A smoky haze

We were delighted to find a restaurant on Tuesday night that didn't allow smoking, even though it was completely by accident. I think we have mentioned in the past that we are so grateful for the smoking bans in Lexington and Louisville that we are always a little surprised when we travel.

A pair of smokers outside our restaurant on Wednesday night in Venice.

As soon as the train stops, people jump off and light up. 

We are constantly trailing behind puffs of smoke or walking into clouds of it. Both of us have had trouble breathing at different times during the trip, and Ryan is battling a self-diagnosed case of bronchitis that he thinks might have been triggered by the inflammation.


I don't know if smoking is just that prevalent in Italy, or if the tourists are bringing the cigarettes with them. In Italy, cigarette machines are still located in public areas, and tobacco shops (tabacchi) seem to be located down every corner in Venice. Many of these shops feature toys in their windows, particularly cars, a practice that I'm sure would be outlawed in the United States at this point. And during the second set of the Pearl Jam concert in Trieste, scantily clad cigarette girls were sent out into the stands to sell packs.

Checking out the toys in the shop window.

A fancy tabacchi sign.

After discussing this at dinner tonight, we returned to the hotel to see a USA Today article about the CDC's new anti-smoking ads. I'm glad they're working. It would be nice if the rest of the world followed suit.