” “Today, the digital clock on Cathedral Square in Cologne shows "5 days to go" for the opening of the XX World Youth Day, and the lively buzz of preparations can already be felt in the air. Just under the clock, painted on the ground with coloured chalks, stands out a giant portrait of Benedict XVI in his best-known photo as he ascended the papal throne, with the words “Urbi et orbi” and the addition, in German: “Peace on Earth”. Klaus Kopke, the pavement artist, said it took him one whole day to complete the work. And a good job he has done, since crowds of people, including the first young pilgrims with their rucksacks, are praising the painting by this German artist without forgetting to offer him a few pennies. The first comers include young volunteers in charge of logistics. The Italians are pitching camp at Casa Italia, where 300 people will sleep in sleeping bags. The Germans, instead, are manning the information point in Cathedral Square, which is going to open next Saturday, while the other information point, located at the train station, has already started to hand out materials. The first journalists to provide media coverage are coming today, for ‘accreditation day’, in the press office across the Rhine. In the meantime, dispensers for the free distribution of drinking water, straight from the tap, have already been set up along the main streets of the city centre, while flags with the WYD logo are flying.
