Vienna: The Coffee Capital of the World and the Pinnacle of the Baroque Era

There are so many things I could say about Vienna. It is such a beautiful city, as the baroque age and the ideas of the Enlightenment are obviously seen through the architecture there. We arrived in Vienna very early in the morning and went to mass at the cathedral that the Empress Maria Theresa, as well as her son Joseph II are buried. I wish I was able to go see their tombs, which are said to be exquisite in true Hapsburg style. We then took a walking tour of Vienna, which was given to us by some of our professors here at school. We were able to see the national library which was enormous, but beautifully decorated with gold and marble on the outside. We also made it to St. Stephensdom, which was a product of the gothic style during the medevil age. I was very excited to go to St. Stephensdom, as the cathedral contains 2 unique pieces of art that I had previously learned about in my art appreciation class. There is an icon of the Madonna and Child that is called Maria of Posch (pronnounced poutch) that was found in Posch, Hungaray. This icon is said to have cried real tears and many intentions and miracles have occured when one intercedes to the icon. There was also a pulpit that is very unique as the artist carved himself into the pulpit and there are many symbols of scripture within the sculpture itself. We went to the Stiftskellar for lunch where I had schnitzel and amazing cheese strudel. A few of my friends and I then went to the Nastchmarket, where there are thousands of food vendors, selling different types of wine, cheese, coffee, bread, pastries: anything that you could think of. There is also a chapel in Vienna that faces east, towards the Schunbrun palace. This is extremely unique due to the fact that all other churches faced west, but with special permission from the pope, the Hapsburg were allowed to build the church facing east rather than west. This chapel was built in the year 400 A.D. and is still in excellent condition. We ended the day with some Viennese coffee and chocolate cake (DELICIOUS!) and then went back to Gaming. I still cannot believe that I am walking in the footsteps of great leaders, musicians, artists, and emperors. Being in Europe has opened my eyes to so much culture and a way of living entirely different from my own, and has already taught me so much in these past 2 short weeks. I wish you all could be here to share this experience with me! Next weekend we travel to Salzburg and Munich, so I am very excited to see all the sights and sounds that both of the cities have to offer.
Love and miss you all,
Danielle

Austria, Durnstein, and the Monastary at Melk

Austria is such a beautiful country! The landscape is truly breathtaking, and there is very little land that is built on, but instead there are forests of trees and a few field for growing crops. Austria's main source of income for the economy comes from tourism, and its easy to see why. You could spend years here and always find something to do. We went to the Monastery at Melk, which is close to the Danube River, and was home to the Benedictine monks. This monastery is so exquisite, as it is a product of the baroque age, where everything from the churches to the people's clothing was ornate and over the top. I am so glad to took AP European history as a senior in high school; I am truly walking on the history that I learned so much about. We had mass in the church at Melk, which was surreal. Everything was inlaid with gold sheath, the statues, the altar, even sections of the walls. Members of Hapsburg dynasty were often among the famous guests at the monastery, and were great benefactors to the upkeep and the beauty of Melk. We then traveled to the small town of Durnstein, which is extremely picturesque and  is known as one of the most romantic places in all of Austria. I felt like I was in a movie, something like Beauty and the Beast or Snow White, it was that surreal. My friend Leann and I also decided the make the steep hike up to the castle in Durnstein, where Richard the Lion Heart (Robin Hood's time) was kept prisoner for insulting the Austrian duke. In the words of Hannah Montana the Movie " The hike was a climb, but the view was great!" We went into the dungeon where Richard was possibly held prisoner and climbed up to the tallest tower in the castle. I couldn't really wrap my brain around the fact that Richard the Lion heart could have walked the very same stones that I was walking on, it was truly amazing. I had to just keep touching the stone walls to convince my self that what I was seeing was physically real. I dipped my feet in the Danube River as well, which was pretty cool just to say that I've done it! Classes started today and I've also gotten a tour of Gaming and the Kartause, my home away from home. I love and miss you all!

Auf Wiedersehen,

Danielle 

Galway City and the West Coast of Ireland

Ok...so here is part 2 of my Ireland trip. On Thursday morning we got on a train from Dublin straight into Galway City. Galway is known for attracting thousands of youth from all over the world, and is a beautiful city. We visited the ruins of the Spanish arch which weren't that big, but it was one of the main attractions in Galway. We ran into a bunch of other Franciscan students who were also travelling in Ireland before the semester in Austria began. We then went to see the cathedral in Galway which was HUGE!! The stone arches in the church were beautiful, and the size vaguely reminded me of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. After visiting the cathedral we went to Kelly's pub for a late lunch. After our trip into Galway, we headed off to our next destination: The Cliffs of Moher. Now I've seen pictures of the Cliffs, and they are beautiful, but seeing them with my own eyes was a completely different story. When you first walk up to the cliffs, there are guard rails up until a certain point, after you reach the end of the guard rails, there is a large sign in several different languages that say  STOP, DO NOT GO BEYOND THIS POINT. But seeing as many other people were simply walking past this sign without a second glance, my friends and I did the same. I am so glad I ignored that sign! The way the emerald green grass blends in with the craggy rocks on the cliffs is truly beautiful, and the sound of the ocean crashing thousands of feet below you, is amazing.  The Cliffs are one of those natural wonders that you will never forget, as long as you live. If I ever get the chance to go back, I will definitely take it!! We stayed the night in a small town called Kinvara which actually had " Galway Hooker" boats dock in the town's harbor. Right next to the town is a small castle, known as the Dunguaire Castle, which was home to the O'Hynes clan back during the 15th century. We then trespassed on some private property and climbed on ruins that were apart of the castle. It was great haha. After Kinvara, we traveled to the little village of Doolin, and from there we took a ferry over to Inisheer, the smallest of the Aran Islands. Aran Islands is home to the O'Brien castle, which Leah, Alissa, Danielle and I also climbed in the pouring rain. Inisheer is known for its strong Gaelic roots, as Gaelic is the most prominent language, other than English. We also stumbled upon the chapel of St. Caohme, brother to St. Kevin. There is a very thin and narrow window above where the alter is. Apparently if you can fit through the window, you go straight to heaven. We didn't even try to fit through it haha. We ended the night at O'Connell's Pub which had fantastic live music and more Franciscan students!! I loved Ireland so much, and I hope to go back there and spend more time in Donegal, where my family is originally from. I'm in Gaming, Austria now, but I'll fill you guys in on the Monastary of Melk and the village of Durnstein a little later. I miss you all very much!

Danielle

Dublin and the East Coast

Ok....so there is a lot that I have to let you guys in on, Ireland was amazing and I'll break up the week into 2 parts, beacuse there is just not enough room for one post. My friend Leah and I arrived in Dublin on Monday morning, where we met up with 2 of my other friends Alissa and Danielle, who are both from Chicago. From there we went to a family friends house. Eilis, who is friends with my mom and my grandparents was so nice and allowed us to stay at her home for 4 nights. This included feeding us and helping us adjust to the time change, and figuring the 14:40 is actually 2:40, and how to read bus times and schedules. To say that Eilis simply let us stay at her house is a gross understatement. Eilis, if you are reading this, you were an amazing hostess, and I don't know what we would have done without you. You gave us such a warm welcome and truly made my friends and I feel at home. Thank you for everything :) On Tuesday, we celebrated my birthday which was so much fun. We took the bus into Dublin and headed out for Trinity college which was beautiful. We didn't get to see the Book of Kells, only because the line was about a mile long, and I'm not exaggerating when I say it was a MILE long. We visited several churches in Dublin and then went off to the Brazen Head pub, one of the oldest pubs in Dublin. Irish rebels used to congregate here and plan on how to resist British take over. Lunch was fantastic, I had fried bree... basically breaded bree cheese...delicious. From there we went to the Guieness (spelling????) factory and took a tour of the brewery that has made Irish beer famous around the world. To finish off the night Eilis gave me Galway and Cadbury chocolate bars...which make Hershey chocolate taste like dirt (Alyssa and Caitlin I'll send you guys some as soon as I can). On Wednesday we went to Glendalough...translated as the glen of the two lakes; this place was the sanctuary of St. Kevin, whose church and home still remain there. We saw a video before we actually viewed the ruins, and it explained how these monks (St. Kevin) used these sanctuaries to meditate and contemplate on God and to truly dedicate their lives to Him, free of worldly distractions. Glendalough is so peaceful and quiet, it is difficult not to meditate and think about life. Growing up in New Jersey, which is known for being constantly on the go as a suburb of New York City, I sometimes forget that there is more than the next moment, or the next thing, but just to enjoy where I am and who I am with in the present. The large slope of the two hills come together and plunge into a lake, that according to myth is bottomless. I also loved being there with my friends, Alissa, Danielle and Leah who truly made week in Ireland an unforgettable one . As my grandpa told me right before I left for Austria, 'It doesn't matter where you are or what you are doing, if you are among friends, you will never be bored.' He was definately right.

Ireland

Hey everybody!
So I've been in Ireland for about a week now, and I am absolutely loving it :) I truly feel like a arrived to a big welcome home party and all the locals and people that I have encountered are so helpful and accomodating. I have to say that being in Ireland has made me so proud to be Irish and to come from such a beautiful place. I can tell where my grandpa gets his extreme sense of generosity and hospitality, as the Irish are so welcoming and friendly. I'm on a computer with a limited time amount, but I will be back in Dublin tomorrow on my own computer so I'll be able to go a little more in depth about my adventures this week. I miss you all so much and you are all in my thoughts.

PS: A shout out to my Dad: if we ever win the lottery, or even if we don't I promise to take our whole family on a trip to Ireland, and go back to the Cliffs of Moher, its one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen.

Getting Prepped For Europe

Hi Guys,
So I figured a blog would  be the best way to let you know what I'm up to over here. I am spending an entire semester in Austria, for which I am very excited, and a little nervous...not gonna  lie. I mean I get lost on the way to the mall back at home, so getting lost in a foreign country where I don't know the language, or where I'm going is a little intimidating to say the least. But on the positive side, I will be experiencing and seeing places that I could have never imagined. This is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity and I am so excited :) I am thinking about you all and will miss you all very much!

Danielle