..

“15 Euro, two posters…..?”

“We only want one…… 5 Euros, no more!”

We get a look like we’ve just drowned his pet dog, then suddenly he realises he’s wandered too far away from his pitch and must have got the tip from his buddy, because he grabbed his posters and scarpered behind a colonnade.
So close to a deal I couldn’t see him giving up and sure enough, a few metres further on he popped out from behind another colonnade, poster ready wrapped in an elastic band with a resigned look on his face.

“Five Euros?”

“Five Euros…..”

I love bartering…..