Week Two

This past week has felt more like a month with the amount of things we were able to pack in. Monday was all about getting everything ready for Vienna and desperately trying to cram a weeks worth of clothing in a weekend bag. Tuesday started bright and early to make our flight to Vienna. The second we landed we hit the ground running and, after checking into our hotel, headed off for our first tour of the city. The best part was that it was done by Dr. Schnabel--we all got a kick out of the awesome plague doctor outfit and I think everyone else we passed by on the street did, too. Next was the Freud House, which was something I was already very excited about since Psychology is one of my favorite subjects. The house definitely didn't disappoint and it made the lecture on Freud the following day more interesting since we could really picture some of the things Dr. Wasser was talking about. Finally, we ended the first night at the Gulasch Museum. This was definitely one of the highlights of this trip for me because I got to get close to more people on the trip that I wasn't very familiar with. The gulasch tasted a lot like stew and I loved getting to try something new.

The second day we visited the Josephinum, Haus der Musik, and Kapuzinergruft. All three were very different from one another, which I was pleased about because it wasn't an overload of one subject. The Josephinum was mostly about the merging of the book part of medicine with the actual practice of medicine and my favorite part was getting to see the artificial heart machines. It was also crazy to find out that the first artificial valves were so loud that the people around the person with the valve could hear the person's heartbeat. The Haus der Musik was great for reinforcing Professor Waltz's lectures. It was helpful to be able to hear some of the same information over again while also throwing in new facts. Lastly, the Kapuzinergruft was definitely something new for me. I don't think I'd ever seen any casket that ornate prior to the visit, and especially seeing how massive they could be--like Maria Teresia's--was mind boggling for me. I can't picture sitting down and drawing out a design for what I want my casket to look like, or caring that it be bigger than anyone else's, but it was still very interesting to learn more about the history in Vienna and see some great art.

Day three was spent visiting the Narrenturm, having a group lunch, and meeting back up for the concert in the evening. The Narrenturm was extremely interesting and informative because it helped show me a lot about how different diseases affect the body. There was everything from simple rashes to Siamese twins connected at the skull. One in particular that stood out to me was a preserved child that was around four with very dark and ashy skin. I also learned that there was a specific purpose for making the building cylindrical, and that was so that some of the psychiatric patients that were allowed to walk around would always end up back at their room. After the museum we all sat down for a group lunch (another highlight), and one of the people I sat by was Henning. One of the things I've loved most about this trip is that you get to see how your professors and people in charge actually act outside of a professional environment and it makes them a lot more relatable and fun to be around. For our free afternoon a few friends and I went to the big city hall building and explored all the buildings around there. We ended up getting a sneak peak of the Museum of Natural History and seeing just how amazing and huge a lot of the main buildings in Vienna are. That night we all got dressed up and headed to the classical concert at St. Anne's Church. I don't have a very large background in music, so I thought it sounded beautiful but I couldn't decipher the specific parts within each main piece like someone with more knowledge would be able to. We finished off the night at a bar and had a great time relaxing all together.

On our final morning we visited the Natural History Museum. I was especially interested in this because we focused a lot on animals, like massive woolly mammoths and tortoise skeletons the size of a small car. We also got to see some ridiculously old trinkets that had lots of detail and ornamentation. Sometimes it's hard to fully appreciate the smaller pieces because, at first glance, it looks unimportant. However, after actually processing how old they are and how much work it must've taken during that time to make them without all of the modern tools and instruments we have now it's crazy to think that someone could just pass over it. After the museum, we raced off in an uber for the airport to start our Florence adventure. Overall, Vienna was amazing and packed with history. I'm so glad I got to experience it with this group of people and, even though it was exhausting, I had the best time.