Our first full day on Norderney was spent in the Badehaus. We toured the spa, saw some behind the scenes action, then listened to a lecture on the factors and effects of Thalasso therapy. After the lecture, we were given a hands-on opportunity to experience what we had learned. Bewegungsbad (32°C), Feuerbad (42°C), Kaltbad (14°C), Wasserfallduschen, Meerwasser Dampfbad, Salzbad (36°C) mit einem Salzgehalt ähnlich wie im Toten Meer, Außenbad (34°C) mit Massagedüsen und Liegebereich, any bath you could think of, they had it. My favorite area was the fire bath (feuerbad) even though I could only stand the heat for a few minutes. They also had wet saunas, dry saunas, and steam rooms. And of course, I cannot forget to talk about our mud shower. Schlick is mud taken from the sea and is packed with minerals that aid in detoxification, purification, and rejuvenation. We slathered this sea silt over every inch of our bodies and sat in a steamy room before showering it off. The mud definitely had an odd aroma to it, but it left my skin feeling so refreshed. I even got compliments later that day on how good my skin looked. The Badehaus was the perfect mid-program de-stressor. That evening, we had a group BBQ which was a lot of fun just hanging out and enjoying each other's company. Around 11:30 PM, we headed out to the beach and saw a beautiful sunset which was odd for how late it was.
The next day, we toured the Bademuseum and learned about the history behind the island and how the bath houses origins. After lunch, we went on a mud-flat hike which was... interesting to say the least. As soon as we reached the flat, it started raining. Everyone was hoping that it was going to be a quick rainstorm and would blow over quickly. No. It rained the entire time we were out on the flat, barren mud without any shoes. Not only the rain, but it was cold as well. By the time I got back to the hostel, all four of my layers, including my rain jacket, were soaked. I feel bad because it would have been a very interesting hike but it was hard for everyone to think about anything but how miserable we were.
Before leaving on the last day, we had free time and I joined Professor Wasser and a few other students on a bike tour through the dunes of eastern Norderney. Then, it was off to Ireland for the long weekend!
A seven-ish hour train ride took us from Norderney to the Frankfurt Airport. We arrived around 1:00 AM then had the most amazing opportunity to spend the night on a bench in McDonalds. Our plane landed in Dublin around 7:30 AM. Tired and delirious from the night before, we were off on a full day of touristing. For breakfast we ate at The Lovinspoon Cafe and had a traditional Irish breakfast which was good but I wasn't fond of the pudding. Then it was off to the Guinness Brewery for a tour. On Saturday, a few others and I decided to depart on a bus for the western coast of Ireland. We stopped in small towns, travelled through Connemara, and spent the evening in Galway. Sunday, we woke up and headed to the Cliffs of Moher, the tallest and most beautiful area I have seen. We made it back to Dublin around 8 and met up with the rest of the group at a pub. Before departing back to Germany on Monday, we went sightseeing at Trinity College, St. Patrick's Cathedral, and Dublin Castle.
Week 3 was an exhausting one but probably my favorite week so far. It is hard to believe that this trip is halfway over. The beginning was rough, no doubt, but now I never want it to end. May the last three weeks be as good, if not better, than the first three! Slainte!
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