Don't Screw This Up

After light of last post's length, I think it is time for a shorter story. This one is for all the romantics out there (myself included).

The city of Venice was my favorite in Italy. True, it is overrun by tourism, but there's just something special about the look and feel of Venice. Near the center of Venice is Piazza San Marco, also called San Marco Square. Bordered by Basilica San Marco, the Doge's Palace, a tall clock tower, and various old buildings from Venice's glory days, the square is must for anyone visiting the city. While great during the day, the real charm of San Marco Square is at night when most of the tourist horde has left. I would even go so far as to say San Marco Square at night is the quintessential Venice experience. The square it lit up by all the buildings around it, and the dueling bands come out to play at several of the restaurants.

Here is one view of San Marco Square at night. Not the best photo, but hopefully it gives you an idea as to the ambiance of the place.

With everything it has going for it, San Marco Square at night is normally the romantic equivalent of a grand-slam home run. Unfortunately, today's story is of another guy I saw there who managed to screw it up. While strolling around the square, taking in the sights and sounds, I saw a guy walking around with his lady on his arm. The lady was loving it. He did not seem very interested. A little after I started observing them, the lady looked at the guy and said (with a fair amount of indignity) "why are you so caged?" My immediate thought was "dude, what are you doing? This is not the place to be indifferent." The couple moved on, and so did I, as I walked along, listening to the dueling bands. A little while later I saw the couple again, and nothing had changed, except that the lady was now pissed off. "What is wrong with you?!" she said. Again, no response from the guy. I wonder if he realized that she will never forget this incident and hold it as a grudge against him for the rest of her life.

Maybe this guy was having some deep personal issues, but frankly, it doesn't matter. You do not screw up San Marco Square for ANY reason.