28., Relax, have a cigar, make yourself at home

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As our stay winds down, I find myself becoming sluggish and achy (perhaps I'm getting sick, or maybe I'm just completely exhausted from our jam-packed month!) Despite this, I was determined to visit Stift Klosterneuburg one last time. August 28th was the memorial of Saint Augustine, the patron saint of the Augustinians, and thus Klosterneuburg was having a celebration. There was a morning mass with musical accompaniment, and a few of us made the journey back to enjoy the ceremonies.

28.8.2019.

I admit, I have never strived to sit through a Catholic mass before. But as mentioned, Klosterneuberg had captured my heart, and I was willing to sit it out in order to visit the monastery one last time. Father Ambros was kind enough to treat us to coffee before the mass began. He's always such delightful (and very amusing) company!

A view from the pews

Since the mass was entirely in German, and I know approximately 6 words in German, one would expect a boring few hours ahead of me. Not so! It was an extremely relaxing and pleasant experience, and I was happy to sit back relax and reflect on the events of the trip and admire the beauty of the chapel. As a fledgling academic, I so rarely have a moment in time where someone is talking at me for a few hours and I don't have to take copious amounts of notes, haha. A decent window of time without constantly checking media, consuming information.....it was a wonderfully meditative few hours.

Pictures never do a beautiful chapel justice~






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