The Iconic Ponte Vechio - Florence, Italy

The rustic Ponte Vechio, Florence, Italy

Florence is the main town of Tuscany region and it is in the center of Italy. The city of Florence is not too big and even without a map it is quiet easy to navigate the city. We walked from the main train station, Santa Maria Novella station to San Lorenzo Leather market and from there we walked to River Arno. 

The city has many high-end Italian designers stores, hotels  and interesting sites to visit. It is also a practical and perfect base to tour the region. If you walk along river Arno, you will see many people pointing their cameras towards an old bridge. At a glance the bridge does not look like a monument that deserves all the attentions but as I read through its history, Ponte Vechio has an interesting history to tell. A story of how it has been through a test of time and a series of destruction but today it is still there for us to appreciate it. 

It was believed that Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge) was built during Roman times in Florence. Previously, the shops on the bridge was occupied by the butchers but today, the present tenants are jewelers, art and souvenirs sellers. The bridge was first built in 996 and reconstructed in 1117 after it was destroyed by a flood and again it was swept by flood in 1333. In 1345, the bridge was rebuilt again but during the World War II, the Germans destroyed Ponte Vechio when they retreat on August 4, 1944. 

This Florence's most famous old bridge is one of the most photographed landmark in the city and it is not surprising to see many people leaning on the walls along River Arno to get their best shots of this iconic bridge. The buildings along River Arno too are colorful and interesting to watch but due to heavy crowds around the area, you have to watch your belongings and wallets at all time.

The view along River Arno

People flooding the bridge

Souvenir shops on the bridge

The buildings at the other end of the bridge

A side view

On the bank of River Arno

The middle part of the bridge

Another view of Ponte Vechio

The private accommodation on the bridge 

Top Six Souvenirs from Iran

Bazaar E-Borzoog, Esfahan

While in some countries, most of their souvenirs are imported from China, Iran has a huge selection of local traditional souvenirs. They range from the cheapest key chain to the most expensive Persian carpets. The traditional bazaar is the best place to look for some of the country's best souvenirs. Most of the bazaars are so huge that it is impossible to finish browsing in a day. Among all the bazaar I visited in Sanandaj, Shiraz and Esfahan, I like the bazaar in Imam Square (Bazaar e-Borzoog) in Esfahan It is very huge, not crowded and very organized. Here are the top six souvenirs from Iran which I think are unique and authentic.

This piece of carpet cost about USD $3,000 

1.  CARPETS

Even if you have no plans to buy Iranian carpets or they are just off your budget, visiting the carpet stores and admiring the beauty would suffice. Iranian carpets are beautiful and worth the investment. Although the initial plans is not to buy any bulky souvenirs but the temptation lured by the store owner is way too strong to resist. Depending on the size and material, Persian carpet can be very expansive.

Crafted by the local silversmith, this beautiful silver chain is priced at US $80

2.  GOLD AND SILVER

I think Iran has skillful jewelry designers. Beautifully crafted silver and gold jewelries  and the fact that they are handmade gives it a unique craft as a memorable souvenir. The jewelries are weighed to determine its actual content of gold or silver before the price is quoted.  There is still room for bargaining though you will not get a major price slash.

The hand made enameled copper plate - a gift from Esfahan University

These plates are not cheap but they make very exquisite souvenirs

3.  ENAMEL COPPER PLATES

These stunning hand made enameled copper vases, tea sets, plates, wall-hanging plates and others can be a gift or even for home decoration. In the bazaar, you may find an artisan working in progress, and you can purchase his/her completed pieces. The items can be priced around USD $50-$300 over a range of sizes of wall hanging plates. Of course the price of tea sets and vases will be much higher.

The glittering tablecloth for US $40 and above

4. GLITTERING TABLE CLOTH

These glittering table cloths can easily catch your eyes. They are really beautiful but you have to give it a real check at the back of the table cloth to make sure that the beads and sequins are not falling off easily. They are hand made and I think depending on the shops, quality may vary significantly. Check for durability when you are buying one of these. Be careful when cleaning these items. You can dip in mild soapy water and hang them to dry or you can send it for dry cleaning.

Hand printed table cloth from US $5 to $100 

5.  PRINTED TABLE CLOTH

These beautiful cotton printed table cloths can be both hand printed or machine printed. Obviously the machine made is much cheaper than the hand made and in fact you can get it as cheap as US $5. The hand printed table cloth with the printer's name sealed at the back is an authentic and memorable souvenir to take home. They come in beautiful natural colors extracted from spices, fruits and plants. For the hand printed one, the more colors are layered on the piece, the more expensive it gets.

These mouse pads - a miniature of Iranian carpet, cost US $2 each 

6.  MOUSE PAD

These Iranian carpet mouse pads are the best bargain souvenirs to take home. It comes in various designs and colors just like the carpet. The little carpets are glued to the light foam material and they are very light to carry. But what bothers me is that after few months, the pad tends to curls at its end and of course I can't complain much for the price I'm paying.

Walking down the memory lane - Bath, UK

The beautiful 18th century Pulteney Bridge over River Avon

Bath is one of the most wonderful city that I had ever lived in my life. Home to great writers such as Jane Austen and Charles Dicken, living in Bath can be very inspiring.  My good old days were spent walking miles and miles along river Avon and sitting by the river banks on a cold autumn day was simply mesmerizing. 

Shops on Pultney Bridge

The shops on Pulteney bridge reminds me of the iconic Ponte Vechio in Florence, Italy but the one in Bath is much smaller. Perhaps the resemblance came from the Roman who conquered Bath in the 9th. century.

The entire city of Bath was inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987 due to it international cultural significance. Jane Austen, her parents and sister, Cassandra lived in Bath from 1801 to 1806 and despite that she disliked the city, Bath has honoured her name with Jane Austen Centre and a city walk. Bath with its beautiful architecture has been the backdrop of many films and television programmes.

The cute tea shop in Bath

Milsom Street

A Gift of Love

A set of perfume as gift

A watch in a 'garden' of fresh flowers

Marriage is a lifetime journey which deserves celebration in any culture. Apart from the solemnization, it is customary in the Malay wedding, the bride and the groom exchanged gifts (hantaran) as a symbol of love and new relationship sealed on the special day. The gifts need not have to be expensive but what is more important is the message delivered in the "hantaran" (from the Malay word "hantar" which mean to send). The gifts can range from the cheap chocolate and cookies to the massive amount of dowry!

From the groom, the gifts include among others the dowry to the bride, a wedding ring and other gifts.  While the bride will be presenting more trays of gifts than the groom, the focal point of families and friends is the presentation of the gifts which can be delightful to the eyes. If the groom send 5 trays of gifts to the bride, she will reciprocate by sending 7 trays in return and the number of trays are usually paired in odd numbers. I'm not sure of the logic! 

Some families take the pain of preparing the trays of gifts themselves, while others would engage professionals to do the job. Just look at the work of art and heart by Maya Puri Creations (http://www.facebook.com/maya.puri.creations), who has appeared in the local magazines for her splendid work. The creative lady Safinaz always uses fresh flowers and she cleverly blends her palette of colors to come up with fascinating presentations. Doing away with complicated creation (gubahan), her work portrays simplicity yet fresh and natural!

A set of pens

Fruits can be one of the gifts on the tray

The Sticky sweets presented on the tray

The fresh flowers were recycled for home decoration

Gift of cuppies

I bid farewell to Shiraz - Iran

Part of the tile-work at Syed Amir Ahmed shrine

Prejudices, it is well known, are most difficult to eradicate

from the heart whose soil has never been loosened or 

fertilized by education; they grow there, firm as weeds among stones. 

-Charlotte Bronte-

Many people failed to see the fact that there's always another way of doing things, another side of a story, another side of the arguments or other opinions, different from their own. Hence, pre-judgement or judgement is made in ignorance.

When I visited Syed Amir Ahmed shrine (the brother of Imam Reza) in Shiraz, the pure intention was to visit the tomb of a religious man and I had no other ulterior motive. At the entrance of the shrine all our cameras and bags were taken and we were given a wide piece of cador to cover ourselves completely from head to toe. It seemed that what we were wearing wasn't enough to qualify us to enter the shrine. As we entered the main hall of the shrine I was utterly surprised by the beauty of the shrine,  the grandness and the glittering cut glasses on the ceiling.

Beautiful tile-work

A lady approached us and spoke in Persian. Maryam who was sitting next to us translated the lady's question. In an unfriendly tone she questioned our presence there, "What motivate you people to be here?" Through Maryam, I sincerely told her that my intention was just to visit the shrine of a learned man and that's about it. She continued talking to Maryam and for the next few minutes the lady was staring at us constantly and Maryam who felt uncomforatble about the situation requested that we leave. I left the shrine with a strange feeling of not understanding her predicament. 

Shiraz public library

By noon the sun was blazing and we thought it was best to return to the hotel and get some rest. Late afternoon, we visited the University of Shiraz and Eram garden. Again another event happened in University of Shiraz when the security chased us and stopped us from taking pictures around the university. Perhaps the fragility and the broken relationship with other countries has resulted in this situation. We stop taking pictures and proceed to Eram Garden and of course I'm legally allowed to take pictures of flowers there!

After we bade farewell to Maryam, we took a cab to the airport to catch our flight to Isfahan. At the security check, again my camera was taken for close scrutiny and the battery was removed. The lady officer was asking me, what was it and I explained that my camera's battery is slightly big. They asked me to install the battery and showed them the pictures that I have taken. Luckily, I have not taken any pictures of government buildings. Satisfied, my camera and I was released. Glad we were done with the airport security. What an eventful day we had in Shiraz!

Shiraz from the university's hill top

After this photo we were chased by the security and instructed not to take pictures

The old Quran Gate

Entrance to the shrine

A round about in the center of Shiraz

Street in Shiraz

Kids at Rahulloh bazaar

Traffic in front of the bazaar

Shiraz airport

Syed Amir Ahmed's shrine from the entrance