CAMDEN >> For the O’Neal family of Raleigh, N.C., the trip to see Pope Francis in Philadelphia was “an adventure beyond belief.”
They had planned to come see the pope, but then “life and work got in the way,” Sean O’Neal said.
When a last minute cancelation opened up the weekend, they jumped at the chance. Since they were afraid finding a hotel would be a difficult task, the O’Neals opted to spend two nights on the Battleship New Jersey.
“It was a good time and very quiet. Much different than I expected,” he said.
“It seemed like a very well-loved home despite the ship having been through so many battles and wars,” Siobhan O’Neal said. “Plus there was a bit of irony staying on a battleship to see the pope.”
Along with daughter Reilly, 8, who got a set of dog tags on the boat that noted she was a bird lover, the family enjoyed the serenity of being on the vessel, but also marveled at its past.
“It was a strange juxtaposition when I woke up this morning on a ship made out all of metal to see a few birds resting on rope,” Siobhan said.
She called the experience “interesting” and not what she expected saying the boat is kind of like a person.
“Sometimes you have to go through difficult things to learn the good and important things, like working together and loving each other,” she said.
The family walked over the bridge Saturday night then took the Riverlink Ferry back. They had planned on doing the same thing Sunday before heading back to North Carolina.
