The Great Cologne Massacre and the Most Beautiful Place in the World

Week 4 saw the group shadow, go on the Cologne Excursion Pt. 2, and nine of us traveled to Interlaken, Switzerland. To begin the week, I shadowed the ENT department of the Uniclinic in Bonn. This was a great opportunity to get behind the scenes in a surgical OR. I saw a tumor being removed from a 2-year-old’s ear and a nasal reconstruction on a man that had a tumor in his sinuses. The surgeries were extremely efficient, and the surgeons and anesthesiologists were extremely helpful in explaining the processes of the surgeries. I came into this trip having decided to not apply to medical school, and after shadowing I can confidently say that I still agree with that decision. However, I now think I am leaning towards hospital management/administration as my future career path. Being in the hospital felt natural, although the OR did not.


On Wednesday, the group traveled to Cologne. A couple weeks ago, we spent a whole day in Cologne. We took a city tour, and half of the group went to the cathedral, while the other half went to the zoo. The cathedral tour was one of the best tours I have ever been on, and the view from the top of the cathedral was insane. The zoo was super fun, too. We got to see meerkats up close (one of us dropped their phone into the enclosure), and we visited the elephant house. We got a behind the scenes look at the elephants, and got feet from the adults and babies. Later that day, things got a little rowdy in the Cologne streets, as lines were drawn on the sidewalk, trains were missed, and tempers flared. Luckily, it was all in good fun, and the group got much closer that night and the next day. 

Standing at the top of Cologne Cathedral

During this week, I had full plans to go to Milan and Zurich. On a total whim, we changed plans to go to Interlaken. The trains were expensive, but the paragliding costs were worse. After booking this trip, I had little remaining funds, but it ended up being totally worth it. 
Leaving Bonn Friday night, tensions ran high. Our train was delayed, then canceled within minutes, only to then be diverted to the smaller Bonn station. We had to take a taxi to catch that train, and had the pleasure of speaking to a very sketchy man on the platform. Seeing our train arrive was a welcome site, and we somehow made it to our connection on time. The second train offered us views that teased what was to come. 

Interlaken was the most beautiful place I had ever seen. The town sits in a valley with mountains on two sides, and two lakes on the others. The lakes are the most perfect shade of blue, and some of the mountains are snow capped year round. The Swiss chocolate was incredible, and the cheese fondue did not disappoint.

Panorama of Interlaken

On Saturday, we took an excursion to paraglide. I really was not nervous until I began my run off the side of a cliff. As we were in the air, I had the most amazing view of my life. My guide was awesome, and after some stomach churning turns and flips, we safely landed. It was the best 20 minutes of my life. Later that day, we went back to our hostel to watch Germany defeat Sweden off of a free kick in the 95th minute (!!!!!).

.gif of my paragliding over Interlaken!

We woke up Sunday Morning and decided to go on a hike. We were hiking up to a vantage point of the whole Interlaken valley called Harder Kulm. And let me tell you, I was begging for an Easier Kulm during the last half of the hike. The final 20 minutes of the hike were intense, which made the view at the top extremely worth it. After a mini photo shoot and one of the most rewarding beers of my life, we took the funicular back down the mountain. Our time in Interlaken had come to a close, and I was very sad sitting on the train leaving the city. 

Incredible views and Incredible Beer at Harder Kulm

The Deutsche Bahn finally struck as some luck, as we decided to stay on a train and not switching. We ended up getting back to Bonn 2 hours earlier than planned, which was much appreciated since our train to Vienna left the next morning at 6 am. 

Overall, this week will be one of the highlights of the whole trip. The lectures were more intense, as we talked about the history of Germany through the lense of doctors during World War 2. It hurt my heart to learn of some of the horrors, but the perspective gained is important for the future. We had our last pharmacology lecture, and I know I will miss Dr. Fajt! She kept the class engaged, and on our toes. The group as a whole got closer, and it is so interesting to see 29 different perspectives come together, as we are all experiencing some of the best 6 weeks of our lives. 

Our next stop (after only 2 hours of sleep): Vienna!!!