PAPAL AUDIENCE!!

We saw the Pope!!! First we see Jesus (well sort of) and now we see the Pope!

It was awesome! When I woke up this morning I told Carol that it reminded me of the feeling of going to Crazy Days (Sidewalk Sales) in Marquette, Michigan in the Summer- only its Rome, and we’re going to see the Pope!

We headed out on foot for Vatican City- thank goodness for Googlemaps (STREET VIEW) because from the comfort of our hotel room the night before, I virtually walked every step we had to take in these curvy streets to get from our hotel front door, to the steps of St. Peters Basicalla and it worked perfectly!!

The night before we had to go to a church called Santa Susanna in the northeast part of Rome to get our tickets that I had reserved over the internet about a month ago. It was funny- cause there were signs up as you went into the church noting CLEARLY that the tickets were free of charge, however……if you felt so compelled as to give a donation to the church for their efforts in securing you tickets, please feel free to do so, HOWEVER---- please note-a that the tickets are FREE and there is absolutely NO charge for the tickets… with that said, the fathers of the church go to great extremes to get these tickets for you- and so if you would like to give a donation, please feel free to do so---

In the end there was a very nice priest sitting at a table, in this church in a random part of Rome- and he had a list of names, however mine wasn’t on it- but he said that 70% of people who sign up on the internet fall between the cracks and he had tickets to give me anyway- and there was a huge basket next to him noting that the tickets were FREE, however, the recommended donation is 5 euros for each ticket--- so I tossed him in 10 euros.

Of course, when we got to Vatican City today, they were giving tickets away for free and you never did need to go to Santa Susanna to get tickets- but oh well, it was an adventure and broke us in on the Rome subway (Metro) system.

When you get near the Vatican there is a few large bridges crossing the Tibor River- and then you round a corner and SMACK there it is in front of you; St. Peters- THE St. Peters!