"N O No smoking"

Kind of a random title but I thought I would briefly explain it. In the final segment of the Twilight Zone movie a girl says "N O no smoking" to a very anxious John Lithgow. For some reason that quote has got stuck in my head. Anyhow moving along.

A shot from the final segment of the Twilgiht Zone movie

While in Venice my wife and I came across an interesting store. From the outside it looked like a gaming shop specialising in games workshop. Of course we (err sorry I mean I) had to check it out, which we did. 

Exciting stuff. We went in and to my surprise it wasn't really a game shop at all. It sold a huge range of cigarettes, tobacco and pipes (hence the title of the blog). It also has a few boxes of warhammer products. I guess in another age it would make gaming seem quite gentlemanly, sitting down to a game of Empire of the Dead with a pipe full of tobacco, probably even more appropriate The Lord of the Rings game blowing smoke rings. However the nurse in me disapproves.

Another harmful substance but good in smaller doses, beer, is a wonderful addition to a gaming night although a cup of tea is a good alternative. However in Italy a good beer is hard to come by. I'm not opposed to wine which we have enjoyed in Italy however sometimes a beer is needed. Fortunately we came across a beer bar in Venice which specialised in boutique beers. We enjoyed some ale while sitting by a canal. I didn't realise I had ordered a 11.5% brew until I started drinking. Powerful stuff. Unfortunately because it was night time I couldn't get any good photos so here is a photo of me by a canal in Venice as an alternative. 

Our trip is winding down now in Paris. Less than 24 hours till we fly back to Wellington, New Zealand after which a return to standard gaming posts will occur. I hope these slightly less gaming posts have been a ok.