SYDNEY, Australia—World Youth Day hype, so what’s the big deal? Well, I decided to find out and “mix with the crowds.” I must say, the experience was rather pleasant and a lot more fun than I expected.
As some 500,000 hyperactive and overtly friendly pilgrims avalanched Sydney’s streets, the city panicked. Road closures were predicted to be more disruptive than those during APEC and the 2000 Olympics combined. Specific WYD laws were passed that threatened $500 fines to anyone found to be “annoying” to the Catholic participants.
Perhaps the threats have deterred the locals, but certainly not the pilgrims. They are everywhere – walking down the streets at Coogee Beach, strolling around Leichhardt’s Italian quarter, buzzing on the trains, singing and dancing in the parks.
They were even spotted swimming at some of Sydney’s deserted beaches – naturally, the locals stay away as the freezing spell continues to plague us, with July recording some of the lowest temperatures in over 10 years.
Albeit for the German and Czech youths, Australian “harsh winters” are just child’s play. As they plunged into the icy waters at Malabar beach, sending a chilling scream throughout the neighbourhood, their more conservative counterparts in priestly robes stood patiently on the sand. Indeed a worthy site.
However, what is truly flabbergasting is the spontaneous festive atmosphere that has transformed Sydney from a selfish, dull, smog-filled rat race into a drug-free, alcohol-free 24-hour street party.
