In April in Vienna, Austria, it was a cold and starry night. The city was filled with people, lights, laughter and chaos. I was walking the streets with my sister and friend, soaking up the amazing atmosphere. There were so many loud voices, speaking words I didn’t understand, in a language I didn’t speak. It was a Friday night and everybody was having a splendid time being out with friends and family. The town square had music playing and everything in the area was madness. People were dancing and singing, having the time of their lives.
In the middle of the craziness there stood a magnificent church called St. Stephen’s Cathedral. The church was built in the 1300’s and the vision was breathtaking. The architecture was so different than anything I had ever seen in the United States. We walked in the cathedral through the huge doors and I had never seen something so exquisite. When I stepped through that door I instantaneously felt more at peace. The outside look was simply amazing, but in my eyes it didn’t even compare to the interior design. There was currently a Mass going on inside and the entire building was lit by candles. There were small spiral staircases in columns containing only about five or six steps and stunning religious paintings on some of the wall surfaces. The vision was like one out of a dream. We stood in the back of the church listening to the priest speak until a choir began to sing. The remarkable soprano voices echoed through the cathedral. It brought tears to many peoples’ eyes around me and almost to my own.
That moment in the church, the choir singing and candle light around me, made me feel so overwhelmed. It is my favorite memory of Austria and one of the most extraordinary memories of my entire life. My sister, my friend and I talked about that moment for the whole walk home, whenever we tell people about it; no one ever seems to think it is as wonderful as we do. It was an incredible experience that had to be witnessed to be fully appreciated.
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