It's ok...I live here

Today I set out on my first solo adventure into the city.  My main plan was just to find the ward building I would attend on sundays and figure the quickest route to get there.  After walking around aimlessly for about 2 hours with my 'tourist' backpack and the directions to the church I'd written down (which were useless)  I finally found it!!!  It was definitely one of those moments where you see what you've been looking for and the heavens open, shining a bright light on it and you can hear angels singing!!  It felt so good to see it for many reasons, the main two being first, I now know where to go every sunday, and second, it was the cleanest part of the city so I was able to sit down on the steps and rest!!!                       Now this next part is for the history nerds like...oh...I don't know.......JOE JESSOP!  ...for instance :)

After my rest on the steps of the church, I got back on the U-bahn (I'm really becoming quite a public transportation guru!)  and headed for one of the city's main attractions, Stephansdom.  I'd heard so much about it that I just had to see it for myself.    Stephansdom is in the center of Vienna and considered by many to be the soul of the city itself!  A church has stood at that exact site for over 800 years, but due to wars and just time itself, the only part of the orginal 13th century Romanesque church that is still in tact is the main enctrance known as the Giant's Causeway and Heathen Towers.  

As I was standing outside, admiring this amazing building, a woman came up to me and was asking me for help.  She had a long sob story to tell me and then, just before asking me for money, she said "I feel terrible to bother you while you're trying to enjoy your vacation."  I responded, "Oh, it's ok...I live here."  And that's when it hit me, I REALLY DO live here now.  It finally feels REAL!   And it's about time considering I've been here for over a week now.    ...At first I wasn't going to help the lady but then I thought, even if she is con-artist, what's 2 euros?  I mean you never really know, right?  I didn't want it to be one of those situations where you reject her and then find out later that she's really just an angel sent to test you and see what you would do in that situation.  (Not that I think this really happens...but again...you never know)  So I handed her one coin and she went on her way and I went on mine, enjoying the fact that I really do live here.

On my way home I decided to make a stop at the Donau Insel (Danube Island) and really get a good look at the river I've always wanted to see.  I sat there for a while admiring the blue water but was soon disappointed to see that I needed to head back home for a dinner social.  But then the words I'd said earlier came back to my mind and I realized that it's ok....because I live here.