Week 6: Hello Berlin and Goodbye

 This last week in Germany was one to remember. Saying goodbye to Eva was a little sad. She was a great host mom to have, and I really appreciate the memories we made. The most recent one being at our last outing. We were enjoying a meal when all of a sudden, a pigeon came by and landed on the ledge on top of me, and whatever, you are thinking, yes, yes that is what happened. It was definitely a funny moment and a lasting memory that I am sure I will be telling for a long time. 

Nevertheless, I had to say goodbye to Eva and it was a bittersweet moment. I have had such good talks with her that I'll miss her, but hopefully I'll be able to see her again soon. 

On our way to Berlin, it was a huge feat to get all our luggage to the hotel room up and down the stairs, but we managed, and what an interesting city Berlin is. The amount of history present in the city, from ancient to modern times was incredible. I really enjoyed the walking tour of Berlin. History has always been of interest to me, and our guide did a great job detailing all of the intricate history details of Berlin. Berlin is a wonderful city that I truly enjoyed and am glad that I got to experience. It was also a fantastic place to end our journey. The farewell dinner was full of conversations and joy, and I am truly grateful to everyone I meet. So many amazing people were on this journey with me and I learned so much from them. Everyone will be missed, and I truly hope that we will meet again. 

Week 5: Vienna and Munich

What a wonderful week this was. Both Vienna and Munich were wonderful and beautiful places. After an 8-hour train ride, we made it to Vienna! The train went relatively smooth, and I am slowly becoming a travel-by-train enthusiast! My first thoughts of Vienna were that it was beautiful and stunning. The walking tour was a pleasant surprise. Dr. Schnable was a very knowledgeable tour guide and made the tour very interesting and thought provoking. I also loved the tour of the crypts. I just find it so fascinating that there is so much history in one city.  

However, my favorite part of Vienna was definitely Josephinum Museum. Seeing those old wax figures was stunning. They were so beautiful and detailed, and I couldn't believe how they studied anatomy in the past. I also found the other museums we went to fascinating as well. Seeing the molds of the past disease too was fascinating because they were so detailed. After a few days of staying in the city, I realized that this was one of my favorite places that we have been to. it was beautiful and a place that I would want to come back to. 

After Vienna, Linh and I were off to Munich in one of the most pleasant train rides that I had. Arriving in Munich we went out on the town and had a great night. The next day we went to the Botanical gardens and a palace. As always the buildings were stunning, and I am always amazed at the beautiful plants that can grow in Germany at this time of the year. We happened to be in Munich during Pride, so we caught the celebration. One thing that was crazy to me was seeing the juxtaposition between the pride parade and the old buildings that were the backdrop of such festivities. It was a crazy sight and made me think about what the people who occupied this city back then would think of such festivities. 

Nevertheless, we headed back to Bonn to have one last week in Germany. I am getting sad that my journey is coming to an end, but I have one last week to enjoy my time and the weather here! 

Week 4: Bonn and around

 I must admit, after that hectic weekend, I wanted a break from all of the traveling and focused on my studies and exploring Bonn more. My host mom, Eva, was excited to have me back, and we were able to chat more! Now that we had known each other for long, the ice was broken, and conversation flowed freely. She told me great stories about here time travelling when she was younger, and I really enjoyed those moment. 

The lectures were also very interesting this week. I loved the lecture given by Reagan and appreciated the effort put in to make sure that we learned about women historical figures in medicine. Additionally, the excursions we went on were very interesting. I particularly enjoyed our time south of Bonn when we went to Bingen and Andernach. The Johannes Winters Museum in Andernach was of particular interest because it was very interesting to see all the old technology and medicine used to treat medical problems in the past. One thing I found particularly interesting was the Iron lung. That device was definitely a feat of its time, and it was so interesting to see what they did in the past to treat polio. 

Next week, we will be travelling to Vienna, and I am excited for that! We will see where adventure takes us then! 

Week 3: Amsterdam, Paris, and More

 What a crazy week this was! After my trip to Nordeney, I was ready to travel around Europe and beyond. The first stop was Amsterdam, and I was not prepared for what happened there. First of all, I first realized why people are not the DB's number one fan. With delays following us on every train we took, I was everything but calm. Nevertheless, we finally made it to our destination after traveling all day. Amsterdam was beautiful; the canals, architecture, and everything else made it a wonderful place to be! However, I soon reached a snag in my trip. Without realizing how strict the hotels of Amsterdam were, my friend booked a single room for the both of us. However, what we did not realize was that a single room was in fact a single room - only one person was supposed to stay there. At this point, my friend and I had two options, try and find a new place for me to stay, or try and finesse this single room - we opted for the latter. After developing this elaborate plan, my friend and I tried to get in the room and failed miserably, the front desk guy clocked us right away. The whole plan was for me to 'act drunk' so that I would be forced to stay in the room with her, although after I managed to get into the room, the front desk guy was persistent and came and knocked on our door to have me leave! In the end, through much convincing and pleading, he allowed me to stay with an additional fee, but that was the start to this eventful trip. 

The next day we went to Paris, and I meet with my cousin. I got there without any hiccups, and I had a great time. I hung out with my cousin and other friends there! The big conflict happened when I was headed back. I got to the train station early and was just - waiting. About 30 minutes before my train is scheduled to leave, I go upstairs and look for the platform just to find out that I was at the wrong station! In a hurried state, I realize that it is not too difficult to get the right station, but of course everything was going wrong. The line to buy a metro ticket was long, then I missed the train and then because of so many hesitations, I missed to train by no more than 2 minutes. I must admit, during the next hour, I was all over the place. I was sad, frustrated, angry, worried, but I pulled myself together and just perservered. I must also thank my cousin and friends for giving me strength and keeping me leveled. I just got on the next train and from there it was smooth sailing. My connection went smooth because I was able to just catch the next train and made it back in time for SZA!!

After reflecting on this day and trip, I realized that I just need to trust myself. If I had just trusted myself, after I made an initial mistake, I could have made my train on time. However, I kept on doubting myself and missed my train. But if I had gone with my gut, I would have made it. Trusting my gut is something that has always been difficult for me because I am an overthinker, but from now on I will try and trust myself and realize that even if I make a mistake when boking a hotel or miss my train, I will find a way to push through and make it pass whatever hurdle I have. 

Week 6 - Bonn & Berlin

 Our last week was spent soaking up our last days in Bonn and traveling to Berlin.

In Bonn, we made our last trips to Rewe and the Rheinlust. Flo was not there :( so we did not get free drinks, but Rike and Reagan came! We had a great time drinking our last Sangrias and eating delicious pizza. We had our final exam in HoM, and the Slytherin team dominated no matter what anyone else says. We had our last trip to Pendal and ate one last dinner at Mutter's. 

In Berlin, we had a hectic journey to the hotel with our giant suitcases. My arms were definitely sore the next day. We took a walking tour with a fun Scottish tour guide and saw all the main sights. My favorite was the reflective memorial art installation maze near the US embassy. The next day, we went to a few medical museums and had a rainy lunch at an Italian restaurant. Afterwards, we ate Indian food and went on a Pub crawl (not my favorite lol). On our last day, we visited a concentration camp - it was really impactful and a profound experience. We ended the day with a candlelit dinner.  

Week 06: Berlin and Bonn

 Bonn

It was my last week in Bonn and no matter how I look at it I could never imagine how much I will miss it. I’ll miss the sight of the Rhine River, my host mom, the beautiful sunny, cool weather, the people…all of it. I had no idea that I would fall in love with the experiences that I’ve had on this program as much as I thought I did. 

I would do this a million times over with the same amazing people if given the chance. Thank you Bonn for everything.

Berlin

When I think of Berlin, I imagine the streets filled with people that are blasting techno from their portable speakers while wearing all black and being completely crazy. Instead, Berlin was calm and beautiful in its own way. 

The city was not at all as I expected it to be. Although I knew the war had impacted it greatly, I was still expecting a bit of historical architecture to still lie around. However, what lined the streets were very modern buildings which threw me for a loop just a bit as it had a very American city feel to it.

Berlin was a very fun and exciting city and the things I learned from the walking tour as well as our trip to the holocaust museum expanded my world views in more ways than one.

Week 6

 This was our final week in the program! On Monday we took a cruise down the Rhine, then toured a castle in Braubach. It was really interesting to see a lot of the simulated furniture in the castle from medieval times. On Tuesday, we spent one last evening at the Rheinlust (our favorite beer garden) and our TA and program coordinator even joined us! I am really going to miss these evenings. 

On Wednesday we had class and then had one last meal at Pendel, and almost everyone had to get the Gnocchi Italia because of how delicious it is there!

On Thursday we went to Berlin. We saw the Berlin wall, which surprised me because I didn’t know there was a piece of it still standing. We also saw the Brandenburg gate and the holocaust memorial, among other notable attractions. 

On Friday, we toured the Charité museum, and saw all sorts of preserved specimens that really freaked us out, like tapeworms in the brain EW. Although it rained a lot on this day, we still did a pub crawl in the evening and I met a lot of people from Australia. 

On Saturday, we got to tour a concentration camp, which was very somber. Afterwards we got froyo, and ended the day by going to the farewell dinner, where I danced with a belly dancer!

I am really going to miss the friends I made on this trip, although I am so excited to see them in College Station again. 

Week 5

 I forgot to make a post for week 5 (Oopsies) so here it is. Week five was very good! I enjoyed Vienna a lot. I especially liked the tour of the crypt. After Vienna I went to Barcelona to visit my BMEN friend who is doing research there. Barcelona was awesome. The first night I got there was the summer solstice, so there was fireworks and drinking and it was a lot of fun, but to be honest, there were probably too many people peeing in the streets for my taste. 

The rest of the time I spent in Barcelona was primarily touring, works of the architect Gaudi, who is very famous in Barcelona. I have attached some pictures of Barcelona below.

Week 5

 This week was a lot of travel, we went to Vienna and Prague! Unfortunately, I had to say goodbye to my host sisters because I would not see them again once I came back from these travel days :( I loved the energy in Vienna so much, and as soon as we got off the train in Austria I felt that the energy there was much more relaxed.

On the first day, we explored the city a little bit. We saw the Stephansdom and a piano player in the square. The next day, we started by meeting Dr. Schnabel and having a tour of Vienna where we learned more about the history of medicine in Vienna. After lunch, we had a tour of a crypt, which I personally found to be the coolest thing that we did. It was very interesting to see the skeletons and the mummies and the clothes that they were wearing. 

The day after, we started by going to the Johannes Museum with all of these really cool wax medical figures. Afterwards, we went to the Freud museum and had a lecture about him in his house! That night we went to a classical music concert in Anna’s Kirche and I learned that I really like Beethoven. 

On the third day we went to the Natural History museum, and I learned about kiwis, and I think they are my new favorite animal. Afterwards, we got on the train and went to Prague where we spent 1 day seeing all the sights!

All in all, this was a very full week, but it is bittersweet because next week is the last week of the program. 

Until then,

Cassandra 

Week 5: Vienna & Prague

Week 5 was the best one yet! We took a study trip to Vienna, Austria and spent our free weekend in Prague, Czechia. 

Vienna!

Vienna was beautiful. On our first evening, our program group had authentic schnitzel in an 800 year old wine cellar! It was sooo yummy. We then walked around a bit and peaked into the enormous cathedral in the city center. The next day, we took a walking tour of the city, and our professor dressed up as a plague doctor. I had the best ice cream coffee with my lunch! Then we toured a crypt - it was creepy and strange but cool. After dinner, Trinity, Maia, and I went to mass at the cathedral. On our second day, we went to the best medical history museums. The first museum was a collection of wax anatomical models of all kinds of body parts, organs, and the like. I especially loved the brain section. Then, we journeyed to the Sigmund Freud building in which we had a lecture about psychoanalysis! It was in the same building Freud had his practice. I was geeking out. We also saw his room and home. Next, we went to a museum of medical oddities - not my favorite. There were all kinds of specimens kept in jars. We then got ice cream and went for dinner! After dinner, many girls from our program went to a rooftop bar with beautiful views and then to a bar called cactus. We had so much fun dancing and singing. On our last day, we went to the Natural history museum, ate chocolate cake, and headed off to Prague.

Prague!

Prague was so fun. We spent most of Friday traveling, so we had dinner at a nearby Irish pub. We met some hilarious Brits outside who joked about us being from Texas and wanting guns too. On Saturday, we walked all over the city. We went to the giant castle, the cathedral, a panoramic view  wine bistro, and a monastery for mass (and beer). We had delicious Czech food and met the other girls for dancing. We went to a five story club and each floor had a different theme. It was a little weird haha but glad we got to experience it. The next day we travelled back to Bonn!  

Week 5!!

 This past week was so much fun and Vienna and Prague are my favorite places I've visited.

On Monday, we had regular classes and a pre-departure meeting. On Tuesday, we left for Vienna very early in the morning. The train ride was very long, but I watched all the Hunger Games movies during that time, which made it go by faster. The hotel we stayed at was very nice and the complimentary breakfast was a bonus. We all went to dinner the night we arrived at this very excellent restaurant that was in an old cellar. The atmosphere made the experience and the schnitzel was delicious. The next day we did a field study where Dr. Wasser was dressed up as a plague doctor. It was very entertaining, but I know he was sweating in that outfit. We visited some very interesting sights and we partook in some fun "medicines" that would've been used back in the day. The candy was tasty, but the alcohol and vinegar were not. Then we attended the drug museum which was very interesting as well. We looked at what an old pharmacy would look like, we saw how herbs and medicine were incorporated in perfume, and at the herbal medicine that was a part of the drugs we use. Then we headed to a crypt underneath a cathedral. The cathedral was beautiful. The crypt was really cool. We learned about the traditions of death in Austria and we got to observe some bodies in the coffins. It was very interesting and so was our tour guy. He was very funny, but I was taken a bit off guard when he grabbed one of the bones down there. The next day I went to a surgical museum that had anatomical wax models. These were very cool to see. Everything was so detailed and meticulous. There were models for each system and portion of the body. There were even very old ones of the entire body that can be taken apart and used in medical school and are made with real hair. Then from there, we moved on to the Freud house. We had a lecture there and then got a tour of the house. We then moved on to the next museum which used to be an old hospital. Within the hospital, there were models and real artifacts of diseases and interesting body parts. This was one of my favorite museums, I thought the entire collection was very interesting and educational to look at. Later that night, we went to an orchestra which was something I was looking forward to. The music was beautiful, I wish I was a little closer to the front, but it was still really cool to be a part of. On Friday, we went to the national history museum. We got to see some dinosaurs, minerals, and some zoology. 

Vienna had some really good schnitzel and hot chocolate, but I would say the famous chocolate cake was not that great. From Vienna, I went to Prague. Prague, like Vienna, was beautiful. The architecture is amazing and all the famous sights are gorgeous. I did all the basic tourist things like seeing the clock, going to the palace, and going to the monastery. All of it was really cool, but was quite a hike. It was worth it. The train ride back was a gamble. A 20-dollar euro ticket to Frankfurt at 5 am with a 4-minute change. We missed our second train, but we hoped on an ICE that took us all the way to Cologne, which made it worth it. 

That week was so much fun and by far my favorite locations. I am looking forward to going home, but I am going to miss Bonn and my new friends. One week left!

Week 5

 This week has been a whirlwind of travel! Vienna was a stunning city. It was filled with so much life and the cathedral we saw coming right out of the metro station took my breath away. This by far has been my favorite class excursion. The train ride there was SO LONG but the dinner we had definitely made up for it. The next we had a walking tour led by the infamous Dr. Schnabel. We learned so much about preventative medications for the plague while exploring the city. For lunch we went to Cafe Demel and the cake was so delicious. It was unfortunately too hot for the famous hot chocolate, but I loved the rich, creamy texture of the chocolate cake. It was undoubtedly hot in Vienna, but some ice cream and refreshing boba helped cool us down. My favorite place we went to that day, was the crypt. As a crime show enthusiast, I definitely felt like I was in my element. Later that night, my friend and I went to see the Little Mermaid and it did not disappoint. There are so many good songs!! The next day was packed with medical museums and I especially LOVED the Josephinum. The wax figures were so detailed and it was so very cool to look at. On our last day, we went to the natural history museum and I felt like I could've spent the whole day there. I was so amazed by the specimens they had preserved especially for the ocean exhibit. The rocks and jewels exhibit were also very nice to look and learn about. 

This weekend we went to Venice and it's surrounding cities. Walking through the streets, it for sure made you think of summer in Europe. Gelato and pizza were a must and they are a foodies dream. One thing we learned while there was that there is a distinction between the private and public beaches. We might have spent some time on the private beach before getting scolded at. :D We spent a night at a hostel, and I wasn't sure what to expect but this was a very nice place. It was like a mix of a dorm facility and summer camp vibes. The buildings in Italy were GORGEOUS. The bridges, the buildings, and the gondolas added to the summer feeling and I could not have been more in awe. I cannot believe we only have one week left before this program ends. These weekends have truly been magical. 

Week 5 Post

    Week 5!! We went to Vienna! Vienna has been one of my favorite cities we have visited. I loved the walking tour and watching people's reactions to Dr. Wasser's plague doctor attire. It was also really cool taking all the herbs/drinks we tried to ensure we were safe from the plague. My favorite 'medicine' we took was the gummies or the vinegar with herbs in it (which tasted like pickle juice to me). I enjoyed the Fraud lecture as well. I have never heard of Fraud, but I found the lecture interesting. I enjoyed learning about the super-ego, ego, and id. I just find it amazing that Fraud categorized the way the brain works and how each division is very distinctive/unique. Also, I had no clue that cocaine used to be so easily accessible to the public which high key blew my mind.

    In Vienna, I loved trying the sachertorte at the Demels and the restaurant we went to the first night had AMAZING schnitzel. I enjoyed the concert as well. I always love listening to Mozart and Beethoven while studying, so it was cool to hear the music live especially in such a beautiful church. Lastly, I really enjoyed walking around the city at night. Hannah and I watched The Little Mermaid and then walked around when it was super empty which was a really cool experience.

    On the weekend. Hannah and I visited Venice, Italy, Italy was such an amazing place. The city was very vibrant and there felt like there was so much to see. We even went to the beach for 3-4 hours. The beach was BEAUTIFUL and the water was clean and cold which was a nice change from the Texas beaches. We even visited cities like Burano (famous for lace) and Murano (famous for glass blowing). The best part of Italy by far (at least to me) was the gelato and pizza. They are totally worth the hype and I could have eaten the gelato for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, 

    I can not believe we leave this Sunday, but I am excited to go to Berlin and head home to my family!

Best Gelato (Cherry and Chocolate)

Adorable Black Cat in Library in Vienna

Tower in Murano

Venice Bridge

Cool Statue in Venice

NHM in Vienna

Sachertorte (yum)

Hannah and I love Vienna

Doge's Palace

Canals in Venice

Week 5

 A week in Vienna and Prague!

This week we traveled to Vienna and Prague. I think this has probably been my favorite week so far. We started the week off with a day of class. I loved the lecture about Da Vinci and how he drew different animals, especially the birds. Tuesday, was a long travel day to Vienna. While the train ride was super long, it didn't feel awful. I enjoy the travel days because it gives me time to just chill and be with my thoughts. That night we went to a restaurant that was in a really old cellar and it was so cool.

Wednesday, we started off with a walking tour of Vienna led by Dr. Schnable. This tour was very interesting. We got to see an old lecture hall which was amazing and made me jealous that I have to go to class in Blocker. That day we also went to the Drogisten museum which was so cool. I love seeing what kinds of herbs and medicines people before us used. I also loved to see the prints of the plants that they used back then. The last thing we did that day was visit the crypts beneath the church. I thought the crypts were cool, but I always get a weird vibe when seeing a place where people are buried. The mummies gave me a little bit of a creepy feeling but it was interesting to see how they were preserved for so long.

Thursday, we first visited the Josephinian Military Academy which was totally awesome. The detail of the models was astounding and it was so cool to be able to look at and study them. After, we visited the Freud Museum and learned about Freud and his work in the field of Psychoanalytic. There were so many things that I didn't know about Freud's early career in researching cocaine, and it was interesting to be able to see where he worked after learning all about him. The final thing we did was visit the Narrenturm. This was so interesting. All of the preserved specimens and models were interesting to see, and it made me think about all of the different things that can affect humans and their health.

Friday, we started off the day at the natural history museum. We saw so many stuffed animals and really cool meteors. I also loved the dinosaurs. I think that paleontology is one of the coolest fields of study and the recent discoveries on whether the dinosaurs had feathers is fascinating. After the natural history museum, we went to the cafe Demel which I thought was underwhelming. The chocolate cake wasn't what I was expecting, but it was still okay. We then got on a train to Prague where we met a new friend named Jakob who was so helpful in telling us about food and places that are must-sees in Prague. That night, we went to an Irish pub for karaoke where we met some English people who were fascinated by the fact that we were from Texas.

Saturday, we headed up the hill to the palace. I thought the palace and the cathedral were really cool, but there were so many tourists that there were times when I couldn't see some of the things and it took probably 5 times the amount of time to walk through the palace. The most interesting part of the palace was the defenestration window. Defenestration has been one of my favorite words for a long time and I think it was so interesting that they actually threw people out the window. We then got lunch at a winery which was beautiful and we got to see the beginning of a wedding in the winery I think I found where I want to get married one day. We then headed to the monastery where we got beer made by the monks. I didn't know that beer was typically made by monks but it was interesting to learn that they do in a lot of monasteries.

Sunday, we woke up at 4:30 to hop on our 5:45 train back to Bonn. While we missed our second train, it ended up working out because instead of having to get on 3 different trains after, we were able to hop on an ICE train and we ended up getting back to Bonn an hour earlier than we were supposed to. 

Overall, it was a great week and I am excited and sad to be entering our last week of the program.

Week 5- Vienna and Zurich!

 Last week was the best week by far!!

Vienna was absolutely stunning. The city is full of rich history and beautiful architecture. The best museums were also in Vienna. My favorite was the Josephinian Military academy of Surgery because of how interesting the wax figures were. The wax models were beautiful and intricate and showed a complex understanding of the human body even almost 200 years ago. 

I also really enjoyed the natural history museum. The only other natural history museum I have been to is the one in Houston but this one in Vienna was by far better. 

The crypt in Vienna was very interesting. As someone who does research on bone regeneration and healing, I found the bones the tour guide showed us fascinating. The broken fibula and tibia that shifted and fused together was astonishing. I can’t believe someone lived with that and dealt with the pain in a time of questionable medical beliefs. I wish I could’ve taken a picture to show everyone else in the lab I work in  

After Vienna I headed to Zurich and it was the relaxing weekend I needed. We hung out by the river all day and went swimming. Besides the sunburn and how expensive food is in Switzerland, I had the perfect weekend. 

With only a few days left in Europe I’m having mixed emotions. I miss my dog, my family, and my boyfriend, but I’m having so much fun in Europe. I guess this is the part of the heroes journey Dr Wasser talked about not wanting to leave “paradise”. However, I’ll go back to Texas and not stay here forever, I’ll just miss Europe a lot.