Hollister resident visits Vatican City on Italian vacation
Hollister resident Eva Cruz got more excitement than she anticipated when she took a dream vacation to Italy earlier this month. Cruz got to see Pope Benedict XVI up close as he made an appearance for the public in Vatican City.
Cruz and the friend who vacationed with her had not planned to see the pope. While they were in Rome, they decided to visit the Vatican on May 9. They got up early, with plans to tour the landmark and then grab breakfast. But when they arrived near the Vatican, they saw crowds of people gathering. Cruz asked a man in black and white, who she said was dressed like a priest, what was going on. He told her that the Pope would be arriving at 10:30 a.m. for a visit.
“I said, ‘Oh my. Do you know where we go to buy tickets?’” she said.
The man informed her that tickets were free and he happened to have two free passes that he gave to Cruz and her friend. Cruz learned later that visitors can check the Vatican website to order tickets in advance.
“The first time ever to be in Rome and to see the pope…My friend and I were so excited,” she said, adding that they sat in the fifth row to make sure they got a good view. “Everybody was screaming, you know; in Spanish and in English. I was so amazed.”
Cruz, who is from Honduras and has family who still lives there, said her family and friends were excited to see her photos of the pope. She said people asked her jokingly if she saw the pope while she was in Italy, and some were surprised when she said yes. She said some friends and family members have requested copies of the photos.
“It was just the right time at the right moment at the right date,” she said. “We didn’t know he would be there.”
Cruz, who works at the Windmill Market in San Juan, said she had always wanted to visit Italy. She saved up for a year to take the 10-day trip. She said her trip also included stops in Florence and Venice, where she rode on a gondola. Still, she said the highlight of the trip ended up being the thing that wasn’t part of the plan – seeing the pope up close at the Vatican.
“Just to see the pope made my trip,” Cruz said.
