WE MADE IT!

Well everyone mission accomplished! We made it to the over night vigil with the Pope and back again all in one piece!
The walk to the field took us about 2 hours from our hotel, and it was very hot.  When we arrived we realized that we would be spending the next night in a very dusty field in extremely close quarters with pilgrims from all over the world. Our section was right at the front but when we got there it was full. They really crammed us in.  The vigil service was beautiful.  Imagine 2 million people in silent adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.  Just before that a huge wind / rain / thunder/lightning storm rolled in.   It rained hard, but it was refreshing.  It interrupted the service a bit, but we all prayed for it to stop and it did.  The sleeping experience was different for all of us: some didn´t sleep at all and some slept like a log.  Mass in the morning was wonderful.  The Pope drove through the crowd first right along the barrier of our section.  (Oh speaking of the Pope driving by, he drove by our hotel in the Pope Mobile yesterday morning...we were gathering to go to Mass with the Toronto Bishop and a bunch of Canadians as a send-off for the long pilgrimmage.)  Following Mass, the majority of our group walked back again, while two of us waited for the crowds to clear before heading back. We all arrived back at the same time. 

Tonight we went to a soccer game between retired Spanish players and the other team made up of retired players from throughout the world. 

The city of Madrid is already different. Most of the pilgrims have left. We are doing two days of touring, then a free day, then we head home.

The pilgrims.