Traveling to Italy in 2004 was my favorite trip because it was my first international trip to see my first Wonder of The World - The Leaning Tower of Pisa. I found a great deal on Expedia and got my dates mixed up so I wound up sleeping in the airport in Germany because I didn't see the +1day on the itinerary - I can laugh now but you should've seen the look on my face when I landed in Germany and realized that my flight to Rome wasn't until the next day! LOL :)
I always plan a free day during my trips and decided to go back to visit the Vatican my last day because I enjoyed it so much the first time.
They were having a special mass service and the Pope was presiding. There were only about 50 people in attendance so Pope John Paul II was only an arm's length away. To this day I still can't believe that I met the Pope. The unexpected/organic events like this are one of my favorite things about travelling!
I could tell the Pope John Paul II was sick but the mass was great. I'm not Catholic - just blessed to have witnessed such an event. These pictures were taken on November 13, 2004, just months before he died on April 2, 2005.
Of course my main reason for going to Italy was to see my first Wonder of The World and the Leaning Tower of Pisa didn't disappoint. I didn't have a digital camera - this was taken with a disposable camera - lol :) . As you can see I'm horrible at taking pictures (that's me in the far bottom left of the Pisa trying to get the 'pushing the Tower' tourist shot - I look like an ant on a mountain). LOL!
Of course you can't go to Italy without doing a little shopping. So of course I had to buy my first Louis Vuitton bags - I still have them! Funny thing is I overpaid with the euro/dollar exchange rate. Oh well, ya live and learn.
#LifeIsAJourney
Off To My Next Journey...