when in rome try and not get hit by the pope.

so rocìo and i got tickets to go to the papal audience today.  

yesterday, swiss guard: "tre ragazze? (three girls?) ok."

i didn't know it was so easy to go see the pope!  so this was his first papal audience since vacation.  we got there at 8:30 even though it didn't start until 10:30.  there were HUNDREDS of people there when we arrived.  all waiting to go see the pope.  people from all over the world.  the presentation was read (in order) in: Italian, German, French, English, Spanish, and Russian/Polish - all done by the pope.  there was a choir form the US who all jumped up and sang 'god bless america'.  it wouldn't have been so cute if they weren't all old and in their baby blue choir robes (they were pretty good too.)  we actually had great seats about 40 rows back.  this thing felt like a freaking rock concert.  all these people screaming for the pope.  the air was filled with such excitement to see him it was like a bunch of 17 year old girls seeing justin timberlake.  and everyone shut up when the pope talked.  he doesn't seem like he likes to be interrupted.  so it was a great experience and he did a blessing over the whole room for any articles people might have had.  

so then rocìo and i were walking on a side street to go see if a church nearby had mass at that time, and i'm crossing the street (which isn't that big) and a police car comes around the corner.  i started to cross again and then two swanky mercedes with police lights come by (that usually means someone important) and i literally have to scoot back so i don't get hit (they like to drive fast here).  i look in the first one and there's an old man dressed in white in the back seat.  who else dresses in white who would be in that area in a black swanky car?!  you should have seen our faces.  i said "umm..rocìo i think we were almost just hit by the pope's car."  there's a story for the kids.