Bye Vienna, Hello Hungary!

Each day passes by with a glimpse of the eye! We are finally leaving Vienna, Austria towards Budapest, Hungary. Vienna was far beyond imagination—simply beautiful might be the right way to describe it. I loved every part of this short trip. On day one, we had the opportunity to explore the history of Vienna through a medical perspective. Dr. Wasser dressed up as Dr.Schnabel and took us around Vienna. This was a great surprise for us since none of us knew what Dr. Wasser was up to before he showed up with that attire. It was interesting to learn about the medical students who drank alcohol from the supply meant to be for the specimens. We also learned about a lady who carried a dead fetus for four years! The first c-section thus took place in Vienna in order to remove the fetus. In addition, we learned more about the plague and the plague doctor as well, and how measures were taken later to improve the environmental conditions of the city. Next, we visited the catacombs at St. Michael’s Kirche. To be completely honest, seeing skeletons and long dead people should have creeped me out but I found it rather interesting. I am thankful for being able to observe and analyze skeletons in an anthropological sense. Since most of us had stayed up all night for the FIFA finale, we were tired and exhausted way before our day was over . Nevertheless, I rested well that night.

The next day was pretty fun! We visited the Josephinum museum, and I was astonished by the intricate design of the wax models. The understanding of anatomy back then was complexly elaborated in each wax model. Ranging from the skeletal and muscular system, to the cardiovascular and lymphatic system, each piece of art was simply breath-taking. The most exciting part of this trip for me were the OB-GYN models. Each model described the different complications of delivery, and how physicians dealt with them. The purpose of these intricate models was to help medical students learn in an engaging fashion. After the museum trip, we had about 7 hours of free time to explore Vienna on our own. Angelica, Elisa, Edward and I wandered off to look for THE Giant Ferris Wheel. We ended up in an amusement park and, instead of riding the ferris wheel, we sat in a roller coaster and a humungous swing. It was perhaps the most memorable day of my trip to Vienna. Then, we ventured off to find a flea market, but instead ended up at the city parliament and took some wonderful pictures. Later that night, we had a concert at St. Anna’s Kirche. 

Our third day in Vienna consisted of a trip to the hospital and the University of Vienna’s medical school. Dr. Richard Maerz gave us a very interesting lecture on how the American and the Austrain medical schools systems differ. I still cannot believe that medical education in Austria is essentially free! There were other quite astonishing differences in the two systems. Next, we had a group lunch at a restaurant where I ordered a delicious steak burger. Later, we visited the fools tower (insane asylum) where a medical student at the University of Vienna showed us various preserved specimens from deceased persons. We identified various diseases from the specimens and saw preserved babies in a jar. Moreover, we went over treatments that were provided to such in the past. This was more creepy than the catacombs, but it was very educational. After the tour, Olivia and some of us went to a traditional cafe for Viennese coffee and pastry. I ordered Grientorte and it was deliciously good. Shortly, we also had a group dinner where finally most of us order true Viennese Schnitzel. It was great and was mostly like chicken fried steak. Also, we had apfelstrudel and other Viennese desserts for the first time as well.

Viennese Schnitzel!

On the last day, which is today, we visited the Sigmund Freud museum and had a lecture on him. I have taken Psychology 107 during my freshman year of college, but I learned so much more in depth about Freud and his personality. Now Elisa and I are headed to Budapest. I am beyond nervous of how we will get about and find our hotel. Keeping my fingers crossed!