True story. I went to Rome. Strolled into Vatican City and bumped into the Pope. It makes a great dinner table conversation. It happened like this:
Me and the boy decided to take a holiday the weekend before Christmas to celebrate our respective birthdays. A shared love for Italian food and Roman ruins decided the destination and when we found a great offer on Easyjet Holidays for flights and 3 nights at a 4 star hotel for £200 it was a done deal.
Our room had a terrace on 2 sides which overlooked the Vatican and that iconic Rome dome – St Peter’s Basilica. Despite being late December it was temperate enough to sit outside on the terrace and enjoy a glass of red wine. At dusk we decided to take a stroll into the Vatican to get our first taste of the epic architectural sights that were to come over the weekend. There was hardly anyone around, or so it seemed. The guidebook informed us that the Basilica would be closing to the public in 30 minutes but we decided to duck in and have a quick peek as there was no queue.
We weaved back and forth through the barriers that had been laid out to contain the crowds who were not there. After a brief security check we found ourselves in the entrance hall of the Basilica. After marvelling at the ceiling of the entrance for some time we decided to go in.
13 Comments
The World of Deej
January 9, 2012 at 12:35 pmI wondered when we would get the full story on this one….amazing story. I had a similar encounter with the President over the summer in Washington. Sometimes things just luck out that way…
Jayne
January 12, 2012 at 5:31 pmGot to love those chance encounters, makes something we’ll remember for years 🙂
tunimaal
January 9, 2012 at 1:02 pmNice adventure. Kind of lucky. Sometimes taking risks do pay and you are the proof of it….. But that sad that the photo of the Pope is shacked….
Andi of My Beautiful Adventures
January 9, 2012 at 2:09 pmHoly sh*t, now that’s a travel memory you’ll never forget!!!
Jayne
January 19, 2012 at 12:25 pmYou got that right lol
coffee in a cup
January 9, 2012 at 2:29 pmcool!
Heather
January 10, 2012 at 12:31 amDefinitely a moment you’ll never forget! How cool!
Happy belated birthday to you both 🙂
Jayne
January 12, 2012 at 5:31 pmThanks Heather 😉
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January 19, 2012 at 8:58 pm[…] without queuing once. It was also perfect timing to catch a glimpse of a certain Vatican celeb (see last post). Whilst bumping into the Pope was undoubtedly the most memorable event of the weekend, this city […]
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May 26, 2013 at 1:23 pm[…] True story. Jayne Gorman strolled into Vatican City and bumped into the Pope. It makes a great dinner table conversation. It happened like this. Read On […]
Peter Parkorr
May 26, 2013 at 2:17 pmJayne, that’s epic 😀 I was there last week and it’s so big, you must have been blessed with that spot and your timing!
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April 8, 2019 at 2:53 pm[…] True story. Jayne Gorman strolled into Vatican City and bumped into the Pope. It makes a great dinner table conversation. It happened like this. Read On […]