Wien

Wien. Not wine, mom, see the difference? Wien (pronounced "veen") is the German spelling of the lovely capital of Austria, Vienna!
I spent 2 nights and 1.5-ish days. Highlights of the trip?

• Finally getting to see Roman!
• He met me at the train station in Vienna after traveling 155.79 miles from Prague on my best train journey so far (see my last post about getting here).
•  It was such a wonderful moment to see him again for the first time since July...and I was so incredibly nervous!
• We took the metro from the train station and walked to the hostel from there. I had kind of wanted to go out and do a little exploration of the 10pm culture of this vibrant European capital! But my better judgement decided against that as we saw our hostel (as hostels tend to be) was more on the outskirts of the city and it was SO cold. Less miserable weather than Prague since at least it wasn't raining, but the wind was biting and the promise of a warm building was too inviting to turn down.
• At first it was strange to be able to have a conversation with Roman without straining to hear through the static of Skype or watching his face blink in and out every few seconds, but soon it became so normal and just like our virtual conversations, we have so much in common- with just enough disagreements to keep in interesting- and we never run out of things to talk about)))

•  Stephansdom
• One of the most beautiful cathedrals of the trip, and definitely comparable to some of the ones in Prague. We went at night and colored lights were shining on the outside of the building and gave it a sort of eerie feel.
• On the inside, everything seemed to be on fire in a beautiful way. It was so dark, lit mostly by the hundreds of candles that visitors could light in memory or prayer. 
• Roman and I had a really wonderful conversation about Protestantism, Catholicism, and Orthodoxy. We discussed the differences, the similarities, the overarching theme that connections not just those but all religions- love. There is a distinct difference between God and religion...visiting such an array of places of worship really helps you understand that.

• Kaiserschmarrn

• I love this food. Best dessert ever. I have been waiting to try this for almost two years since I first read about the pancake-like pastries filled with raisins, topped with powdered sugar, and apparently served with a bowl of fresh delicious jam!

There just wasn't enough time in Vienna...next time, I will go when it's warmer)) And I'm definitely planning on there being a next time.