World Youth Day - Thursday/Friday

Thursday morning it was the Italians on my morning train. They were alot more boisterous than the Austrians on Wednesday. The Italians had guitars, drums, and there was alot of happy clapping - I guess Italians feel a bit proprietorial about Catholicism. It was a funny (and loud) start to the day. One of the girls at work encountered a group of Japanese pilgrims at her station. She said they were very quiet and standing in two lines like kindy kids on an outing.
The Pilgrims are getting more familiar with Sydney now and they are starting to venture out alone in pairs. There are still big groups of them, though - I'm looking at one right now out my window. One of the girls is googling the flag to try and work out where they are from. The groups that still have a nun or a priest out front are very well behaved, but those without a priest are much more adventurous - sort of like kids without a teacher. The kids backpacks are also starting to collect some graffiti - just like school bags. The usual stuff: 'I love Clare' and alot of 'Jesus 4ever' - that Jesus bloke must really be getting around. It's good to see the pilgrim kids behaving like kids. There will be thousands and thousands of teary farewells when the party ends. I know that soon I'm going to see a couple of teenage pilgrims in an alcove locked in a tongue tangle - that alcove across the road would be perfect for them if it wasn't occupied by that homeless bloke.
And I just solved the mystery of the missing nuns! Last week there were quite a few of them. This week, they seemed to disappear - apart from the ones on chaperone duty. I couldn't work it out. Now I know where they are. Down at Darling Harbour, there has been an Expo this week. It's all about careers in the Church. So there would be nuns from various orders down there with stalls in the Expo spruiking their wares and trying to get vulnerable pilgrims to sign up for a life of servitude. I'm tempted to go down and see if there are any of those orders that supposedly engage in self flagelation - their stand would be like something from the old Hellfire S&M club. I read that 35% of Melbourne priests decided to become priests at a World Youth Day - they would have visited that stand at the Expo they went to.
Just found out who the crowd were outside. It was an Irish contingent. They seemed to be heading the wrong way - maybe off to an early opener.
A mate of mine was down at Central late yesterday having a drink after work. The pub was dead. The shops have also been really quiet - the pilgrims get fed in the morning and they would have lunches in their backpacks, and I don't think many of them have any spare cash. This pub had people at the door trying to tempt pilgrims in with glasses of free champagne. Not surprisingly, they weren't having any luck - they might as well have been wearing horns and a tail. And then they had a win. The Fijians, God love them. And they weren't interested in the champagne - they went straight to jugs.
The Pope made his appearance yesterday - by boat first, and then car. We closed the office at 4pm so staff could get home. I went for a wander up George Street. It was eerie. The Catholics were all in position by then down on the waterfront and along the motorcade route so there were no sign of them. The city was emptying of office workers - it was like a heathen exodus. Heathen were scurrying along almost guiltily and ducking into train stations. By 5pm, George Street felt like one of those apocalyptic films where a population disappears.
I bailed, too, in the end. I didn't fancy my chances with City Rail when the motorcade finished and several hundred thousand people all would decided to head home.
Pretty quiet this morning - things will ramp up during the day as we get toward the Stations of the Cross kick-off. The homeless bloke in the alcove across the road is getting some peace so he can have a morning nap. Hope he's hungry when he wakes up because he does have a fair bit of food waiting for him on the step.
 
I just drove from Darling Pt to Newtown and back......easy as. Less cars than normal.

Lots of pilgrims in and out of edgecliff station from about lunchtime on each day.I even braved the cbd on Wednesday and it was fine.......lots of those colurful back packs but a good vibe everywhere.
 
World_Youth_Day.JPG
 
Apparently a lot of Catholic churches in Canberra are not having services today. I guess there were many busloads going to Sydney.

But then I guess we're used to people taking the mick out of Canberra.
 
Back
Top