Another Short Update, Florence to Paris!

Drafting this in a ~2 hour flight from Florence to Paris. Our flight was to leave at 7am sharp hence we've been awake since 430am to make it to the airport in good time. *sleepy* The line at the Air France counter was extremely long, and I was nervous and fidgety during the entire wait. Why nervous? We were slightly above the 20kg baggage limit on both of our check-in luggages, and I really didn't fancy having to repack or dump stuff at the counter.

Alhamdulillah, the lady barely blinked an eye at our luggage weight (I later found out that the absolute max was 23kg anyway), and even offered to put our hand carry in the check in for free. When we declined (takut woooo check in bag Chanel and Dior!), she insisted on weighing our handcarry and even asked us to place our bag in the handcarry dimension checker. We were 1kg over the handcarry limit but she let us off. *pheww*

Anyway, that is over and done with. We are currently on the last leg of our 10th anniversary honeymoon. We leave Paris for KL tomorrow! *sob sob* So here's a short recap of Florence before our trip ends for good!

I really can't find a word for Florence. If Venice was romantic and Rome was historical, well Florence is erm erm a shopaholic's dream? Ok the Florence marble duomo is beautiful and the view of the city from atop Piazzale Michelangelo was magnificent. But the thing that excited me most about Florence was the outlet shopping! *giggles*

We took the first bus in the morning to The Mall. There was already a long line in front of the Prada store. Once you enter, you will be given a number. Browse around for whatever interests you then simply ask the SA to scan the item you want to your number. My tip, book your items, exit the store and visit other brands, then come back and buy it after you are really satisfied that there isn't anything else that can replace your earlier choice. Because Prada is so big that sometimes it can be slightly overwhelming. They hold your items for about two hours anyway, so you've got plenty of time to decide on your purchase.

My damage? Two Prada bags, one Prada wallet, one Dior shopping tote, two Ferragamo heels and one Gucci flats. #imsobroke #hellomeemaggi

On our second day in Florence, we made a trip to visit Pisa. Took a train there, and as we were walking towards the train platform, a 'friendly' Italian lady asked whether we had validated our tickets. Failure to validate could cost us a fine of €50 per ticket. She helped us validate our tickets and even showed us to our seats. Andddddd as expected, she wanted to be paid for her 'services'. Uuurrgghh!!! We gave her some money but she simply refused to leave until we gave her more. She kept saying that she saved us from having to pay a 'fine'. (Takde conductor check pun during the trip pegi and balik!) She finally left after we gave her a few additional 10 euros. *shakes head* Lesson learnt!

The Leaning Tower of Pisa was... really senget!!! When I saw it, I marveled at how it can still stay vertical, and how people dared to climb up! The fact that the tower is still standing, is a result of either genius engineering or pure sheer luck. The one classic photo you must take whenever you are in Pisa is a photo of yourself trying to push the tower straight. Expect a couple of jokers in the area to slap your hand 'hi-5' style when you are doing this pose! *chuckles*

Anyway, that's all for now. Plane is landing in Paris soon. We're staying right smack beside the Eiffel Tower so hopefully our hotel room gives us a good view. Tomorrow we're taking the morning flight back to KL; wish us luck with the VAT claims! Can't wait to meet the kids; Aiden is already counting the days till we get back. Ian on the other hand, (whenever he agrees to talk on the phone) will only manage a "Heyooo, Babaiiiiii". *rindu*

Till next time, Ciao!

With love from Florence,
XOXO