TUESDAY 16th AUGUST

Marcus:
The second day in Madrid started with some more "continental queuing" for me [1] as I waited to register myself, James and Bethan for our front section tickets for the Papal Vigil on Saturday which we were lucky enough to be assigned. Afterwards, we did some more sightseeing before setting off for the Opening Mass at 8pm celebrated by the Archbishop of Madrid, Cardinal Antonio Rouco Varela, with approximately 8,000 priests concelebrating. The sound system slightly let down the event, but the enthusiasm of all the young pilgrims around us had filled us with a sense of expectation for the coming days.

[1] Continental queuing describes the system by which those unconstrained by British ideas of a waiting in a line fulfil the laws of physics by gravitating towards any vacuum space created near them, a system which only appears rude to those not understanding the inevitability of nature.

James:

We explored the beautiful Retiro Park, and found a temporary Benediction chapel in the trees by the rose garden, packed with pilgrims.  Later, searching for the Science Museum (our map was in Spanish), Marcus and I found an art gallery claiming to satisfy the social cultural needs of the population of Madrid. Its exhibits ranged from Teotihuacan relics to photographs of Soviet Russian architechture; the Spanish have a very varied social and cultural taste.