quick question..

Is the whole tall blondes riding bikes around in hot dresses going to find its way back to the states? I vote Yes.

The visit to the hospital on Thursday was very interesting, particularly the artificial hearts unit. I regret not having more time looking at, and speaking with the doctors about, some of the devices that I have studied in several different classes. Cologne was a very cool city to visit. The inside of the cathedral was beautiful and fascinating to see. However, there were mixed emotions while I was inside. On one hand the gothic architecture was undeniably impressive, but on the other I found myself questioning at what cost it was all built. There were undoubtedly massive donations by the aristocracy, but then there is the peasants who are collectively responsible for funding the rest through their tithe and other payments, often with great loss to their livelihood. This is a very pessimistic view of great architecture that can similarily relate to any number of other buildings as well, and it was soon put aside when we went on the private tour. the view was incredible, and the drizzling weather was perfect as we walked around on the somewhat questionable scaffolding. That tour will definately remain a highlight throughout this experience.

Amsterdam. I don't really want to give a play-by-play description of how much fun it was and how crazy of a time I had. We were all there, and I know that we all have similar memories, to differing degrees. Having said that, after getting past the inevitable initial shock of the (in)famous nature of the city, I was impressed by the creativity and artistic nature of the city. Being from Austin I didn't ever understand why people from other areas considered us to be a bunch of liberal hippies, but in the last few years I feel like I have grown to appreciate the atmosphere more than I ever did while I lived there. In Amsterdam, I kept thinking about how many similarities there were between the two cities, with Amsterdam clearly being greatly magnified and more extreme.