Week 2- Views

   After the chaos of the first week, I have finally been able to settle in and become more familiarized with the area. Instead of traveling the first weekend, I stayed in Bonn and took the train to a few surrounding small towns. I first went to "Drakenland" where there are castles on seven different hills to hike to. The town itself was very small and quaint. When we went to the base of the first hill, we were surprised to see that the hike to the castle was going to be much steeper than expected. We began our climb and although we struggled a little bit, the views along the way were absolutely incredible. You don't see this at home, kids. We oohed and awed and continued our journey. Several beer gardens marked the path towards the top, along with a reptile exhibit (for little dragons?). Eventually, we made it to the top and stood at the ruins of the castle. It was a unique experience being able to stand at such an old structure and look over the Rhein and the hills that dot the land. Going down was much easier, thank goodness.

   The next day, a few of us went to Koblenz to visit a winery. When we arrived, we found out that it would either be a 40 minute walk to the winery or a 45 minute bus ride, so we decided to walk. The weather outside was gorgeous, so we really didn't mind. We walked through the town and caught a ferry to cross the river. Close to the winery, we crossed an antique store and decided to take a peak. The lady who owns the store was a joy and was very excited to tell us stories behind different objects we were interested in. I ended up getting a beer stein from 1902 and a nutcracker for my mom from the 50's. We then headed to the winery to be met by a rather unpleasant lady. She didn't seem to be thrilled that we arrived and told us not to go anywhere, while yelling at her hillbilly-looking husband to come and get in the kitchen. It was a little odd and uncomfortable, so we discreetly snuck away. We went back to the antique store to ask the owner where she recommended that we go, and she told us to take a hike up to a nearby castle for lunch. After getting the directions, we were off again and began yet another hike... this one a little more brutal. The castle was almost maze-like, and we had to weave our way through a museum in order to make it to the restaurant. Once we arrived, we were so happy we came. The view was breathtaking. We definitely had a weekend of sore legs, good food, and amazing views.

   The week then started, and it was time for class. On Wednesday, the class took a trip to Cologne where we got a tour of the city, had lunch, and split to either go up the cathedral or go to the zoo. During the tour, we got to see the Roman ruins of the city which date back to about 7 AD. We then made our way down to the medieval section of the city down by the Rhein. After lunch, I was able to go to the Lindt factory, because my tour of the Cologne cathedral wasn't for a few more hours. The girls who went were very excited to receive loads of free chocolate. We spent hours going through the museum and factory and playing a hilarious butt-press-chair game on the top floor. Soon after, we began our tour of the Cologne cathedral which was..... high. The rooftop tour led us 175 meters into the air. This included a very sketchy elevator ride and countless of winding stairs. The final view at the top made it all worth it. We had 360 views of the city, allowing us to see far across the river. We finished the night by going to a local bar and having a locally brewed, Sion Kolsch, which became my absolute favorite beer. Prost to a great day.

   Besides our excursion, class was very interesting this week. In the History of Medicine class, we learned all about saunas and a Becky G song. Dr. Fajt then arrived to start our Special Topics in Pharmacology class. She made the lectures very interactive and interesting. We went a little deeper into comparative healthcare and the process of drug trials and production in the US and Europe.

Over the weekend, I was able to go on the trip I have really been looking forward to: Dublin, Ireland. Our first day there, a group of us went to an adorable fishing town on the coast called Howth. We ate the best fish and chips there with the cutest waiters. Seals would pop their heads up in the bay while fishermen tossed them fish, and a man was playing his bagpipes near a lighthouse. We decided to go on a hike to explore a cliff, and again, the views were incredible. Our legs must have gotten way more muscular by the end of that hike, but I have no regrets. At the cliff, there was a hidden beach that we hiked down to for a little bit. Honestly, the best park about going to Ireland was Howth. The next day we were in Dublin. We went on the Guinness factory tour and got the "perfect pint," stopped by the Temple Bar, had delicious stuffed donuts, then sat at a bar in the evening. The bar we were went to at the end of the day was the best part of the day. A band played lively and fun music as people skipped and twirled around dancing. Ireland was honestly exactly what I expected it to be like, and I enjoyed every bit of it. The beer to the views of luscious green fields was everything one could hope for when traveling to Ireland. Side note: the Irish really do curse and drink as much as people say.