But on to the real posting. Vienna was wonderful. Everywhere seemed so different. The area we stayed in was much calmer than the middle of the city, but even in the middle of the city you could still find small alleys with tons of history and a calming feel. Vienna is home to so many different aspects, it's hard to imagine all the different events that have occurred there over time. The crypts were stunning and some of them full of so much detail to have been made so long ago. Although, I see a common trend with great detail in all old architecture as well. It's so hard to believe that these buildings and crypts were built centuries ago.
The Josephinum and Fools Tower had me in awe. The wax figures in both places were so carefully crafted and had so much detail to them I find it hard to believe they are over 100 years old. There were so many different ones too that I can only imagine the patients and detail and dedication it took to make them. I am impressed that they saw in those days, how important it was to pursue these studies. I truly believe that they have had a huge impact on our field and what it has developed into today. They understood that the body was a complex system and broke it down into visuals so that we could study and learn to further discover more about ourselves. The different diseases and complications that were made into wax forms at the Fools Tower were incredible. There were so many different ones that I had never seen before. And to think that at one point those were living people suffering from these different issues, most with no cure. I can't help but thank them for helping to train and teach the world through their suffering so that now days, people don't have to go through things like that.
When it comes to classical music, I don't know much of anything except a few names and I think I could recognize a few pieces that I've heard before. Therefore, the House of Music broadened my horizons as a good introduction to this area. I never knew a whole lot about the famous composers such as Mozart and Beethoven so it was nice to get a brief insight into the history of them and their music. I really enjoyed the string quartet concert as well. I had never been to a concert like that and it was beautiful. I was stunned at the different tones, intensities, notes, and variation from 4 similar yet different string instruments. There is no way I would have enough patience to learn to play anything along those lines. I was intrigued at how calm the players seemed while playing with so many sets of eyes staring at them just waiting for them to skip a note. I loved it.
From Vienna, Maggie and I traveled to Florence for the weekend. The over night train was an experience in itself. I wasn't very fond of it; sharing a cabin with 5 other people was a bit awkward and uncomfortable in such a tight space. Once we got to Florence it was mesmerizing. Every building was old. They all had a similar style and feel but each one had its own story. We spent Friday just walking throughout the city taking in the sites and looking inside the buildings we could. We climbed our way to Michelangelo's point to see the city from above and it was like a movie scene. Pictures do not do it justice. We sat and watched the sun start to go down over the rooftops as we mingled with a couple beside us from London. On Saturday we went to Chianti country for a wine tasting and tour. The mountains were beautiful and filled with grape vines in all directions. It was also interesting to learn how they make the wines. The Chianti wine is regulated by the government so it has super strict rules the wineries have to abide by if they want to be able to label their wine "Chianti". We ended the evening with a museum tour through Pitti Palace. The rooms were all so unique from top to bottom. There was original wallpaper and these beautiful almost 3D murals on some of the ceilings throughout. It was a huge palace with an even bigger garden around back. It was beautiful and as we walked throughout the palace and garden all I could do was imagine what it was like to walk down those stairs centuries ago in huge elegant ball gowns as if I was royalty.
After two weeks of carrying a gigantic duffle and backpack throughout 3 different countries, I am more than happy to be back in Bonn for a while. Though we are staying busy with classes and excursions here, its nice to have some downtime and home cooked meals.
Until next time!
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