We enter into our long bus ride in good spirits despite the drizzly morning. Breakfasts at the Munich Hilton have been very filling and the first shift of our ride found many with stomachs full and ready for a bus ride nap. We stopped three times along our way, about every two hours.

At our lunch break, the excitement for Cologne and World Youth Day grew as we meet many other pilgrims also making their way to this world wide gathering. We met others from Italy and Germany on this stop, but most memorable was the contingent from Zaire which had Dominick and Mary as part of their group. Dominick was noticed by our group as he was wearing a Ravens t-shirt, clearly a way to win your way into the hearts of Baltimore pilgrims. We told Dominick that he should wear his shirt everyday so that we might find him!

Each bus took a few moments during their travels to pray the Rosary as this is the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Mother. This was another reminder that our trip is not just a vacation, but a pilgrimage. Later in the evening, we would also celebrate Mass.

As we passed other pilgrimages along the highway, waving flags, our buses made signs announcing who we were as well.

We saw the twin spires of the Dom (Cologne's Cathedral) in the mist from many miles outside the city and found the structure truly impressive as we drove by. As we checked into our rooms, many can still see this focal point from their windows.

Finally, we were joined by our 134th pilgrim, seminarian Ernest Ciebelli who traveled from his studies in Rome to join our delegation.

Jessica Rea

Although today was spent on a bus for most of the day, I found God in somewhere very familiar to me. In the voice of my mother, I found a comfort and joy that I take for granted everyday. The love of our parents give us is a perfect replication of God's love for us.

It puts our hearts at ease, and in our joy we forget all that has gone wrong. God reminded me today of my greatest blessing, my family.

Caitlin Katrinic

After finishing up our meeting last night at 11 PM, our wake up call this morning at 6:30 AM. We packed our luggage and boarded the buses at 8 AM. On our way to Koln, we make a total of three pit stops, the second of which was at Wurtzburg. We had a beautiful panoramic view of the medieval city. All the roofs are red and we even saw a train run through the town. Also in Wurtzburg, we met Dominic and another pilgrim from Zambia who were ironically wearing a Ravens football tee shirt. We saw French, Italian, and Slovak pilgrims as well.

We arrived in Koln around 4 PM and saw the Dom. It was really pretty - I can't wait to go inside tomorrow. It started to rain, but bad weather is no deterrent for walking around the city before tomorrow's official tour. Although today was kind of a down day, we are constantly building comaraderie and seeing stunning views of the German countryside. I think we can all feel the energy growing and intensifying. I can't wait until all 1,000,000 pilgrims arrive - this city is going to just explode with all of our faith and excitement in being here!

Joseph Hornig

As the trip progresses a greater sense of community is continuing to grow at God's presence provides a joyful environment. This friendly environment provides a sociable and fun experience at dinner and on the bus, where we can meet new and interesting people, resulting in a unification of the delegation. Today on the bus we  came together to say the rosary and sing songs of worship in celebration of the feast of the assumption.