Tuesday 24 August 2010

No Gazebos!

Among the list of banned objects which 'pilgrims' to papal visit locations are forbidden to bring are, bizarrely, gazebos. It's a delightful image, really; thousands of little wooden shelters all around Hyde Park, with people taking tiffin (with their regulation-size coolboxes and approved plastic cutlery) or possibly a strictly non-alcoholic chota peg or two……
Sadly, I imagine they meant those little canvas tents without walls.
I was pleased to see, when walking back to Shoreham along Brighton and Hove sea front the other day a young woman wearing a 'Team Benedict' sweatshirt.

2 comments:

pelerin said...

Yes, the vision of people arriving all carrying their own personal gazebos is indeed surrealistic. I had presumed it to be a misprint or typo for something else when I first saw it.

Looking up 'gazebo' to see what other meaning there was, I did not find the alternative mentioned. I am trying to imagine a canvas tent without walls - with difficulty as how do they stay up?

If I do get to Hyde Park, I must remember to leave my gazebo behind!

Ben Whitworth said...

Non gazebo ad altare Dei.