Tiny Country, Big Church
The Vatican
June 6, 2008
Emily is standing on one of the two bronze plaques that offer the perfect perspective of the columns in the pergola, from which they all line up behind one another.
The last time we were in St. Peter's, we saw Wolfman Jack, the gravelly voiced DJ from American Graffiti. Jen asked him, "Hey are you Wolfman Jack?" to which he replied, "You better believe it, baby!"
The next day we went to a mass by the Pope. Our view from the back offered us only a tiny glimpse of John Paul II, but still we wanted to be respectful and grasp what we could of his greatness. Not all of our fellow tourists felt the same: two German tourists were talking to each other about where they wanted to go next, even as the Pope took the microphone and began to speak. Our fellow tourists wouldn't take the cue. Finally, Jen turned around to them and whispered loudly, "Hey! It's the Pope!" That stopped them.
By the way, on this visit, not everyone was dressed appropriately for their visit to the Pope.
