pilgrim blog 38 - goodbye to fátima

On our final afternoon and evening in Fátima we had a group session followed by Mass and then our last group session.

These big group sessions, which contained some small group conversations, were designed to help us begin the internal processing of all that we had received on pilgrimage, before we return to our regular lives at home.

After that all 4 bus groups gathered for a final dinner together. From here on we go in four different directions: some go back to Lisbon and catch homeward bound flights from there; some go by coach to Paris and catch homeward bound flights from there; some go by coach to Madrid and catch homeward bound flights from there; and some adult pilgrims continue to explore Europe with family and friends before coming home.

Statue of Mary and Jesus. ~ Vincent Cavanagh © 2023

This lovely statue caught my eye. It stands behind the reception desk at the Consolata Hotel in Fátima.
 
Of course, everyone wanted the evening to last as long as possible before we went our separate ways. So the Green Bus members decided after that final dinner there was a necessity to go looking for gelato.

Famous Fátima tourist landmark. ~ Vincent Cavanagh © 2023

Thankfully I got to this landmark before the rest of the gelato-seekers arrived.

​Getting a photo of it without pilgrims draped all over it is a bit of a win.

Farewell hugs around the Fátima sign. ~ Vincent Cavanagh © 2023

If you look carefully through the pilgrim bodies, you can make out the contours of that landmark.

Morning Prayer. ~ Vincent Cavanagh © 2023

Because our coach to Madrid wasn’t leaving until 9.30am, there was time for Morning Prayer and some silent prayer in the smaller of the two Consolata Hotel chapels.

Route Map. ~ via Google Maps © 2023

After studying maps before leaving home, it looked like we’d be coming into Madrid via Toledo. But to my surprise we actually came into Madrid via Salamanca.

Perhaps the bus and truck fuel and food facilities on that route were better, because they were sure crowded.
​
On the map the red marker is Fatima, the blue circle is our coach about to cross the Portugal-Spain border, and Madrid is like one of those places that all roads lead to. It was a 10-hour journey.
 
 
Vincent Cavanagh
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15 Aug 2023, 10.58pm Sydney