Our flight was early, but we managed to get on a plane with no problems - we were on our way! Once in Madrid, we navigated the metro system (first experience of Voluntarios who told me which ticket to buy) and then found our hostel. Did some sightseeing of Madrid which turned out to have been a great idea as later in the week the beautiful sights of Madrid were hidden behind 1 million pilgrims!
I was charged with queuing for our Pilgrim Packs - it was an industrial process! After having to decide what size T-Shirt to pick for Fr Victor (it's a secret!) I collected our backpacks complete with a copy each of "YouCat" - a "youth" catechism that the Holy Father would later encourage us to read.
We managed to communicate in some very patchy Spanish with an official at the Royal Palace and got let in for free with our Pilgim passes. It was quite stunning and twice as enjoyable due to being free.
James and I also went for a wander around the cathedral of Madrid which is dedicated to Our Lady of Almudena who is patroness of the City. A beautiful and very modern (1990s) cathedral which was consecrated by Blessed John Paul II, founder of the World Youth Days.
Met a lovely French couple over dinner who were with a 1000-strong Chemin Neuf group from all over Europe and we all chatted long into the evening about the Church, Catholicism in our respective countries, food, politics and the riots in England.
James:
In the evening, I put on my pilgrim hat and T-shirt (both yellow) and we headed out in search of Spanish cuisine. Madrid is still warm long after the sun has set, which is why gazpacho (delicious cold soup) is popular in Spain , but has yet to catch on in England
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