The Norderney Adventure

Man, this study abroad has been flying by. We are now at our fourth week and only have two weeks left. I wish we had more time here in Germany, but we must enjoy the time that we have. This past week, we all went for a day trip to Hannover and a multi-day trip to Norderney. During our stay in Hannover, we visited a research faculty and a hospital that does organ transplants on a daily basis. The research faculty specialized in regeneration of new cells and limbs by studying the interesting creature called the axolotl. We were able to see their axolotls used for their study and I have to say, they are quite adorable little creatures. It was cute to find out that they hate being alone and love the company of others. Also, it was nice to see how the researchers at the lab love their animals and care of them. At the hospital in Hannover, we were able to talk to a patient after receiving a device for his heart. The patient was happy to talk to us about his medical history and even told us stories about his job as a journalist if I remember correctly. I hope that the patient is doing fine like he was when we left the hospital. Later that evening, a group of us went to a beer garden for dinner and I tried Banana Beer. I think Banana Beer is beer mixed with banana juice. I was a fan of it since I do not like the taste of many alcohols, but love bananas. After Hannover, we went to Norderney for the next couple of days. I personally loved the island, but that might be because I am biased towards beaches and islands. I always loved the beaches and water even since I was little so I was personally excited about this part of the study abroad. During our stay on the island, we did many fun activities including, using a spa, a bike tour, mud flat guided tour, a BBQ, and a museum visit. On our first day on the island, we did a bike tour around a part of the island and had a BBQ afterwards. The island itself is beautiful and I enjoyed all the views we have seen like the view of the Wadden Sea and all of the dunes on the island. I stayed near the end of our bike line since I was slow on the bike and was not in peoples' way if they wanted to pass me. After the bike tour, I was tired and ready for the BBQ. It was excited to have bratwursts, smores, and rice pudding at the party and I though the food was delicious. On the second day, we had our spa therapy lecture and mud flat tour. During the spa therapy part, we listened to an interesting lecture about the usage of spa when comparing to therapy and later we actually used the spa. I personally would have stay the entire day there and laid in the Japanese style pool, but we only had a couple of hours at the spa. After the spa, I had some tea that Dr. Wasser has recommended for us to try and it was amazing. It reminded me of oolong tea but sweeter.

Later that evening, we went on the mud flat tour and it was very fun. We saw all of the amazing creatures in the mud and the mud itself felt relaxing. I personally liked the small crabs in the water. I even found a little crab only a few millimeters long and held it in my hands. After that tour, I even went into the North Sea late at night. I have to say, the water was cold, but it was worth it. I can truly say that I went into the North Sea or into the ocean at my time in Europe.

After the dip into the sea, it was after 11 so it was around time to shut down for the day. On our third and last day on Norderney, we visited a museum about the island in the morning, which was very interesting and we had a lovely tour guide, and started our trip back to Bonn. I think everyone was tired that day and ready to relax for a bit before our weekend travels. So, I think everyone had a fantastic time this week and I hope everyone have fun this weekend and return back safely.