its not that we all arent looking forward to coming home.... but the heat and the atmosphere of both italy and spain have been amazing..
needless to say that not many of us have a tan -- except for harriett and her lovely line from her shorts this morning. other tans are fading -- emma
i dont think we would have survived our week in madrid without Matias who translated everything from what platform we were supposed to be on, on the metro,, where the closest maccas was (which to the spanish translates to burger king) as well as what we wanted to tell reception at the uni because none of them spoke spanish and all they could understand was "google translator"...
all in all, through the laughter, tears, nose bleeds, fainting, pain and extreme weather conditions "BOSCO PLUS MATT" has survived the last two weekds without our loved ones..
much to my suprise spirit bus 6 has bonded together as a "family" and will be truely missed when we all part our separate ways back in australia. we have all become changed in one week or another and will remember this trip for the rest of our lives..
i must say one of the most interesting things was trading australian koalas and kangaroos as well as flags to other countries. must i mention the many "free hug" signs,, as well as the european kisses from random spanish pilgrims and many photos to remember our foreign friends.
the visit from the pope was incredible, as the whole crowd of people fell silent in his presence.
missing everyone from back home
love from all
xx
Sunday, 21 August 2011
MADRIIIIIIID! 20th August
we woke up to a nice hot day, renee woke up to a lovely message from her sister, and 3 consecutive alarms playing my new favourite song.. all was well
a group meeting was held, and we were informed of the plans for the day- luckily for us we got to do a final shop for gifts and food for the sleep out.
after all this, we soon found out that- luckily for us- the metro had shut down and all the workers were striking due to the large numbers of pilgrims.. not tourists; thus meaning that we had a exciting 5km walk ahead of us to the sleep out. hoorah!
the walk would have been fine, if not for the 40+ degree heat that left us all boiled over and tired.
upon arrival at the sleep out, we found ourselves amongst millions of other pilgrims, all keen and ready for the pope's re-arrival. setting up camp we found a lovely patch of dead grass in which we lay down our sleeping bags - only to find that we were being invaded by numerous grasshoppers who were way too keen to jump all over us and our belongings.
come close to nightfall, after a scorching hot day we were kindly greeted by thunder, lightning and rain.. all of which really just added to the excitement. the rain absolutely soaked everyone and everything - including our sleeping bags; although it was quite convenient that we were given umbrellas that could double as shade from the sun and protection from the rain.
once the rain eased off we found ourselves keen for sleep, not a good nights sleep however as the ground apparently isn't as comfortable as we all would have liked. we were lucky to get a few solid hours sleep and this did make quite a difference come morning.
some of us were lucky enough to watch the sunrise the following morning, those of us who (much like myself) were still trying to get more sleep, however, preferred watching the back of their eyelids.
mass began, and we found ourselves a little lost in regard to the happenings; and we soon left as communion was not offered.
thus began the 5km walk back to the university, oh joy.
love from sam and renee :)
p.s WE ARE PILGRIMS, NOT TOURISTS . . .
a group meeting was held, and we were informed of the plans for the day- luckily for us we got to do a final shop for gifts and food for the sleep out.
after all this, we soon found out that- luckily for us- the metro had shut down and all the workers were striking due to the large numbers of pilgrims.. not tourists; thus meaning that we had a exciting 5km walk ahead of us to the sleep out. hoorah!
the walk would have been fine, if not for the 40+ degree heat that left us all boiled over and tired.
upon arrival at the sleep out, we found ourselves amongst millions of other pilgrims, all keen and ready for the pope's re-arrival. setting up camp we found a lovely patch of dead grass in which we lay down our sleeping bags - only to find that we were being invaded by numerous grasshoppers who were way too keen to jump all over us and our belongings.
come close to nightfall, after a scorching hot day we were kindly greeted by thunder, lightning and rain.. all of which really just added to the excitement. the rain absolutely soaked everyone and everything - including our sleeping bags; although it was quite convenient that we were given umbrellas that could double as shade from the sun and protection from the rain.
once the rain eased off we found ourselves keen for sleep, not a good nights sleep however as the ground apparently isn't as comfortable as we all would have liked. we were lucky to get a few solid hours sleep and this did make quite a difference come morning.
some of us were lucky enough to watch the sunrise the following morning, those of us who (much like myself) were still trying to get more sleep, however, preferred watching the back of their eyelids.
mass began, and we found ourselves a little lost in regard to the happenings; and we soon left as communion was not offered.
thus began the 5km walk back to the university, oh joy.
love from sam and renee :)
p.s WE ARE PILGRIMS, NOT TOURISTS . . .
Day 9: Tuesday 16th August - Official Opening Mass of Welcome
Please accept our apologies for not being able to update our blog, but we have been really short for time!! We have had late nights and early mornings but it has been all worth it!!! Anyway we will now update you with all that has happened the past week!!
Our flight into Madrid was great as it was a charter flight which meant the whole plane was filled with just pilgrims – I’ll let the photos speak for themselves!!
Anyway I have the honour of blogging our first day as it was my birthday!!! J The day started with everyone in the cafeteria singing me happy birthday! I knew then and there that it was going to be an awesome day!!
We then made our way over to the Palacio de Deportes at Goya for the Australian gathering. It was an amazing sight to see around 5000 Australians in Madrid to celebrate World Youth Day. We also met up with the Salesians pilgrims and Father Bernie Graham which was great!
After the gathering we had some time to take in the sights of Madrid. Our group had a Spanish Tapas birthday lunch for me which was great and I also received a gorgeous Dior lip gloss from the girls which was a great surprise.
After a delicious lunch of patatas fritas, calamari & ensalada we met up with our bus groups to celebrate opening mass. Whilst we were not near the location, we did however get a really good spot right in front of the screen! The only negative was that everyone else was thinking the same thing so it became a struggle to maintain our spots. Luckily we had some American’s behind us telling everyone to “go back... there’s no more room” hehe..
Although the mass was in Spanish we celebrated it together as a group and definitely felt God’s presence. The streets of Madrid became silent as mass started which showed the unity of everyone there. After mass ended, it was an adventure getting back home but it was all part of the journey.
Our motto for the whole week – we are pilgrims not tourists!!!
Wednesday, 17 August 2011
MADRID
we have been in madrid for a few days now,, and i guess one of the biggest things that has hit all of us (except the spiritual stuff) is the heat. arriving for the australian gathering also brought a 42 degree day, the sun not going down until about 9.30 at night.
the atmosphere walking through the streets of madrid is amazing, everyone chanting and singing songs from their own country, waving their flags.
during the opening mass we made friends with the americans as they tried to direct the 1 million odd people around us..
looking forward to the rest of the week
the atmosphere walking through the streets of madrid is amazing, everyone chanting and singing songs from their own country, waving their flags.
during the opening mass we made friends with the americans as they tried to direct the 1 million odd people around us..
looking forward to the rest of the week
Sunday, 14 August 2011
Arrivederci
Roma Day 2!
Second full day in Roma and our first sleep in!
Started off with a trip to the catacombs, a series of underground tombs for the earliest Christian believers. There were over half a million tombs there! Whilst there we were led by Father Owen Mason, a Salesian priest, who has previously worked at Boys Town!
This was followed with Mass at St Paul's Outside the Walls- one of the four main basilicas in Rome. The body of St Paul of Tarsus, or Saul, as he was previously known before his conversion, currently lies here.
Our afternoon was splent at leisure, visiting sites such as the Trevi Fountain, Piazza Navona, Colosseum and Pantheon, and of course doing some shopping at Zara and H&M!
We ended the day, by farewelling our tour guide Valentina and bus driver Roberto. It has been an amazing week in Italy, and we are even more excited to be heading off to Madrid tomorrow!
Emma and Harriett :)
Started off with a trip to the catacombs, a series of underground tombs for the earliest Christian believers. There were over half a million tombs there! Whilst there we were led by Father Owen Mason, a Salesian priest, who has previously worked at Boys Town!
This was followed with Mass at St Paul's Outside the Walls- one of the four main basilicas in Rome. The body of St Paul of Tarsus, or Saul, as he was previously known before his conversion, currently lies here.
Our afternoon was splent at leisure, visiting sites such as the Trevi Fountain, Piazza Navona, Colosseum and Pantheon, and of course doing some shopping at Zara and H&M!
We ended the day, by farewelling our tour guide Valentina and bus driver Roberto. It has been an amazing week in Italy, and we are even more excited to be heading off to Madrid tomorrow!
Emma and Harriett :)
Saturday, 13 August 2011
trip thus far
the trip through italy has been great so far,, we have seen so many beautiful places..
i guess the highlight to me so far has been the night we spent in front of the "church of the angels" across the road from the hotel in assisi..
we had a guy called sam come and talk to us about his journey and it truely was moving. the atmosphere in the church was surreal..
bus 6 is going strong,, still singing along at any chance possible, with cameron, matius and adrian on the guitar.. our tour guide valentina or cupid rather,, is lovely..
the water over here is gross,, we are all missing back home.. go the mount franklin water!!!!
after a interesting day yesterday of being attended to by a doctor after almost passing out, we all spent the afternoon by the pool, and doing washing in our baths hanging wet clothes where possible.
missing you all xx
much love
renee
i guess the highlight to me so far has been the night we spent in front of the "church of the angels" across the road from the hotel in assisi..
we had a guy called sam come and talk to us about his journey and it truely was moving. the atmosphere in the church was surreal..
bus 6 is going strong,, still singing along at any chance possible, with cameron, matius and adrian on the guitar.. our tour guide valentina or cupid rather,, is lovely..
the water over here is gross,, we are all missing back home.. go the mount franklin water!!!!
after a interesting day yesterday of being attended to by a doctor after almost passing out, we all spent the afternoon by the pool, and doing washing in our baths hanging wet clothes where possible.
missing you all xx
much love
renee
Orvieto
On the 12th August the pilgrims of buses of 5,6,7 arrived in the town of Orvieto. We went to mass and then had a nice chill day around the beautiful town. Chocolate was bought, gelato was devoured and a lovely lunch was enjoyed before jumping back on the bus and heading to Roma!!!
Those left behind.......
As you can see by the photo, being a Pilgrim Parent isn't as easy as it seems. The beaming faces at the airport disappeared quickly once reality set in. After months of supporting the kids with their efforts to get to Madrid and then having them leave the country, many POP's (Parents of Pilgrims) feel a definite void in their lives. Not only did the POP's miss their babies, they were not coping with the emptiness that comes with having no more trivia nights to plan, no more chocolates or raffle tickets to sell, no cake stalls to bake for and no sausages to sizzle! Without immediate action the POP's sadness at having their beloved children so far away from them might consume them and have dire consequences to their day to day existence!!!!!
What to do to ensure this sadness doesn't get out of hand?
Share a meal of Spanish Tapas so that the POP's get a little taste of Spain after all their hard work!
Last night, the POP's met at Cronulla for a tapas banquet where they also had the opportunity to share communications they'd had with their pilgrims over the past week. Shared stories, laughter and great food were a fitting way to finish the journey that the parents had shared in supporting their children's pilgrimage dreams. A few pilgrim's even contacted their parents during the meal, giving further assurance that the kids were all well and in fact having the trip of a lifetime!
WYD will see many new friendships formed this year- not only for our Pilgrims but for the extended families who have come together to help them realise their dreams.
P.S We were always smiling on the inside! Sending much love to you all in Rome xxx
Florence to Assisi
Florence was an amazing city, it was a great place to start our spiritual journey. The three bus groups that all landed in Milano met up together in the morning. Together we celebrated mass in the Duomo which was a great event to experience. After the mass we had a tour through the city, where Miss Bautista encountered her first international 'Zara' shopping experience. We then travelled to Siena, a beautiful picturesque town in Tuscany. From Siena, we drove to the home of St Francis, Assisi.
Friday, 12 August 2011
a little teaser!!!
Monday, 8 August 2011
Abu Dhabi
We have just touched down at Abu Dhabi airport after over 13 hours on the flight from Sydney. We have a two hour wait here and then we board our next flight to Milan. Everyone is surprisingly wide awake and very excited even after such a long haul!
Sunday, 7 August 2011
FINAL COUNTDOWN!!!
Getting ready for our final farewell at school! We're counting down in hours now!! Can't believe we're leaving TONIGHT!!!! Please keep us in your prayers!! watch this space!!
Tuesday, 2 August 2011
Keen for Spain!
4 sleeps, 5 days.! Getting Excited!! Woooo!
Ready to partcipate with millions of youth!
New Friends. Great Memories.
WYD here we come!!! :)
Ready to partcipate with millions of youth!
New Friends. Great Memories.
WYD here we come!!! :)
spain wooooooooooooooo
so my bags are packed, i got my euro ready and its down to 4 sleeps! yew.
i feeel sooo excited, it's hard to imagine that this time next week i'm going to be in Italy! :)
i feeel sooo excited, it's hard to imagine that this time next week i'm going to be in Italy! :)
im especially excited for the plane trip, yaay!
spain!!
received a small gift from matt h today on behalf of the community and youth matters, the support has been unbelievable :)
four sleeps to go :)
cant wait
four sleeps to go :)
cant wait
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