Viva il Papa!

So it was Catechesis again in the morning and we all headed out to pick up breakfast which wasn't a bad breakfast.

Albeit, the processed cheese and toast was starting to get to me. We had Cardinal Dolan from New York today speaking on the theme of Discipleship. He was good, kept us awake and moving on a cold paved ground. He have 7 steps to discipleship which were good to hear once again. The rain was finally clearing and today the Pope was arriving on Copacabana. However there were a few transportation issues getting there so, the padres decided to brave the crowds and most of the rest of us decided to go and visit this apparently spectacular Benedictine Monastery down the road from us. Well we weren't disappointed! In the middle of the bustling CBD was this magnificent oasis.

It is a Baroque/Rococo Church that would rival anything in Europe tucked in the middle of skyscrapers. I spent a good 20 minutes in there just sitting. Everything is carved wood to incredible skill  and covered in gold leaf.

Sarah, Natty, Doug, Kathryn and I then went for a wander to track down food. It was a little trickier because it was a public holiday. I ended up ticking off one thing on my list which was to eat Churrasco! It was good. 

We then decided to tick of another thing which was try a bus ride down to Copacabana and see if anything was still going on. So it was about 10 minutes of craziness before we hit dead traffic. They closed the main drag to Copacabana and so we eventually jumped off and walked down and straight into an antigovernment rally. We got out pretty quickly and ended up on the beach to the last of the pilgrims trickling out. So we grabbed a beer and headed home in cabs. 

It was then bed time and Kathryn and Mel showed us this brochure they picked up from some nuns at the Vocations Centre which was the most hilarious translation I had ever heard. I will have to get it off them to get some quotes.

Friday was a big day coming, Stations of the Cross with the Pope!

JMJ Begins

So Tuesday is the day It all begins! It is about 16 degrees and it is drizzling. I brought the dorky poncho and wore shorts. Big mistake. We headed down to the beach at 9:30 am. Kathryn an Melissa and I ended up down there before everyone else and bagged a spot next to a screen and an entrance and under some palm trees. We pretty much had the beach to ourselves and a few Argentinians who had a dance circle going. Mel and Kathryn immediately ran over and joined them. I minded the bags and took this awesome photo.

We then waited... And waited... and waited... Then a bunch including Ron an Mavis arrived and a few of us were free to find some lunch. Three freaking hours later, running around the blocks looking or a supermarket and then getting myself a freaking pastry.

Then at 4 pm the party started. I had a flag hanging up from a palm tree and apparently an Australian flag makes you an automatic celebrity in Brazil. I lost count of all the photos we took with Brazilians and a few other nationalities too. Most of what was going on was in Portuguese so we had no idea but the music was awesome so who cares! 

At 6 pm the Padres and the rest arrived! It was then dancing and Fr Prasad showed everybody up! They will be a video! 

It was the Mass time and I was amazing. There were 400,000 people on Copacabana and in the silence of the consecration. You could have heard a pin drop. If we weren't on sand...

It was raining and wet and miserable so it kind of took the edge off it a bit. But 400,000 people is basically Sydney's whole WYD at the opening mass! I didn't think we would get communion in this chaos but I ended up standing next to a minister! She only gave communion on the tongue too. So that was funny seeing Jamie's face! 

When the mass finished it was chaos! Absolute chaos. So we split up into smaller groups to attempt to grab dinner on the way. The Rovis (Ron+Mavis), Jamie and I managed to get a crazy cab ride home. We went back to Hotel Sao Francisco and had some sandwiches for dinner and I used the wifi! 

It was then home to bed very sandy and very sore feet. Tomorrow is Wednesday and our first Catechesis. We have no idea which bishop we will have so this will be a surprise! 

Rio Rio Rio!

So we finally arrived! We got in to Pier Maua where Aussie Central is around 8 pm and had our induction and got settled in.

We then went to attempt to find some dinner and wound up at the only place that was still open in the area, a dodgy little bar called Flamingo. I wasn't hungry so it was delicious mango juice for me! Then sleep. 

The Monday, our first day in Rio we had the day to ourselves so it was a trip to Copacabana Beach for a swim. It was a hot day and the water was cool but had a massive undertow so I didn't stay long.

I can tell you now, I was rather at ease lounging on the beach for a change. AND WE HAD FRESH GREEN COCONUTS!

We then had cold green coconuts and fried garlic prawns on a beach cafe. It was grand.

On the way down to the beach we stopped at this magnificent church the Candelaria. It is a Baroque Church but is uniquely Portuguese. 

 

The frescoes are amazing. I plan on going back after the Final Mass to grab some more snaps. I couldn't work out exactly how they were made. They seemed to be tempera but they had a glossy oil sheen. They were beautifully detailed which was visible from the ground. 

We had a fun adventure getting back to the Metro station at Copacabana, Doug, Kathryn and I nearly got hit by a bus! Think I'm joking? Rio is the only city in the world where you don't joke about that. 

Turns out that as we got off the train and began walking to Pier Maua, huge crowds came pouring out of nowhere into the streets. Turns out the Pope was arriving up the road in his pope mobile. We saw that on the news later that night. We cleared out after hanging around for half an hour. It was back to Aussie Central and then to hunt for some dinner. Which ended up being Bob's 'heart-attack' burgers.

So that was our first day in Rio! Tomorrow, the fun starts! 

A Long Day...

So I mentioned that we had a 6 am flight today. Yeah that meant being on the road at 3 am. So instead of sleeping, we had a last hurrah at the hostel bar and polished off the last of their red wine. When I say we, I mean myself, and a handful of others who did the sensible thing and not sleep after arriving at 8 pm from the Missions.

It was a four hour trip each way to the missions through the Argentinian countryside. On the way back we had a mad jam session with Fernando, our guide. Best guide ever!

To get to the airport, we had to cross the border to Brazil and then check in at the airport. Both of which left us with about 45 minutes to take off and with people at various states of sleep deprivation. I was a bit manic. Just a bit...

We were heading to Paraty (pronounced Para-chee in Portuguese) which is about another 7 hour drive after a 4 hour flight to São Paulo. I dozed on and off on the plane and then some more on the first half of the bus trip. We stopped for lunch at a rest stop which had tonnes of yummy pie type things.

We stopped at a place called Aparacedia. It is home to the 4 biggest Marian Shrine in the world and the second biggest Basilica seating 45 000 people.

Inside houses the apparition of Aparceida from the 1700s. The story goes some fishermen were having no luck with their fishing when their nets dragged up the body of a statue and then the head of our lady. She was a little terracotta statue and she was Afro-Brazillian. The fishermen then proceeded to have a massive catch and she is the patroness of Brazil and the first black Madonna ever. 

That is her there! Tiny! We stayed for mass at the cathedral and it was a lot of fun! The Portuguese are quite charismatic and they sing as much as possible!

It was then back on the bus to Paraty, 5 hours away. Nathan and I hung out at the back of the bus and had an awesome chat. It was a full on drive with the bus careening around a road similar

To the Bulli exit off the princess highway or the Old Pacific Highway. We were treated to this awesome sunset

We finally arrived in Paraty after and epic trek. I had been away for 40 hours and was delighted with the awesomeness of this budget hotel. 

We had fried fish for dinner which was ok. The epic wine drinkers from Iguazu then had a Jonny Walker Black nightcap. It was 20 reals (about $10) and slept! 

Jamie's cough had gotten to a full blown chest infection and we both had a horrible night's sleep. But breakfast was awesome with this kind of setting and fresh fruit. 

We then had half a day in Paraty where we did a walking tour and went to Sunday Mass. 

Paraty is a colonial town built in the 1700s on the gold route to Rio. When the gold ran out, Paraty was abandoned. Then later in the century the coffee industry restarted the town. Then in the 1850s the emperor of Brazil buil a highway bypassing Paraty and it was abandoned again for 100 years. To give you an idea of how abandoned it was, a dude in the 1920s wanted to build a house so he picked the only vacant block, a street corner!

The rest of the town is world heritage listed and is perfectly preserved. 

We then went to Mass at the largest of the 4 churches in the town, Our lady of Remedies. It was the last day of a 9 day festival in honour of St Rita of Cascia. 

Funny story about this Church, so it was supposed to have bell towers but they discovered that because the foundations were on reclaimed swamp, the church started sinking so they had to scrap the bell towers and stuck them in the second floor windows instead!

A church dedicated to her is currently closed for restoration and it looks beautiful already. 

The mass was an experience and a half! So much singing and joy! 

It was then checkout, on the bus to Rio! 

Psalm 93

For the past two days we've been exploring one of the 7 natural wonders of the world: Iguazu Falls. In the language of the Guarani People it means 'big water'. 

We did the Brazillian side on the first day and then the Argentinian side the second day. One of the highlights was definitely the boat trip right into the Falls. So much water it was amazing anyway... Here are my initial thoughts...

The Lord is king, he is robed in majesty;

The Lord is robed, he is girded with strength.

He has established the world;

             It shall never be moved;

Your throne is established from of old;

           You are from everlasting. 

The floods have lifted up, O Lord,

       The floods have lifted up their voice

       The floods lift up their roaring.

More majestic than the thunders of mighty waters,

More majestic than the waves of the sea,

Majestic on high is the Lord! 

Your decrees are very sure;

        Holiness befits your house,

       O Lord, forever more

Psalm 93

More on the Jesuit Missions and a manic day traveling to Paratay.