How to Have a Meaningful Christmas

[…] We finally made it to the Vatican just in time and Ponggo was running towards the crowd like crazy, I was afraid that I might lose him! People were gathered in St. Peter’s Square. In my mind, I’d like to call it the “St. Peter’s Circle” just because an architect by the name of Lorenzo Bernini created these two half-ellipses that look as if it was hugging the audience. On top of it are statues of saints. You don’t need a ticket to get inside the square but if you’d like to visit the museum, you’ll need to line up at the other side of the wall. Days later, when I met up with fellow Big Blog Exchange Finalist Agrippine in Paris, she told me, “You REALLY saw the Pope!” Then, I realized, what I published on Instagram was a photo from Ponggo’s camera taken with his zoom lens that was resting on top of my head while Pope Francis was giving a speech. So, let me give you an idea of where we were standing. Below is a #NoFilter photo from my iPhone. Hahahaha. Can you spot him? This made me realize that from time to time, I should supply you with backstories on how we take pictures or how much weight we’re carrying around or how much stuff is strapped to us (see photo below) while walking around Europe thanks to the hubby’s obsessive compulsiveness with his lenses. Anyway, enough about us and let’s go back to the Pope. Just imagine that the empty space behind us was filled with people just a couple of hours ago. We arrived just in time when the flag was unfurled and the crowd got excited. Pope Francis appeared and everyone clapped. I’m so sorry for the lack of comparison but he had the charisma of a pop star and more. He said “Buon giorno!” and the audience answered back. I surprisingly found myself waving and greeting with the crowd. He said the Angelus in Latin. Afterwards, he called the groups of pilgrims from allover the world and they waved their flags and banners! It’s so amazing how overwhelming his presence is! Apparently, when you’re in The Vatican City and the Pope is home, almost every Sunday at 12 noon, he says the Angelus at the St. Peter’s Square. We didn’t even know about this until Ponggo asked our guide out of curiosity as to where the Pope usually appears. We assumed it was the main balcony of the St. Peter’s Basilica (Basilica di San Pietro). So, thank you to Irene of AboutRome for this vital info! Ever since my hostel manager in Vicenza pointed out that names of places shouldn’t have been translated into different languages, I almost always feel compelled to put their names in Italian. Why not? It sounds more beautiful and historical. He pointed out that Philippines should not actually be called such and it should be called Pilipinas like we Filipinos would. #FoodForThought I thought the Vatican post was closed on Sundays but there was a satellite makeshift office that understood the need of tourists like me. During the first part of the trip, I was afraid to take photos of people and I didn’t know how I could be subtle about this. Anyway, above is a child carelessly looking at a book about the Vatican. Since I was using my zoom lens that day, I took advantage of relishing the tiny details of the place. This is the bell from the upper left of the St. Peter’s Basilica. My eyes easily dismiss huge structures as a shade of sandy yellow but every single time I zoom into the details like I did in Milan & Venice, I feel humbled. I was in front of this same wreath under the statue of St. Peter the day before and I don’t know how much time I spent staring at and figuring out how the berries were installed in the middle of the leaves. It’s just too pretty!! This also explains why I inserted berries here and there in my Christmas wreath here. […]