Well, I'm definitely behind in my journaling! Classes and travels have been in full swing for a couple of weeks now, and I've barely had time to sit down and write. But everything seems to be worth writing about! So, here we go.
We took a day trip to Vienna the first weekend after classes began. Can I just say one thing? Mass in an Austrian Church with Hapsburg royals buried underneath, celebrated in English and enriched by a Viennan Philippino choir opened my eyes wide to the true universality of the Church. No matter the language that Her members speak, preach, or sing in, it will always be the same Christ that we worship.
The city is stunning in its architecture and its history. We saw the balcony made infamous by Hitler's Anschluss speech and then later redeemed by Pope John Paul II's call world peace decades later. We saw ancient ruins of the old Roman aqueducts and heard about how Marcus Aurelius died there when it was still a forest inhabited by "barbarians." Also, Saint Stephen's Cathedral was magnificent in all it's Gothic architectural glory.
But the best part by far was walking around with a small group of my favorite people and seeing the sights. The open air market was a bustle of activity, with hawkers crying out in many different languages. We had to rescue one member of our group from an overly enthusiastic salesman, but other than that it was smooth intercultural sailing.
After visiting a wine shop, exploring, and praying in Saint Stephen's some more, we all sat down for coffee at a little shop near the WWII memorial. The fare was heavenly, and we were all exhausted but content after a long day.
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