16 September 2010. I shot the Pope...

16 September 2010_25, originally uploaded by sleepyduck.

... but I didn't shoot the Deputy.

I have to say I was surprised at the turnout. I left the office at about the same time as he left Holyrood and I walked round to Lothian Road expecting to have to peer above people's heads. Not at all. The crowd wasn't even one deep, so my colleague Eleanor and I leant on one of the barriers and chatted to each other and to the police for about 15 minutes till the Popemobile came along. Speaking of police officers, I don't think I have ever seen so many in one place, nor do I think I have I seen so many cheery, relaxed Polis. It must have been a nice day out for them, standing around in their newly-laundered fluorescent jackets, controlling a small and very well behaved crowd.

As for the protestors, they were also few in number and very well behaved. They waved their placards and shouted a bit as he passed by, but it was all very genteel as protests go, very Edinburgh.

I was surprised at how small the Pope is. Actually, that was apparent when I saw the pictures of him beside the Queen at Holyrood. He isn't much bigger than her. Something of a mini-Pope. I was also surprised at how quickly the Popemobile was moving. It wasn't exactly burning rubber, but it was moving more briskly than I had expected.

So, did I feel an overwhelming sense of grace? Nope. Did I feel blessed? Nah. But I'd never seen a Pope before and I'll probably never see one again, so it has been an unusual Thursday. There are many more photos on Flickr, if you're interested.

The most important thing about today is that Imp's first day at her new job went well. Hooray for that!