Vienna.

Considering I went to Vienna so long ago, and considering I have more exciting adventures to write about (like ROME) I will keep this concise because it was still a memorable day in the lovely capital city.

St. Stephen's Cathedral. 

We spent most of our day trip touring around Vienna and stopping in various churches, museums, and monuments familiar from the movies and history books. Every building in this beautiful city is ornately decorated and colorful. The snow was falling and there were horse drawn carriages in the streets, taking me back in time to the era of Mozart and the Hapsburg royalty.

We saw St. Stephen's Cathedral, a towering work of architecture that seems to point all the way to heaven. There are thousands and thousands of colored tiles covering the entire roof of the cathedral in a uniquely mesmerizing pattern.

Inside, there is a miraculous icon called the Maria Potsch icon, an ancient work that is said to have cried real tears for the unity of the Muslims and Christians, and pilgrims have been praying there for unity ever since.

Maria Potsch

We went to a museum that held the largest collection of relics (in Europe maybe?) including the spear that wounded Christ's side on the cross and the veil that Veronica used to wipe His face during the Passion. The image of His bloodied face is still preserved on that veil. For dinner, we ended up at a Burger King which ended up being an experience in itself! 

The balcony of the Hapsburg palace from which Hitler spoke to millions, and later JPII. 

We spent the rest of the day exploring on our own and strolling through the snowy streets of Vienna until it was time to head back to Gaming. 

Gaming, the first few weeks.

Where am I???

Gaming Campus. 

Pinch me. I am captured in a real life snow globe. I live in an eight century old monastery called the Kartause, nestled in the foothills of the Alps, covered with snow and pine trees. I wake up every morning and look out my window and see towering mountains higher than any I have ever seen in my life, trees heavy with snow, and the steeple of the chapel across the courtyard. There is an icy clear creek running through this tiny picturesque town where everyone knows everyone else and there is one grocery store, one church, one shoe store, one amazing kebab shop. The professors live across the street with their families of at least five multi-lingual, adorable children who are always running around the Kartause throwing snowballs at us. This is my life right now.

The view out of my window.

I will now tell you all a story now that is somewhat commonplace to me now but even as I write this I am realizing how interesting a day in the life of a student at the Kartause actually can be.

My luxurious bed. 

On an average morning during the week, I wake up to the beautiful smiling faces of my roommates, Michele and Julia, around 8 and leap out of bed, eager to start my day. Ok, more like the three of us roll out of bed after 3 alarms and don't speak a word to each other except maybe, "Oh, look it's still snowing."

Then I make my way to breakfast in the Mensa (cafeteria/restaurant thing), which is usually some toast and yogurt and fruit. (Unless it's Sunday brunch and then we have scrumptious waffles with Nutella and eggs and bacon! Absolute heaven.)


I have 5 hour and a half long classes on Mondays through Fridays. I am taking Art Appreciation, Sacraments, Theology of the Church, Christian Marriage, and Catholic Social Teaching. They are all very interesting classes with some of the most brilliant professors I have ever known. I will never forget the valuable lessons I am learning in these classes from these incredible people. At noon every day, everything stops and there is Mass in the chapel, a beautiful Gothic style church where centuries of Carthusian monks and saints have prayed. I treasure these times set aside for prayer every day with my fellow students and the Kartause families. After Mass, it's lunch time, which can be anything from pork to well....pretty much always pork.

In between classes, I usually try to get some work done in the library or maybe take a walk into town to the Spar, a little grocery store where we get pretty much anything we need. Usually Milka bars (chocolate of every variety) or juice or wine of every kind imaginable. Or sometimes I go babysit the professor's children and just cuddle with the babies.

We go on hikes in the surrounding  mountains every once in a while, a very interesting experience with the massive amounts of snow that accumulate up there. But the climb is always worth it for the breathtaking, God-revealing views from the top and the fun we have on the way.  At the top of each mountain we have continued our Ireland tradition of singing praise until we run out of breath and song ideas. There are no words to say about these mountaintops other than that the "mountains bow down and the seas will roar at the sound of Your Name." A few weeks ago we climbed "Book Mountain" which has a book on the top which has been signed by students for many semesters past. Another day we hiked to the Gaming caves (extremely narrow, very scary.) Maybe one day I'll have the courage to actually go inside them! I don't think I have a future in spelunking.

The Gaming Caves. 

Sunset on our hike. 

In the evenings, we usually watch a movie or play cribbage or go on late night sledding adventures. Late night kebab runs are also a normal occurrence. However my favorite evenings to remember are the honest conversations I have had with people I never thought I would be so close to. These friendships have helped me to grow in so many ways and I will never forget the amazing men and women I am spending this semester with. They have truly made the Kartause the way I will always remember it.

"A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter, whoever finds one finds a treasure." Sirach 6:14

Ireland.

The Motherland.

There really are rainbows and rolling green hills covered by a light mist and leprechauns. (Seriously, I think our one tour guide was a leprechaun.) There really is a pub every other doorway and the people really are jolly and warm. Here is my Ireland story.




We finally flew into Dublin after traveling by car, bus, and train all over Pennsylvania and New York for a few days. And the whirlwind barely slowed down for the entire trip. We hopped right on a bus to Galway on the west coast and arrived in our hostel and met up with some other friends there. After a ravenous search for food we settled for some classic American sandwiches because we were so blinded by hunger, with promises to try some Irish fare another day!

That night we went to our first pub, Paddy's, a quiet but traditional Irish bar. The next morning, we took a ferry to my personal favorite place, the Aran Islands. We got talked into a mini bus tour around the island, and it was a great decision, as we got to see all the highlights and even had time to get out and climb up to the cliffs.

We saw the ruins of seven ancient monasteries and cemeteries there.

The weather was incredibly beautiful during our entire stay in Ireland, which is unusual for this time of year, so we got very lucky! On our way up to the ancient ring fort at the top of the cliffs on the islands, a loyal sheepdog became part of our group and followed us the rest of the day.

As I lay down and looked over the edge of the 300 foot cliff, my heart was pounding. I noticed in Ireland there are no barriers, signs, or billboards. There is only raw, untainted beauty and it makes it that much more breathtaking.

 The next day we decided to save our euros a little bit and just wander around Galway for the day. We walked along the coastline and stepped into several churches that we passed, including the breathtaking Galway Cathedral. We sat and had hot chocolate at a little cafe and just experienced the local life. It was a much needed slower paced day. We had traditional Irish food most nights for dinner. I tried Shepherd's Pie, Guinness beef stew (YUM!), fish and chips, and scones for breakfast each morning.

Practicing clicking our heels. This is right before the waves started crashing over us.

Galway's coastline. 

 Galway Cathedral.

The next day we took a bus tour through the Burren, ancient preserved rock formations of the Western landscape, to the Cliffs of Moher. The scenery along the way was incredible; we saw castle ruins crumbling into the water, miles of rock covered ground, and multiple ancient stone and earth forts and tombs that have been standing there for thousands of years. I learned that the Burren area was once attached to the Appalachian mountain range in North America before the plates shifted millions of years ago.   

An 800 year old tomb discovered by the farmer. 

Finally....we reached the cliffs. It was one of those moments when you feel like you've just jumped into a postcard picture. The creation was so vivid and glorious that all we could do was stand on the cliffs edge watching the waves crash and break on the rocks, and sing worship at the top of our lungs. I felt more freedom and beauty than I have felt in a long time. I didn't want it to end. We were all entranced by the glory of it all. It seems cliche to say this but I truly felt fully alive in that moment of awe. 

Hannah and I on the edge! You can see a tiny castle in the distance.

It is always such a relief to me to realize how big my God is and how small I am in comparison. Every single day, those huge, powerful waves crash against those cliffs and the winds whip everything else around, and they refuse to budge. I was just a little, tiny speck trying not to be blown off the edge. Yet I am still more precious to Him. Incredible.







We stayed that night in Doolin, a small coastal town by the cliffs. And when I say small I mean we were some of the only people there. It was off season so only one of the three pub/restaurants were open. We had an early bus to Dublin the next day and we were all worn very thin by then so we went to bed very early and called it a day. I was honestly just ready to get to Austria and get that adventure started!

The Guinness factory, Dublin. 

After an unnecessarily long and horrible bus ride to Dublin, we walked around the city to see a few key landmarks. We first made our way to Trinity College where the Book of Kells is held, an 800 year old book of the Gospels. It is said to be the most beautiful book in the world. Trinity College itself was actually a very interesting and scenic campus.

St. Patrick's Cathedral

We then trekked to St. Patrick's Cathedral, where he is supposedly buried. We ended the night at Brazen Head pub, the oldest pub in Ireland. It has been on that very spot since the 12th century. It was a very interesting place; they have Irish storytelling there and the seating is partially outdoors in a courtyard type thing. The bar area is covered wall to wall in paper money from different countries that people have left notes on. I finally drank my first Guinness and it was so thick and bitter and gross but I was in Dublin at the oldest pub in Ireland so I finished it!

The Brazen Head Pub, est. 12th century. 

Guinness is gross but I drank it anyway. 

Ireland....its been real. I learned that there is no limit to creation. I breathed fresh air for a few days. I learned that Purcell means 'piglet.' It was truly "the craic." And I will be back.

BUT I AM SO READY FOR AUSTRIA! 

Stories.

When you can't decide if you should take a risk or not, just do it for the story. My life is a story.

The older I get, the more stories I have to tell that are my own, not someone else's that I heard, not my parents' stories, but mine. I can take part in other's stories, but no one else has the same story I do. This is something that is so obvious that I just recently realized it. I could go on the same exact trip as someone else and do the same exact things, but their perspective will never be mine. My story is one of the very few things I can totally call my very own. That is so exciting to me. And it makes me want to make it a bestseller and the best it can be. I want my story to be a thriller. I want it to be a riveting romantic comedy. And I can already tell you, this semester in Gaming, Austria, will be one for the records. Some of the stories we create in this magical snow globe of a place will be told and retold to my children and grandchildren. But many will remain here, right where they happened, hidden with the centuries of untold stories floating in between the walls of this ancient building. Our stories whispered in late night conversations of adventures in obscure countries, and hilarious escapades to places where no one knows my name will forever live with those of students before me and join the silence of the Carthusian monks before them. 

However some of these stories will be preserved in this abstract place that is the blogosphere. I honestly don't understand where these posts go when I write them or how you can see what I'm writing because the internet is beyond my comprehension. But it seems to me that this is basically you reading my open journal. You're welcome and I'm sorry. Through prayer and the grace of God Almighty alone will I be able to persevere and actually keep this updated throughout my semester. 

But I need to try. Why? Because why bother doing something for the story when you aren't planning on telling the story for all to hear?!