The last few days have been pretty interesting! We almost got swept away in the rain! The weather here kind of reminds me of Kentucky weather, because it will be sunshine and warm one day, and then turn to rain and bitter cold the next! Just like home! :)

Yesterday, Amber and I went into the city and noticed that there were more people than usual walking around. Then we saw that a big stage had been set up in front of St. Stephen's Cathedral. There were tvs everywhere! I looked over at Amber and casually said, "Gosh, you'd think the Pope was here or something." Well.... it turns out that he was! We were very curious, so we stopped these two men and asked, and sure enough, the Pope was speaking at St. Stephen's that very night! That was so amazing!!!! We also got to go inside the cathedral. I had forgotten how incredibly beautiful the inside was. It never ceases to amaze me at how much time and effort this culture puts into its churches. I feel like I'm walking into, not only just a historical building, but into a building that honors God just by being there! It was a great experience.

Later that night, we went to the most famous club in Vienna, called Passage. It had some of the prettiest interior decorating that I've seen! There were white couches everywhere, and then the lights and music were great! I really enjoyed dancing there. We met several of our Persian friends there, so hanging out with them was also really nice. Farhad and Borhan are always a good time!

Amber and I learned how to play ping pong from "the world's best" today. I will admit that I am not good AT ALL! :) I also put my skills to the test when my German friend, Johann, asked me to edit one of his papers for a class. I think that I did a pretty good job! (and mom.... I had fun doing it.... you do turn into your mother, it's true!)

Today was my first full Sunday in Vienna, so I really wanted to try to find a church to go to. I didn't expect to find one right away that spoke English or anything, but just having the experience was something that I wanted to do. Since Srdjan has lived in Vienna for quite a while now, he took me to his church, which was on the complete other side of this very large city! (my feet hurt, but I wouldn't let the Serbian know that I was hurting, lol) We ended up in the 17th district of Vienna, in a small Orthodox Christian church. Again, the paintings of Jesus and the other saints/apostles was simply breath-taking. I was in awe for the second time in two days. The interesting thing about this church is that you don't walk in and have a "service" like I normally do in American churches, but you walk in and kind of have your own personal experience with God. Srdjan and I entered the main part of the building, and he explained to me what all of the alters and paintings meant... since they were not in any language that I recognized. It was mostly Latin, I think. Then, we bought some thin candles and went into a seperate room off to the side of the main sanctuary. There were two large shelves that circled the entire room. Each shelve held about 3 inches of water, where people had put the un-lit ends of the candles. Each candle sat in the water and burned there. It was very pretty, because all of the flames just reflected in the water. Srdjan explained to me that each candle represented a prayer for a person. The top shelf was prayers for the living, and the bottom shelf was for those that had passed away. How awesome! I only got one little candle, but said a collective prayer for all of you! After the candle room, we sat down in the main sanctuary room and prayed. I ended up in tears! I just sat there in this beautiful church and was able to have a completely personal experience with God. I'll never forget it!

After we left church, Srdjan took me on a different route back home. We walked along the Danube Island and along the Danube River. We saw a huge red and tan castle on a hill, which was amazing! I could have looked at it for days. Srdjan said that he'd never seen that castle before, which was one of the reasons that he loved Vienna so much. "There is always something surprising about this city, Amanda," he said. I am in constant awe, so I guess he's right!!! The weather was perfect today, so our walk was very nice.

Amber and I are planning a trip to Croatia. Ivo, one of our funniest friends here, is from there.... and he says the Mediterranean country comes highly recommended! :)

I am loving this experience so far.... I will keep you updated on where the wind blows me.... because the Vienna winds are pretty strong (as my poor little umbrella found out yesterday.... rest its soul).