• WYD Lisbon 2023

Let me begin at once by solemnly stating that I am not a believer.

Having said that, I cannot remain blind to what happened this week in my hometown Lisbon. And the previous ones throughout this small country, which suddenly found itself invaded by perhaps about 10% of its official population.

And that significant increase in population, coming from all parts of this world - except, they say, from the Maldives - was totally made up of happy people. Positive feelings, no one complaining about anything, despite being a hard time under a heat wave.

For a week or two or maybe longer* my country Portugal - the whole of it, including the Azores and Madeira archipelagos, but mainly the great Lisbon area - dethroned my also dear Finland as the happiest country in the world.

The WYD, or in portuguese, as Jornadas Mundiais da Juventude, oficially ended yesterday, sunday. Everything went well, we locals can finally breathe a sigh of relief because there were no major incidents, given the huge number of outsiders who were here present.

All in all, it was a good exercise of citizenship taken to the extreme. And we all passed this drill, both locals and visitors. I wouldn’t mind to live it once again.

End of statement.

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* Some of these happy souls came earlier than last week and others are still swarming around...