World. Oyster. Stage.: Hello Friday

by Melba

63. Visit the big galleries of the world – Musee du Lourve in Paris, The Prado in Madrid, Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg, Museum of Modern Art in New York, Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Egyptian Museum in Cairo, The Rijks Museum in Amsterdam, Musee d’Orsay in Paris, Tate Modern/Britain in London, The Kunsthistoisches Museum in Vienna, The Vatican Museums in Rome In Rome, we did the usual tourist thing and went to St Peter's and the Vatican. We were searched on entering St Peter's - couldn't work out why, but the Swiss Guard went bananas when he saw my Swiss Army Knife and told us to get rid of it. Hell, we were backpackers - of course we had one! Anyway, we went away, hid it at the bottom of my bro's bag (it had been in my jeans pocket), and had another go at getting in. I spoke to one of the people there afterwards, and he told me it was an award ceremony. He proudly showed me his medal - Order of St Michael or somesuch. I pretended to be impressed, but really it didn't really make an impact on me as I'm an atheist, and was never catholic anyway. Ironic that I love churches, but can't believe in god. :P I'll tell you my JPII story. We were in the Vatican city two years ago. They'd just gotten Ratzinger in. We were in the souvenir shops, and me - fully atheist - I am partial to the religious icons and beads and stuff. Except the little rosary I wanted to buy, which had a disc in the middle with a picture of the new pope on it, only featured the new pope. Of course, all the others would have been "removed." Stupid me, before my (non-devout) Catholica, Italiano husband could stoppa me, went to the counter and asked the saleslady "if they had any with the old pope on them."

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