Wien

Although I was a bit sad about leaving Germany, I was excitedly looking forward to a country to which I had never been--Austria!  I wasn't quite sure what I imagined Vienna to be like but was slightly surprised that nearly every restaurant near the hotel and even the grocery store closed at 8, giving the area a more sleepy atmosphere.  Even the shops downtown weren't open much later.  However, this certainly did not stop me from enjoying my time in Vienna.  The first day seemed to revolve around the Viennese fascination with death as Dr. Wasser led us around the city in his medieval physician's attire, prepared to combat the plague and certainly attracting some curious glances from the locals.  We then gathered underneath a local church for a closer look at the catacombs.  Surprisingly, several mummified bodies were laid out and exposed in their coffins for visitors to examine, in addition to several large piles of bones and even an entire wall neatly lined with femurs! It seems unreal that we were permitted to be in that close of contact with such pieces of history.

By the end of the visit with Pfizer (and including all of the information presented prior), I honestly feel that I know a lot more details about the healthcare systems in Germany and Austria than I do about ours here in the United States, but now that I am aware of how other countries provide health insurance to their citizens, I find myself more motivated to actually learn more about the looming adjustments being debated by our government.

I loved that we had two group dinners in Vienna--it was much easier to find and try authentic food than when we were on our own at lunch or dinner in other cities.  There had only been spätzle on the menu at one other restaurant we ate at, and I was so excited to eat some more at the Bierklinik so it was extremely disappointing when the waiter disclosed that they were out :(  But the dinner was delicious nonetheless.  On the second to last day, we even found a restaurant near the hotel that didn't charge for water! Inconceivable!

I also had a chance in my free time to take a tour of the Spanish Riding School in which the guide explained how they chose both their riders and horses.  It's amazing that these horses are guaranteed a three month summer break at the breeding farm as well as at least two other six weeks vacation throughout the year, yet their riders are never on holiday because they must follow their respective horse for light training.