WYD 2011: We've arrived!

While this blog may start with Thursday's pilgrim travels, my pilgrim really started yesterday. I finished work early and headed down to Victoria station with Sr Emma to get the Gatwick Express. Boarding she turned to me and said "really our pilgrimage starts here". 

Every meeting we'd had leading up to this pilgrimage there's been a count down. Now it was one day to go. I stayed the night at a hotel nearby and was jarred awake by the annoyingly familiar noise of my BB alarm clock! 

We were to meet at the gate at 4:30am - yes that early! - to check in. Arriving slightly earlier than planned I found a group of eager (but not awake) pilgrims waiting for the Core group to check them and check them off the lists. 

My flight was from Gatwick to Porto, but at the same time two flights were departing from Stansted! There are 120 pilgrims in the Westminster group, so herding us all onto flights and making sure we were all accounted for was quite a feat!

We landed in Porto in the early morning and boarded a coach. We only stopped for lunch, so the Pax travel guide who was making sure we reached the hotel safe and sound had to deal with very hungry and hot pilgrims!

We reached our hotels in the afternoon. I'm staying in Ana Mogas which is only 10 minutes away from Plaza Mayor, the Main Square. 

After a welcome talk by Dave Burke and an introduction to the group leaders and chaplains we were reminded to read the pilgrim booklet! Bishop Alan had told us he'd come across pilgrims on the way to see us, the German pilgrims had rushed to give them German WYD hats! 

Our first Mass of the pilgrimage followed, celebrated by Archbishop Stack, former Auxiliary Bishop of Westminster. Bishop Alan Hopes concelebrated along with the priests from our diocese. Deacon Kim read the Gospel and pilgrims read the first and second readings. There was a feeling among us that this was it now - the pilgrimage had really started! 

Pilgrims dispersed to find dinner, with myself and some others heading down to Plaza Mayor for tapas. We were shortly joined by Spanish singers and musicians performing right next to us! The traditional performance drew a large crowd, and we had ring side seats as we munched away on our selection of foods. Apparently the musicians attend the University, and the different colours they wear represent their colleges. Now night had fallen, and  not having got much sleep the night before we meandered back to the hotel. 

I've uploaded the pictures from today onto flickr - so take a look here.

Until tomorrow!Jo-Anne