WYD MADRID11.COM REPORT: Traveling on a Sail Boat or sharing a car ride in order to protect the environment …All are good options for the journey to WYD
Madrid, August 16, 2011 – The more than 1 million youth that will arrive in Madrid to attend World Youth Day, will travel from their places of origin by land, sea and air. Any option is a good one, in order to attend this very special meeting with the Pope. Furthermore, for those that cannot be physically present, the United States has launched a virtual pilgrimage site.
600 Kilometers on Foot
Arriving on foot will be a group of young “Catalanes” from the parish of “St. Teresita del Niño Jesus”, from the suburb of “Gracia” in Barcelona. This group is composed of 131 girls and boys between the ages of 16 to 25, two priests accompany them. They left Barcelona on the 22 of July, and will soon arrive in Madrid, after traveling on foot for more than 600 kilometers.
Part of the group from Barcelona that are walking towards Madrid
The chosen route was not the shortest, but the one that took them through small towns and villages, where they were able to give testimony of their unity with the Pope. “In the villages we were welcomed very warmly, and with great joy they gave us lodging,” commented Elena Trius. Elena tells us that they always carry a crucifix with them, as an anecdote she shares “a truck driver asked us to stop so he could kiss it”.
They have passed thru, Zaragoza, La Almunia de Doña Godina, (7,800 inhabitants), El Frasno, (477 inhabitants), La Muela, (5,000 inhabitants), Fuentes de Ebro, (3,700 inhabitants), and in these days they will pass through Calatayud.
This idea emerged at WYD in Sydney, in 2008, in thanksgiving to Benedict XVI, for picking Spain as his next meeting point with the youth. The youth from this parish that traveled to Australia thought that WYD Madrid 2011 demanded a similar effort. Each day they chronicle their journey on their blog:
www.madrid2011mola.blogspot.com
Sophie and Julien, have offered three spaces in their car,
so that other pilgrims can travel to WYD
100% Natural
Many are those that have chosen to travel to Madrid via the roads and highways. Some have decided to contribute to the care of the environment by sharing a car or a bus. These youth were able to connect through the web site, “web de carpooling de la Jornada Mundial de la Juventud”.
For example, Sophie Winkel, a young girl from France, who will travel from Valencia to Madrid, with her boyfriend, and three Argentinians. This connection was made possible through the official carpooling website.
“I thought it was a really good idea, since we were only two people and we had three empty seats in our car. I am aware of the problems concerning the environment, but I also liked the idea of meeting other pilgrims from different countries, I think it’s the best way of traveling to World Youth Day” commented Sophie.
In a Sailboat, an Airplane or a Virtual Pilgrimage
The United States has launched a WYD Virtual Pilgrimage site,
for those that will not be able to travel to Madrid
A group of 14 youth from France will arrive by sea. They are from the diocese of Cambrai, and they will make the journey on a sailboat. The “Star of the Sea” began its journey on the 5th of August from “Hendaya” and will finish in “Castor Urdiales” in Cantabria. Another group is traveling parallel to them through the “Camino de Santiago”.
Each day they chronicle their journey on their blog: http://jeunes.cathocambrai.com/page-46143.html
En avión llegarán peregrinos de todos los lugares del mundo pero cabe destacar que es la primera Jornada Mundial de la Juventud que contará con la presencia de una delegación que volará desde la Isla de Pascua (Chile), una isla en medio de Pacífico. Para la ocasión han organizado un vuelo especial en el que viajarán los cerca de 20 jóvenes que se han unido a esta peregrinación.
Pilgrims will arrive from all corners of the world by plane, but we must point out that this is the first WYD that will count with a delegation from Easter Island (Chile), an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. For the occasion they have organized a special flight making it possible for the more than 20 youths to attend WYD.
As a novelty, for this occasion, those youths that will not be able to travel physically to WYD, will have the opportunity to make a virtual pilgrimage and partake in WYD from their home. This has been made possible, thanks to the initiative of the United States Conference of Bishops.
On the page www.virtualworldyouthday.org each user can create his own Avatar, then send it on a virtual pilgrimage, there are more than 4,143 already registered from countries as far away as Zambia, Syria, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, among many others. In addition the participants may also go on Facebook and view videos directly from Madrid, follow the Twitter feeds and blog, and download pictures and videos of all the WYD events.
http://www.madrid11.com/en/noticias/1581-a-la-jornada-mundial-por-tierra-mar-y-aire
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