Buon Natale!

Buon Natale everybody! I hope you were visited by the fat man! I'm still away, so this isn't a proper update, but I had to post about one of the funniest things I think I've ever seen in my life, before I got home, procrastinated, and forgot it.

Being Christmas Day, and given that I'm in Rome, I thought I'd go to Vatican to see the Pope's blessing. The place was packed, but I finangled my way to a spot fairly close to the front. There was an Amazonian blonde German woman in front of me, which meant that I was doing the old duck-and-weave to see sometimes, but there was only one person in front of her, and then the space for the march past (more on that later) and finally the seating area, before the steps and the basilica itself.

Anyway, this is not what was so funny. I hung around St Peter's Square and Basilica well after Benny had finished reading his message to the masses and had gone off for the after party. There were nuns and priests absolutely everywhere, along with the other people who were either with their families and were watching their kids chase pigeons, or were like me and on their own doing a bit of touristy people watching. I was wandering around one end of the square, and I walked past a group of nuns eating fairy floss. For shiz. Honest to God (no pun intended), octogenarian Brides of Christ partaking in a little spun sugar. And loving every minute of it. Unfortunately, the batteries on my camera had just died, and there was no way they were going to understand my English (or limited Italian) for me to ask them to stop for a moment whilst I changed them over.

This is right up there with Sr Therese drinking beer and swearing. I don't know why I am not more religious, with these people as my role models!!!