The cross set up in front of St. Mark's Cathedral was a meeting place

A large cross stood in the square in front of St. Mark's Cathedral. The cathedral is a venerable structure built about 500 years ago, but the cross does not look that old. It has a modern shape, like a work of contemporary art, and looks more like it was recently erected.

A man and a woman were standing around the cross, waiting for others to come. They seem to have decided that this is the meeting place, and gradually their friends are gathering around. They are meeting the old-fashioned way, and they don't seem to have cell phones.

Every time friends gather, they greet each other loudly. Unlike in Japan, the greeting around here is a kiss on the cheek, even between men and women.