Now this couldn't ever happen back home...

So sometimes living here in Rome I just have moments in which I just end up saying to myself...now this couldn't/wouldn't ever happen back home...and it makes me appreciate the experiences I am able to have here (the good, the bad & the ugly!). There are so many examples for this statement, but I want to blog about the most recent one.
This past Monday evening I was in my apartment with the balcony doors open making dinner (pasta...as usual). I found it strange that there were 2 police directing traffic at the intersection near my apartment even though the lights were working, but just went about my business. Then I heard many sirens, which typically in the city I've noticed they don't use unless they really need to. I went out on my balcony to see what was going on & I saw a motorcade with a police escort coming down the street. So being curious, I stayed out to see who it was...thinking it was probably an actor or something like that. In the middle of the motorcade there was a black Mercedes with the Vatican flags mounted on the front...and as it quickly passed I looked in the back seat and the guy in the back was wearing all white. Now I didn't see his face, but I am 99.9% sure it was Pope Benedict!! I mean he does live about a 10 minute walk from me and they were going in the direction of his apartment, so I'm pretty sure it was him....and I will continue to say it was the Pope who went past my apartment. I caught myself saying outloud several times after that...wow the Pope went passed my apartment! That would never happen back in Houston!!

Right after that I sat watching an Italian soccer game, eating the pasta I made & drinking a glass of red wine. Now you can't get too much more Italian than that can you! :-)

(hmmm...I wonder if I get any special blessings just by being on the Pope's route?!? ;-) ).