I survived (the bike)

Week one has flown by from the short stay in Bonn and Hannover to Norderney and then Prague.  I already feel like the world traveler and it's only just begun. While in Hannover, we visited the research facility and then talked with the cardio thoracic surgeon at the hospital. My favorite part was the research facility. Hearing about the success of the spider silk to regenerate damaged nerves in sheep was incredible and has so many possibilities.  Seeing the room of spiders was...well interesting. I didn't really know what to expect but the spiders were huge and it kinda creeped my out, but was cool at the same time.  The axolotls were super adorable and I wouldn't mind having one as a pet. Even the short term goals with the axolotls such as healing wounds faster and helping burn victims with a topical cream is huge. In Norderney thalassotherapy was something that was brand new to me to learn about, and I didn't quite grasp it.  But, after being at Norderney I think after 3 weeks on the island and in the spa nearly anybody could feel better. I would love to get doctors orders to go there.  Also it's crazy to me that we had to pay an air tax while on the island, but my congestion did go away while on the island.

Before this trip I tried to practice riding a bike so that I could survive while here.  I only practiced twice so I didn't feel confident going to Norderney, but all was well. It was a struggle in the beginning of both days and took me a while to get on the bike. Also, I walked my bike halfway up every hill, but I don't even care cause I am bike challenged. So that was my biggest accomplishment while on Norderney. This island was beautiful and touring the mud flats it was cool to learn about all the many animals and microorganism that live there and provide food to the birds. I would love to see the birds on the mud flats during fall or spring migration.

After Norderney CheyAnne and I took a night train to Prague.  We arrived at 11:30 Saturday morning and spent that day walking around the city, taking pictures, and eating.  Prague was super crowded, especially after being in Norderney. The architecture was beautiful and I loved the city, I just wish there were less people.  Our hostel was right next to the Charles bridge and it was really easy to walk everywhere. The second day we toured the Prague Castle, went to Petrin park, and saw the Lennon wall. That day was a ton of walking. Prague castle is on one hill and then we walked down and hiked up hills in the park to get to the top of that hill.  My phone app maps somehow knew these tiny, steep, dirt paths and was taking us the most adventurous route possible.  The funniest part was that on the way down we saw a tram that took you to the top after hiking the whole way, but it was fun and worth it.

I'm having trouble posting pictures from my iPad but hopefully I'll figure it out later!

That's all for now,
Megs