Vienna-->Budapest and the long journey "home"

The first day in Vienna Dr. Schnabel gave us a tour of the city while successfully protecting us from the plague. Some of the medicines that saved us included little boys pee and cloves.  It was crazy to think that the doctors really believed those dramatic outfits helped them not catch the plague and that the cloves and little boys pee were medicines. Let's just say I am glad I didn't live in Vienna at that time. The highlight for me while in Vienna was the  Josephinum.  The fine process and  time it took to make the wax anatomical models is incredible.  It also amazed me that only 8 out of the 2000 models didn't make the journey to Vienna, and that their position next to the hospital meant they did not get destroyed during World War II. The anatomical models are not only an amazing learning tool, but also a piece of art. I just wish I had already taken anatomy so I could really recognize and appreciate how detailed the models were a little more.  Also,  I wonder if the medical students at that time thought they were lucky to study with these intricate models or if it was normal to them.

Also while in Vienna we learned a little bit about the Jewish living conditions leading up to World War Two and their treatment. A memorial by near our hotel contained keys with names of Jewish people who were taken from their homes in the nearby area. There were so many keys and seeing all the names gave me goosebumps.  It's crazy to think that the holocaust even happened, and in the big scheme of things it wasn't that long ago.  I cannot imagine living in Germany or elsewhere in Europe during this time, and being faced with the decision to take in a Jewish neighbor or stranger and risk my families safety. We would all like to think we would have done the brave and right thing but when it comes down to it we weren't in those circumstances and don't really know how hard the decision must have been. It was interesting to hear that Austria wasn't a victim, and that the living conditions there were worse than in Berlin or elsewhere in Germany at the time, because everyone focuses just on Germany.  Vienna was a whirlwind of a couple days, and although we saw a lot I still feel like we only scratched the surface of what the city had to offer.

After Vienna I took a quick train to Budapest for the weekend.  I was really excited for this city, because of its different and dark history as a communist country, unlike Western Europe.  Upon arrival I could really sense that the city had been through a lot.  It was very old, just like every other city in Europe, but it was more grungy. The buildings hadn't been kept up as much or renovated, and really seemed to tell a story.  While there we really just walked around and explored the city.  Our first day there the main bridge was closed, there were helicopters in hate sky, and we heard sirens.  Immediately Kendra and I started to think of the worst possible situations and think something bad was happening.  After 30 minutes or so we were walking up to the river and realized it was an airplane show.  It's sad that our minds automatically went to worst case scenarios.  I loved hate architecture in Budapest and my favorite building was the St. Matthias Church because I loved it's patterned roof. One downside of Budapest was that when we took a cab back to our air bnb I left my phone in the cab and never got it back.   After losing my phone and being gone for about two weeks I was ready to be back in calm, relaxing Bonn.  This is something I never thought I would say.

That's all for now,
Megs