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Forgive me for the neglect of my blog. It was a long week after we arrived, and after staying awake for about 36 hours straight, they pushed us right into a rigorous schedule here at the Kartause. I have so much to tell, but I want to focus this post on a few impressions: Austria is very beautiful. After I came out of the chapel right before lunch yesterday, there were tiny, soft snowflakes swirling down from the sky. "Snowflakes that stay on your nose and eyelashes." Our room faces the street, and as I sit here, I can gaze out the window and see a mountain covered in trees rising majestically above the house across from us. Or take a walk in the evening and see great pine trees rising above the crisp, white snow. "The hills are alive.." We've taken a few day trips already to the towns of Melk and Krems, and then Vienna on Saturday. The churches here are amazing. I have not been in a church thus far that has not made me gasp a little at the beauty of the gilded ornaments, detailed statues, and stands filled with glowing candles. "My heart wants to sigh like a chime that flies from a church on a breeze.." I miss a lot of people. My family most of all. I miss knowing all the little things that happen every day. I miss the "thinking of you" moments when you text someone something because you saw it and wanted to share it with them. This is one of the greatest adventures of my life thus far and I can only share little snippets. I won't ever remember everything I want to tell them. But I'm trying to look at everything at least 6 times as hard so I can remember.
"I've finally found that life goes on without you."