Long lines form to either side of St. Peter's Basilica. Tourists, pilgrims and Romans are waiting to wander through the cathedral that houses
Michaelangelo's Pieta. But before gaining entrance, each person in line must submit to a police search using metal detectors. The crowd fans out in front of the officers — hundreds trying to funnel themselves through the
double two-man checkpoints. The searches are conducted at an agonizingly slow pace by officers who pull keys, lipsticks and coins out of the pockets of the faithful and the curious. The detectors buzz with maddening regularity.
This is a different Vatican than the one prior to Sept. 11th. It is neither kinder, nor gentler. Instead, it's a wary, suspicious place, offering stepped-up scrutiny as a garnish to the main course of
religious awe.
Prior to the attacks on the World Trade Center, entry to St. Peter's – the largest cathedral in the world and the Vatican's crown jewel – was uncomplicated by police procedure. The occasional officer could
be seen strolling around the square that embraces the cathedral's front entrance. He was there to impede the pickpockets who prey on tourists and discourage misplaced exuberance: This is, after all, first a place of worship.
Now a more sinister purpose has attached to what were once routine security jobs. And it's not just the Vatican: airports, government buildings, monuments, historical sites, museums and art galleries worldwide are bending to
the need to be more cautious, more alert, more questioning.
At both foreign and domestic airports, travelers are warned to expect long lines and extended delays in processing both themselves and their baggage. International
passengers are told to arrive at least three hours before a departing flight. Domestic passengers have two hours to process through.
Passengers at U.S. airports are growing accustomed to the high profile presence of camouflage
utility-clad National Guardsmen. Usually drafted to quell civil disobedience or staff disaster sites, the soldiers are now a common fixture in airports from Raleigh-Durham to Honolulu. But guardsmen aren't the only change in
travelling – just the most visible.
At Philadelphia's International Airport passengers hurry from several overseas flights to join a long, winding line at U.S. Customs. The Custom's officers slide travelers through their
inspection at a brisk pace, which is good from the passengers' points of view since international luggage cannot be checked through to the final destination until it's processed by Customs. Once Customs releases the passenger, he
must haul his bags back to the airline and check in – one more time.
The US Airways ticket counter in Philadelphia is awash with passengers and bags released from Customs to be rechecked. The check-in line crawls, but no
one complains.
Once finished, passengers are directed to the gates. There they find a queue through which one must pass before proceeding to the appropriate departure area. This traveler's limbo is ruled by a man called
"Jeffrey" according to a tag pinned to his sport coat. Jeffrey paces and checks his watch, then wheels and points to a woman in line. "Anyone from this point back has more than a 30 minute wait," he bellows. A murmur ripples
through the line: Many will miss their flights.
At the checkpoint one x-ray machine and one metal-detecting portal serve as a bottleneck. There's not enough equipment at the airport to process everyone in enough time to guarantee
their connection. When passengers finally embark, they've been through five photo ID and ticket checks in Philadelphia alone.
But the Pennsylvania airport isn't alone in its security precautions. Linda Cornett, a Boulder, CO.,
resident says an October visit to her mother in Alabama was her first taste of the "afraid" new world. Having processed her bags, Cornett was waiting in line to proceed to her gate when she decided to first drink a cup of coffee.
She broke line, had her coffee and returned.
"Perhaps because of that, when I returned I was pulled out of line and my purse was searched very thoroughly," Cornett said, adding that – ironically – the person conducting the search
was a Middle Eastern woman wearing a hajib (a long veil that covers the hair).
Dr. Linda White, a professor at the University of Nevada, Reno, is a frequent flyer. She says that in addition to the presence of heavily armed
National Guardsmen and a tougher check-in policy, one of the most notable changes at the Reno/Tahoe International Airport was the closure of its parking garage out of fear that someone would use it to plant a bomb.
"It was too close to the airport," White says.
But American airports aren't the only ones to experience the difference a day makes. Since Sept. 11th, Rome's main airport – Fuimicino Leonardo da Vinci – has
also stepped up its security, with only ticket holders allowed beyond the airline check-in points. Now, in the usually bustling airport shops and restaurants, bored clerks daydream while the occasional passenger browses. The quiet
is unsettling.
Guards armed with sub-machine guns stroll through the passenger waiting area. They are tall for Italians and well muscled. Their eyes flicker over travelers waiting for their flights to be called.
Heavily armed
police are nothing new in Italy, a country that's coped with years of terrorist activity. It's not unusual to see one of the three main Italian police agencies patrolling the train stations or airports. But since the New York
attack, police presence is much more prominent in the vicinity of monuments and other tourist draws.
Tim Jones, a London-based editor and writer for the Times says the United Kingdom is also better prepared for terrorism than
many others.
"Because the country, and London in particular, has been the target for IRA (Irish Republican Army) terrorists for three decades the streets are surveyed by hundreds of CCTV (closed circuit television cameras),"
Jones said, adding that more are now being installed.
He says the British have reassessed other possible targets, such as the Channel Tunnel, which links Britain to France. Stephen Wall, a London businessman, says he's also
noticed heightened vigilance at the "Chunnel" as well as other tourist draws.
"Tourist attractions such as the Millenium Eye, which I visited after Sept. 11th, have certainly increased security," Wall said.
Louise Mijatovic, a student and professional photographer in Yarmouth, a small town on the East Coast of Britain, says they are in the flight path of the Amsterdam to Norwich flights and frequently the commercial planes appear
to have fighter escorts.
"It could be coincidence, but I think not," Mijatovic said. The UK is leaving very little to chance.
A guest at the Victoria Hotel in Rome peers out her window at the two armed carabieneri on the corner
beneath her room. They carry the obligatory sub-machine guns cradled in crooks of their arms. Their police vehicles cling to the curb – high profile, meant to be seen.
To echo Mijatovic: their presence could be mere coincidence.
But it's not likely: The hotel is a short distance from the American Embassy and a favorite of Americans visiting Rome.
In general, all things American are more closely guarded in many places around the globe. In Prague, where
Jones' daughter Delyth lives with her Czech boyfriend, tanks perch heavily in Wenceslas Square, the city's primary retail district. Their mission is to guard Radio Free Europe, which broadcasts to Afghanistan.
"However, they
only seem to make tourists feel uncomfortable and could do little to protect the building," Delyth Jones said.
High profile security does indeed make some nervous, while others find it reassuring. Americans, feisty and unyielding
when it comes to individual freedoms, are – for the most part – willing to cede some control to the government, endure multiple ID checks, random searches and inconvenience. But that doesn't mean American travelers are willing to
remain passive.
White recalls speaking to a white-haired, elderly woman on a recent flight. The two discussed what they would do in the case of a hijacking attempt. White's seatmate confided that, despite her age, she would
fight – even biting the hijacker's ankles before giving in.
"This 'can do' attitude is what makes me feel even safer about flying than before Sept. 11th, White said.
