"Sunday morning" Marienfeld Travelogue by fairy_dust

When the sun was rising, I went back to section B20 where my group was, and people were starting to wake up. Here, Amy is sleeping, while Sara, Tim, and Cheryl are having a merry little conversation. It was an inside joke among a few of us that Tim was Sara's boyfriend, even though in reality they're not a couple. They were often together, and Sara always called him "my boyfriend". I still tease her by saying "yeah, your boyfriend is a 17-year-old schoolboy!" (Tim is still in high school, Sara graduated from university with me) and she says "yeah, I like them younger guys!" Sara wasn't the only "girlfriend" that Tim had though, he "married" Tina (who is in her late 20s) in Fulda a week earlier (quite interesting too - a fake ceremony with a real priest!) and "dated" lots of other girls aside from Sara. Tim was quite popular with the ladies! Except my friend Maria, because he supposedly insulted her, but it was obvious he had a thing for her too!

Memoirs of a Geisha - the sequel

It was still cold and damp out in the morning, so Amy wrapped some emergency blankets around herself to keep warm. But the way she wore them kinda looked like a tin foil kimono, so the geisha jokes flew while she was wearing it.

crowds

Here is another crowd waving their flags and holding up their signs with pride! In a lot of my Marienfeld pictures, there are Italian flags and signs, because apparently Italy was the country with the most pilgrims going to WYD in Cologne.

campout

The sky was grey all morning and throughout the Mass, but thank God it didn't rain! Here, people are getting ready for Sunday Mass.

The scene at Marienfeld in general was like Woodstock - people camping and hanging out, meeting people, a big stage with lots of music, etc. Since WYD is a Catholic event and the pope is there, I like to call it "Popestock".

zzzzzzz...

In this picture, my friends are attentive during Mass, while Ryan (aka Mr. Cranky) is sleeping. He slept through most of the Mass, but claims it was the best sleep he had in days! Reminds me of those times at retreats when he fell asleep in mediatation and started snoring while everyone else was praying/mediatating!

Franciscan brothers

Leaving Marienfeld didn't start off too badly, it was after we were out of the field that it got bad and became the chaotic "Marienfeld Mass Exodus". Here, as we walked towards the exits, we passed by a group of Franciscan monks getting ready to leave.

These monks look traditional - grey robes, long beards, etc. But when we were at another WYD event in Fulda a week earlier, we saw a rock band of Franciscans. Imagine monks in full Franciscan regalia, rocking out on electric guitars and pounding on drum sets, singing Christian rock music!