A Rift as Perspective
Vienna
By Sara Reppenhagen
It’s ten o’clock in the morning, but my body is telling me it’s four am. The sun is shining through the blinds and it feels warm on my arms. As I open the balcony doors, the sounds of the morning buzz begin to take over my room. My roommate and I dress for the warm summer heat and our adventure to Schönbrunn Palace.
The buzz of life in Vienna surrounds our small group as we walked through the heat to the Uban station. Our journey consists of a forty-five-minute train ride and a hike to the top of the hill. Overwhelmed is an understatement. Never before have I been surrounded by people who look at my flip-flops in disgust and speak quickly in German.
As we approach the palace, we are so small in comparison to the enormous arches and the statues that line the palace walls. As we walk through the gardens, we approach the infamous hill that overlooks the palace and the city of Vienna. The hike is strenuous, and we stop along the way to examine the view and to catch our breath. Along the path, you can see the yellow walls of the palace grow smaller and the grey and black buildings of Vienna emerge. When we reach the top, the view is breathtaking as you can see the entire palace, the gardens, the city of Vienna, and beyond. For one moment time disappeared, and all you can feel is the wind blowing your hair as you are mesmerized by the beauty of the city.
A moment of peace seems so simple, but its impact is long lasting even further than that one moment seems to provide. Last summer was so simple, a few classes, traveling and pure happiness. The trouble with finding perceived pure happiness is that nothing else can compare.
Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna, Austria
My time in Vienna was humbling and peaceful but finding that peace again was not easy. When you don’t have a palace to focus on, peace seems out of reach and yet there are other ways to find it. Sitting on the hill overlooking Schönbrunn, was the first time I felt utter and complete peace with the world, the choices I had made, and myself. While I cannot easily march my way to the top of the hill today, I can find my own hill. The peace was not the hill itself, but the quietness inside of me. There were no anxious thoughts or people in my head, there was just plain silence. I have realized that the peace I felt on that hill was the first time I took a moment to slow down and enjoy the view around me. Life is more than just schedules and planners, and when I think of my time abroad, I’m reminded to take a moment and enjoy the silence around me.