Hannover to Norderney

On Tuesday, we went to Hannover. Hannover felt like a pitstop on the way to Norderney. I still really enjoyed our time there. The hospital was very interesting. I really enjoyed learning about the LVAD and seeing video footage of a surgery. I had never heard of that type of heart surgery. It was also amazing to see how much the LVAD pump has changed over the years. Then we went to see a type of reconstruction therapy using spider silk. The axolotls gene that influences their regrowth ability was really interesting. I had no idea there was a creature that could regrow everything. The actual axolotls were really cute. They looked really happy and like they were constantly smiling. I still do not know how I feel about the spider room. It still makes me skin crawl.

Wednesday we went to Norderney. The trip to the island went by fairly quickly, which was nice. I thought the island was so beautiful. Once we got to the island, we rode bikes to our hotel. I really thought biking with a group of 15 students would end badly, but luckily we all survived. There were a few close calls but we all made it through alright. Once we got to the hotel, we went to work out on the beach. I really liked that. I've never done a work out by the ocean, but I could definitely get used to it. The North Sea was beautiful! I have never seen anything like it! It's still hard for me to believe that a beach can be so cold in July. I am definitely not used to that. The spa was really interesting. I did not realize you use that much more energy running/walking in sand rather than grass. It was interesting to learn about the health benefits of the sea water and sea air. I also enjoyed getting to use the spa. I thought the pool that had the same salt content of the dead sea was really cool! It was interesting to float in it. Friday morning we went to the mudflats. I was definitely expecting more of the mud you sink into the entire time rather than just a part of it. I was so glad we got to see a seal! It was so cool!

For our last free weekend we're in Amsterdam, and it will be interesting to see how the whole weekend goes!