I missed you Judy! But I realised that you really only know how much you missed someone when you have come back to them. And i still have hardly seen you!
Anyway: Italy for 8 days followed by the WYD celebrations in Madrid, Spain for about 7 days.
In general Italy was better as a country. We did more of the tourist things and i believe we visited every Basilica out there! .. well in all the places we stopped at. One day we went to about 4 churches/basilicas! I think that slightly overdid it a bit, and the place lost its spiritual meaning, but every now and then a church would touch you and make you think. And each place had its own unique significance.
My favourite place was Assisi. It is such a petite little town/city. We slept in a hotel at the bottom of the hill but in the day we visited the town on the top and it was so adorable. There were so many hills to climb walking about that city but it was so worth it. It was centred around the main basilica of the town and there were all these cute little shops and alleyways and all the while you had this beautiful view of the countryside surrounding the hill the town was perched on.
Then on the 9th day we flew to Madrid. In the airport everyone decided to go shopping so as i was sitting on my own i decided to play cards with some Canadians that were playing not far from me. Some of them who were sleeping woke up and then we all just starting talking. They said that they loved the aussie accent.
In Madrid, it didn't so much feel like a part of Spain, but Madrid itself felt like a place where everyone in the world decided to congregate. Catching an over crowded metro, you were squashed up against someone but down the line you could hear people shouting a patriotic chant, and then the aussies would start up with our 'aussie, aussie, aussie; oi, oi, oi".
The energy running through the place was crazily exciting.
Honestly i felt more spiritually connected to God in my Italian travels, but i felt more part of a whole in Madrid. I feel in Madrid i celebrated more the fact that i was young.
I met so many new people & it was them that added to the experience! It was the small, unexpected things that made the experience better.
Like when i had to be a translator for another bus group at the police station;
or getting vomited on on a long bus trip;
or playing cards with the Canadians;
or one day missing the stop where all the other aussies got off and having to make my own way back with only four other people my age;
or trading my t-shirts and key-rings with other pilgrims from other countries;
or talking to some French boys in a long queue;
or trying to take photos with as many people as possible from as many countries as possible;
or walking the circumference of this huge park trying to find the rest of the group;
or after a long, tiring walk in 40 degree heat getting hosed down by some nice refreshing water;
or eating at a restaurant with the rest of your friends
& even the fact that i was responsible for myself and everything i did.
The list could go on!
So that could be considered a de-brief on some of the things i did; but of course every time you travel there is heaps to tell and so many more memories added to my life story. =)
Labels: WYD pilgrimage trip.
