Out With A Bang

Monday morning we caught the early train for Berlin. It was a nice ride there and we arrived in enough time to grab lunch before our city tour. I was feeling very skeptical about our bike tour of the city. To my surprise I had the best time biking around! Our guide Robin was really cool and showed us all around the city.

Tuesday we started the day by visiting the Reichstag Building which is the seat of the German Parliment. The building is very historical since it has contained some of the most important political systems to pass through Germany. Next we took off to Sachsenhausen. The concentration camp was really a once in a lifetime experience. It was creepy and very cool all at the same time. It was really interesting to actually see what happened instead of just reading about it.

Wednesday was all about the Charite. At the learning center we got to experience different ways the medical students learn different topics. We dressed up as old people and used a dummy to listen to heart problems. Then we moved onto the Charite museum where we observed different models that have been used by the college for extended periods of time to train medical students.

Thursday was a quick trip to Dresden. Dresden is hands down one of my favorite towns in Germany. It was so beautiful and full of secrets you wouldn't expect. There we visited the War Museum, Hygienic Museum, and had a guided tour. I really want to go back to Dresden and stay for a week. It seemed like a sleepy little town that was also full of excitement.

Friday was our last day in Germany. We first visted the Dellbruck Center of Molecular Medicine. Then we went to the Ottobock Center. The Ottobock Center blew my mind. I've never really put the thought into people who need prosthetics until now. The technology utilized by Ottobock is truly amazing and gives you a new appreciation for people who need prosthetics and those making them.

I am so sad that I'm not in Germany anymore, but this whole trip was a once in a lifetime experience. I love Berlin.

Berlin land of the Jelly Filled Pastery

Well this is it the final week, its bitter sweet I had just said good bye to my host family and we on the road to Berlin, its really funny how these five weeks have literally flown by I have come to really love Germany and traveling if it was not for the fact of my lack of german language I would feel like a local here in Germany.  Once we got to Berlin we took a bike tour around the city to see many of the famous historical sites, and to get acquainted with our new surroundings of this much larger city.

The End of an Era

The Berlin wall officially came down on November 9, 1989, when the East German government announced that its citizens were allowed to visit West Berlin and the rest of West Germany, ending the almost 30 year cessation of emigration from the German Democratic Republic during the Cold War. Both East and West Germans celebrated, and “mauerspechte” rapidly began to peck away at the wall, creating new unofficial border crossings, while more official crossings were built until the middle of the following year. By July 1, 1990, the inter-German border was essentially meaningless, and border patrols had stopped. On October 3^rd, German reunification was officially completed, and the divided Germany of the Cold War era ceased to exist.

Although most of the Berlin Wall has been chipped into souvenir-sized pieces, sections are displayed throughout Berlin, decorated with symbols of each one’s place of residence, and a roughly 80-meter-long piece still stands in place near Checkpoint Charlie. I was privileged enough to see this chunk of history, along with many other awe-inspiring relics of Berlin’s past, throughout my last week spent in Germany.

The first day there, I was thrown right into the bustle of Berlin with an incredible bike tour of the monuments, palaces, synagogues, cathedrals, and just plain buildings that showed the darker history of the city through their WWII bullet holes. From the huge memorial for the Jewish lives lost to the plaque honoring the T4 victims, it was evident that history is not hidden in Berlin.

My immersement in the culture of Berlin continued with visits to the Bundestag, home of the German Parliament, and Sachsenhausen, a WWII prototype concentration camp. On the medical side of the excursions, a visit to the Charité was first on the list. I got to experiment with some of the interactive teaching tools at the medical school, and the tour of the history museum was terrific to say the least. The trips to the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Biology and the Otto Bock Center, dedicated to the research of prostheses, were also indescribably awesome.

Thursday, my penultimate day in Germany, was spent in Dresden where history and medicine were mixed together with visits to the Dresden Military History Museum and the Deutsches Hygeine Museum Dresden as well as the fantastic tour of the smaller city, led by the cheerful, considerate, and incredibly knowledgeable Dresden native, Cosima.

After the farewell dinner Friday night, I was loathe to leave the amazing city of Berlin, not to mention Germany and Europe as a whole. Unfortunately, however, my time abroad had come to a close as my flight left the following morning. It certainly felt like my own little snippet of time spent living life fully in Germany had ended, and, unlike Berliners in 1989, I was sorry to see the end of an era.

~Daily Blogs Posted Below Break~

Berlin

The Bundesstadt

Where do I begin?  Berlin was perfect, but at the same time I was dreading Saturday because then I would be on a plane headed back to Texas.  Studying abroad was the best decision I could have made.

The Berlin Wall

The beginning of Berlin was anything but wonderful.  Sarah, Caleb, Mikaela, Jooy and I all decided to take the train from Switzerland directly to Berlin.  Unfortunately, because we only had one day left on our Eurail passes, we had to take a train after midnight Monday morning.  That meant a 4-hour layover in a tiny little town.  It was miserable.  I was freezing and couldn’t get comfortable on my suitcase so I shivered the entire time and prayed time would speed up.  It obviously did not.  But time did pass and we eventually arrived in Berlin suffering from sleep deprivation.  Luckily all we did that Monday was a bike tour of the city.  We traveled through the Jewish quarters, saw a portion of the Berlin Wall, experienced the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, and learned much about the history of modern Germany.  I loved it.  And another wonderful thing was that I got some precious sleep that night.

Checkpoint Charlie

 The other days were equally as great.  A few of my favorite things were the Charite museum and medical school, Sachsenhausen concentration camp, and the Otto Bock center.  The Charite museum was cool because of the collection of preparations of many different organs and fetuses.  I unfortunately did not faint, reinforcing my desire to become a doctor.  Sachsenhausen was very humbling and although it wasn’t a fun thing to tour, it definitely taught me a lot about the Holocaust.  The attitude of the camp was incredibly somber.  The Otto Bock center was incredibly interesting.  I think prosthetics are especially fascinating because of my engineering brain and the Olympics.  Berlin was amazing and I learned a ton.  I would love to go back at another point in my life. 

The Soviet memorial at Sachsenhausen

One last Tschuss!

I cannot believe our last week in Germany is already over! It was so amazing to enjoy our fifth and final week of our study abroad in Berlin, probably the most well-known city in Germany.

We arrived in the city from a miserable train ride from Switzerland--the duration was ten hours and we had a four hour layover in an outside train station in the middle of the night. It was so relieving to finally set our luggage down at Hotel Alex, knowing that we would have a stable abode again for the next few days. We immediately went into the city to go on the Fat Bike Tour of Berlin! This bike ride was quite different from the time we biked along the Rhine River; it was actually a little scary having to maneuver through crowds of people and moving cars compared to cruising along the Rhine and enjoying the breeze. Our tour guide took us to some important landmarks in Berlin, many of which had to do with World War II of course. After the war and the split/reunion of the Berlin, the city has a lot of history behind itself and it’s amazing to see it now thrive as Germany’s largest city. Though it is considered the “New York” of Germany, Berlin wasn’t what I had exactly imagined in my mind. There weren’t many skyscrapers, or huge “city buildings” as most Americans are used to seeing in New York; the city itself is actually rather dirty. But nevertheless it was fun to explore the city and go souvenir shopping during our free time.

On Tuesday, we toured the Reichstag building, which is used for the German parliament. From the walls of the building to the infamous glass dome on top of the building, the Reichstag was so beautifully and artistically made. We then visited the Sachsenhausen concentration camp, a work camp for the prisoners during the war. Sion guided us through parts of the camp and explained to us the purpose of each area. One of the rooms in particular was significant to the execution of soldiers from the Soviet Union because it was surrounded by an extra layer of brick to muffle the sound of the bullet. It was interesting to hear about the techniques the Nazi’s used to cover up their intentions to wipe out the human population. It’s also amazing to see all the historical evidence kept in the area since the war. Part of the reason why Berlin isn’t completely modernized is because a lot of the remains from the holocaust were kept as a reminder of what the human race has done to others, and why we should never do it again.

On Wednesday, we went to the Charite learning center, which is used as a training lab for medical students. We had a lecture about how people got into medical school in Germany and had a hands-on demonstration of some of the tools the students used to aid them in their studies. We got to use a stethoscope on a model and listen to different types of heartbeats, and also put on gloves that simulated uncontrollable hand trembles, goggles that simulated visual impairment, and weights that simulated old age. I do believe that interactive tools for learning are the best ways to get students interested and experience how the area of study is significant in the real world. Afterwards, we went to the Charite museum where we explored the wax models as well as some of the organs and fetuses they have obtained throughout the years. The warning signs about the museum displays at the front office scared me a little bit, but I found out that this museum was not much different than some of the wax/anatomical displays we have been to in the past. We ended the day with a couple lectures by Dr. Wasser and our oral exam at the museum. Later that night, Olivia took us to a karaoke bar, and I must say that was the most fun I have ever had at a karaoke!

Thursday was our day trip to Dresden. We woke up early to catch the train from Berlin, and started our day with a tour at the War Museum. The museum not only had a lot of interesting technology and items (including animals) used by the soldier during the war, but also had a unique architecture. Some of the missiles and other significant war conveyors were suspended on a tilted wall, in such a way that it seemed as if they were falling towards us. The top floor of the building was built somewhat unevenly that we could feel the gravity pulling multiple ways as we were standing, although the floor itself looked straight. Our next stop was the Hygienic Museum, where we split up into groups to explain different parts of the museum. If I were to choose one place I really wished we had more time at, it would be this museum. There were so many hands-on materials that were quite informative about the human anatomy and looked a lot of fun to play with. We ended our day with a guided tour of the city of Dresden. Like many other places in Europe, Dresden’s city and culture include a lot of history and interesting stories, as they were wonderfully executed by our tour guide. I was also pleasantly surprised to run into one of my friends from Texas in the middle of our tour! I knew she was in Germany during my time of study abroad, but did not think that I would randomly run into her in Dresden. Haha it was definitely one of the coolest highlights of my day.

And before we knew it, our last day in Berlin came around the corner. We started the day at the Dellbruck Center of Molecular Science, where we learned and explored the different research and technology they use for their studies. The research center entailed some of the most expensive and high-tech machines I have ever seen. We then enjoyed our final guided tour at the Otto Bock Center, where they had much information and displays of tools used to aid people, especially the disabled, in their physical activity. We discovered some super high-tech and modern machines that are used by amputees today. It’s amazing to see that science has increasingly helped people in so many ways, and giving the physically disabled an opportunity to perform tasks like any other human being is a miracle that humans have created. It was surreal to think that this was our last tour in Germany. I wasn’t even sad at this point because it did not seem like the end quite yet.

Our farewell dinner was at a gorgeous Moroccan restaurant in the area. From the way the restaurant was decorated to the pot of warm water the waiter poured on our hands before eating, I was really fascinated by the culture and style of the restaurant. The food was delicious, like almost every other meal I have eaten in Europe. And it was bittersweet to hear Olivia and Dr. Wasser say their final words for the trip. We exchanged gifts, and then ended our study abroad adventure with a final night out in celebration of Mario’s birthday!

Thank you to everyone who has made this trip so amazing: Dr. Wasser for being such a knowledgeable professor and tour guide for us throughout our adventures in Europe, for Olivia for being such a sweet and helpful coordinator to all of us, and for all of my classmates for making this trip a million times more fun than it already was. There are no words and not enough cheese for me to describe how incredible this journey has been and how much I have learned and experienced from the last five weeks I have spent in Europe! Keep in touch, everyone! Tschuss and thanks for a great summer J

Berlin!! My last week in Europe...

It was pretty sad to say goodbye to mine and Michelle's host mom when she packed us up some snacks and drove us to the Huptbahnhof at 7am. It was a great experience to be able to stay with a German family and I did learn a little German....haha. So, after about 5 hours on a train to Berlin half of the group arrived at Alex hotel! When the other half of the group arrived from a late train from Switzerland we then took a bike tour of the city with Fat Tire Bikes. It was probably the best way to see such a big city that holds so much history.

The next day we visited the Reichstag building which is the German Parliament building. It was actually kind of set up like an art museum with the way it kept some of the writings on the walls visible that the Soviet's wrote when the first took over the building. They also had a display of fake filing draws with the time period during the war symbolically blacked out. Then was the trip to Sachsenhausen, a work camp during the Holocaust. It was very humbling to see where people were harmed, tortured, and even killed. I was also surprised to know that they tested shoe strength on different types of ground by having the prisoners walk around for hours wearing the shoes. It was a really important thing to see and tour when traveling to Germany and learning about its history.

On Wednesday, we visited the Charite Learning Center which is a training lab for medical students. We had a short lecture about the set up of medical school in Germany (which is quite different from in America) and how the process of applying is more based on grades than in the States too. We then got to see what it would feel like to be old and arthritic by putting on weights and difficult visibility glasses. We also put on gloves that shocked our muscles to make it feel like we had tremors and then tried to sign our names; it tickled my arms so much! We then had a guided tour of the Charite Museum which was really interesting! We had been given enough warning about "the fainting corner" and some of the stuff was pretty gruesome but all in all it was pretty cool. We were then surprised with our oral exam and we were able to have it in the room of the Charite where Rudolf Virchow gave a lecture on his 80th birthday! After that we also had two more lectures in that lecture hall.

On Thursday we went to Dresden! It is a city a couple hours outside of Berlin and was completely destroyed during the war. When we first got there we went to the War Museum which is one of the best organized museums I've seen on this trip. I loved the way it was very modern and had old artifacts (including helicopters) suspended on the walls! The tour guide was also very knowledgeable and the entire museum visit was exciting. The hygienic museum was also really well set up! We were paired up and given the task of explaining our assigned room to the rest of the group. Katherine and I had "Essen und Trinken" (food and drink) which mainly discussed the digestive system and food processing. It was so cool i could have spent over 30 minutes just in that room so I definitely could have spent hours looking at and playing with things in the entire museum! Afterwards we had a guided tour or Dresden with an AMAZING tour guide! She was one of the protesters of the Soviet reign of the eastern side of Germany. Also, Dresden was so beautiful! I wish we could have spent longer there to really explore but we did hit some of the high points like the Church of our Lady. We also stopped for real chocolate ice-cream and were surprised to end the tour right as the bells of the palace rang (which only happens three times a day!)

On the final day in Berlin (and in Europe!) we went to the MDC (the Dellbruck Center of Molecular Medicine). It was one of the few science centers that stayed open in eastern Germany under soviet rule. Our lecturer explained how they (also) did research with axolotls and naked mole rats! We then got to see a 7T MRI machine! Lastly we visited the Otto Bock center and saw the advancements of technology with prosthetic limbs. This museum was only one of the many interesting and cool things we saw on this entire study abroad trip! I've learned so much about science and medicine in the past five and half weeks that could have only been learned in the places where this history happened.

For our final farewell we went to a Moroccan restaurant called Kasbah and it was delicious!! It was so sad to say goodbye to Dr. Wasser and Olivia and I know this is an experience I will never forget. I'm also excited to meet back with the rest of the group for a reunion at the alleged legit German restaurant in Bryan when we all get back up to school! Only one blog post left.... so until then, Auf Wiederhoren!

Adventures in Switzerland

This weekend started with the stunning sunset painted over the Rhine, completed with a misty spray of rain and the perfect rainbow. On our walk from the bus back to our host home to pack, I couldn't help but be captured by the simple beauty that I had loved walking past on my way home for the last three weeks, and knowing that this was my last time to do so, I perched myself on the shore and enjoyed one last sunset on the beautiful river Rhine. In the middle of the wee morning hours, we were on our way to Interlaken, Bonn behind us, and Berlin ahead. Arriving to Balmer’s Herbege in Interlaken (hauling all of my belongings) was a huge relief after traveling throughout the night and the morning. Soon after we checked in, we stacked our belongings in the luggage room and went to the Irish pub next door in search of lunch before embarking on our canyoning excursion. Suited up in all of the canyoning gear, complete with a helmet bearing the name "cockles" across the front (I don' t want to talk about it) I jumped in the van and had absolutely no clue what I was getting myself into. Repelling into the canyon was a scary start but once we got going, I didn’t want to stop. Jumping from boulders into icy rushing streams of water does a body good. Afterword, we were able to relax in the hammock room at Balmers. We enjoyed dinner outside at Balmers and then set off to walk around Interlaken. The sheer beauty of being nestled in a lush green valley in the middle of the Swiss alps is something that I will never forget. As is typical for our group, we came across a playground that was too good to miss out on. After we had our share of childlike fun, we walked back to Balmers and enjoyed the rest of the night in Interlaken. On Saturday we were able to make our way over to the Thunsee in Interlaken. Walking around to explore what we wanted to do there, I stumbled upon a small path to a bench perched on the shore of what is the most beautiful lake I’ve seen in my 20 years of life. I enjoyed taking a few minutes to sit and enjoy that moment. Caleb and Mikaela ventured to go paddle boarding, Michelle, Morgan, Jooey and Katharine rented a paddle boat, and Meredith and I sat and enjoyed some mediocre Swiss hot chocolate (still beat a good cup of American hot chocolate any day) and relaxed. Eventually we had to make our way back to Balmers, haul our stuff to the train station, and get on our way to Lucerne. We took the scenic train from Interlaken to Lucerne. The train took us straight through the alps, exposing me to what I think is the most beautiful landscape that I’ve witnessed in my life thus far.  Arriving in Lucerne, I had my expectations of the city completely reversed. We arrived to a large hauptbahnhof, flooded with people, and upon emerging outside; the cool breeze of Interlaken had been traded for the heat of a crowded city on a summer afternoon. Naturally, on our way to the bus, the strap on my duffel back gave out in the middle of the crosswalk, and it was then that I realized, I wanted to go back to Interlaken. Don’t get me wrong, I loved Lucerne. And let’s be honest here, a bad day in Switzerland is still a great day in the big scheme of things. Shortly after we arrived to the hostel in Lucerne, we ventured out to a restaurant to enjoy some Swiss fondue for dinner(something the Swiss never do in the summertime). After dinner, we walked around the corner to see the dying lion carved into a stone wall, a beautiful and moving depiction. Sunday morning we all ventured to Mt. Pilatus.  An adventurous gondola ride up brought us to what looked like the top of the world. We enjoyed the snow capped peaks and got in a few of the walking trails. Once we were back down to the bottom, Jooey, Meredith, Caleb, Mikaela and I enjoyed the rest of the day strolling around some of the beautiful sites in Lucerne including but not limited to the Chapel Bridge, a second visit to the dying lion, sitting by the lake, and lastly Mr. Pickwicks pub. Sadly, it came time to return to the hostel, sneak in a shower, and get to the train station for our journey to Berlin. We had a mishap in interpreting the bus times, and before we knew it, we were running for our lives (with all of our luggage in tow) to catch the last bus that would get us there on time.  By a sheer miracle, we made it. The next 13 hours was probably the roughest train journey we’ve endured but we all made it to Berlin!

Berlin, Berlin, Berlin

The very last week of the trip was spent in Berlin. It went by so fast. We returned to Bonn Sunday night so we could pack up the last of our things and say good bye to our host mom. Our train left for Berlin Monday morning at 7:22. It was really sad saying good bye to our host mom, she was really wonderful. The train to Berlin was nice and we got there with no problems. It was not very fun to lug our bags all over the city in order to get to our hotel, since when we got to our tram stop we realized our tram wasn't running so we would have to take the bus which meant more walking. We made it to the hotel fine though and it was very nice. Once we put all our stuff down we ran down the street to a cute little italian place to get lunch before our bike tour. Our tour guide was really awesome and we got to see all the big sites of Berlin. You can definitly see the scars from world war 2 and the division of Germany. Some of the buildings still have visible bullet holes and you can see where the wall was. I was surprised there was so much construction. It really didn't seem like the city was very cohesive because all the construction really interrupted everything. The highlight of the bike tour for me was the Brandenburg gate. I thought it was really cool. It was very majestic and seemed slightly out of place but I liked it. I also thought it was really interesting how they just kind of covered up the spot where Hitler died. It's now a parking lot for an apartment complex and there is just a sign with a map of what the bunker's floor plan was. I guess it was to be expected that they didn't give anything special to the site, but I thought it might have deserved a little more recognition. I can understand why the German's chose to do it the way that they did though. After the bike tour we went and had some currywurst and pommes frites for dinner. It was pretty good. On Tuesday we got to visit the Reichstag building which I thought was amazing. It is such a pretty building and it was very damaged in the war but they took the time to rebuild it and modernize it. My favorite part was that they preserved the signatures from the soviet soldiers that took it over. I thought it was a nice artistic touch that helped keep the history of the building alive. The open air concept of the dome was also really innovative, I though it was a neat touch. In the afternoon we visited Sachsenhausen. Sachsenhausen is a work camp. It was a really moving experience to be in one of the camps where so many people died. I know it was not an extermination camp, but to hear about the torturous things they inflicted on people was terrible. The thing that really got me the most was the cold and calculated killing of the tens of thousands soviet prisoners of war. It was chilling to think how in human these people could have been in order to come up with such calculated ways to kill so many people. It's horrible. I just cannot imagine how anything could be a logical or rational excuse for treating people so terribly. Another thing that I found shocking was that the red cross came and inspected the work camps. How could they sit by and cover that up? I don't understand how they could turn a blind eye to that or miss what was really going on. I don't know, it's just so tragic. It was definitely a somber tour. Wednesday we got to visit the Charite learning center and had a medical student explain their medical education system to us. I find it really interesting that they don't have to have any type of science background in order to go to medical school. I mean for medical school here, you have to take certain science courses and for PA schools there's a lot more courses that you're required to take. I think it's interesting that their medical starts at the very bottom with the basic sciences and works up. I mean I think both systems have their merits but they are very different. We also got to do a geriatric simulation, which I thought was really fun. We got to put on all these weights and such to simulate the effects of aging. It was a really interesting feeling and I think it really helps give the students empathy towards their geriatric patients. The worst part for me was the vision impairments. Some of them were really bad. It was not fun to try and function with such low levels of visual acuity. Then we got to put on gloves that were attached to electrodes that would make your hands tremble, and then we tried to write our names. That was interesting. It felt really tingly. I was not a huge fan. There was also some breast lump models, which were really neat. It was fun to test my breast examination skills. I found all the lumps in each breast, so I was proud of myself. It was amusing to see the guys faces when they saw the models. We also got to listen to a model of different heart sounds. The first one we listened to was a normal heart and then we listened to aortic stenosis. I thought it was a really neat model. In the afternoon we visited the Charite museum. I really liked it and our guide was really awesome. The exhibits were really cool and I didn't faint in the fainting wing. I can understand why it was called that, but I mean that stuff doesn't really make me queasy. After the museum tour we got to have a lecture on the Nazi doctors' trial, which I found fascinating, and Rudolph Virchow. The room that we were in was a room where Virchow actually gave lectures, so that was a really powerful experience. You're sitting in a room where the guy you are learning about taught. It's such a once in a lifetime experience. I really enjoyed it. Thursday was the trip to Dresden. I thought Dresden was one of the coolest towns we got to visit on the trip. The history of what happened there is very sad, but it is really inspiring to see how they've rallied together to rebuild. The military history museum was really cool. I loved the set up and the themes of the exhibits. Our guide really helped tie everything in. I really wish we could have had more time to wander through the exhibits and look at everything. I feel like we missed so much of the museum. Next was the hygienic museum, which I feel is poorly named. It was more of the human person museum than hygiene. I wish they had more of their writing in english because I really would have liked to be able to read more of the information in each room. It was a really cool museum that was very interactive and contained a lot of information. It was definitely more graphic than any of the museums that I've been to in the US. I thought that was interesting because it was geared towards all ages. The day ended with a city tour. Our guide was phenomenal. She was so knowledgable and fun. The city is gorgeous and it's amazing to see how it's been rebuilt since the pure destruction of world war 2 and the communist rule. It will be one of the cities that I return to in Germany. I really loved it. Our last day of the trip was Friday and we finished with the Max Delbrueck Center of Molecular Medicine. We got to hear about all their research and see some very high tech machines. It was really interesting. Afterwards we got to visit the Otto Bock center. I was blown away by the advancement of prosthetics. It's just amazing the things that they are doing now. I was so inspired. I gave me so much hope. I think the work they are doing is awesome. I really enjoyed seeing all the latest and greatest prosthetics. It was really fun. To finish the day we did some last minute souvenir shopping. I bought a piece of the Berlin wall. As our final farewell we all went out to dinner at this wonderful Moroccan restaurant called Kasbah. The food was delicious and the restaurant was beautiful. I really enjoyed dinner. Some of us went out after to celebrate Mario's 21st birthday, and that wrapped up our life changing stay in Germany. I am incredibly thankful for the wonderful experience, and it truly was life changing.

One last week in Bonn

This week of the program left me with the realization that our program is slowly starting to come together at the seams and that our time left in Germany is limited and precious! It hit me about Tuesday that in spite of y excitement about venturing to Switzerland and Berlin, that I would be saying goodbye to Bonn on Thursday evening. This week started out with three lectures from Dr. Wasser, which allowed us the chance to sit down and absorb everything that we had been taking in over the course of the program. Tuesday morning was a climactic event in the scope of this trip, having the opportunity to observe surgeries at the university clinic of Bonn. I was able to observe a spinal surgery as well as a general surgery to improve the state of a intensive care patient who was suffering multiple system organ failure. Both procedures were an incredible privilege to be able to observe. It was the first time that I had seen procedures of that caliber and specialization. It was interesting to see that in sight of the differences in the healthcare systems of the U.S. and Germany, when it comes to the inner workings if the OR, the surgical team that surrounds the patient speaks a universal language of precision and efficiency that guide the line of patient care. Its days like that which assure me that what I'm working towards is not in vain and that slowly but surely, I'm getting there. Wednesday was he bike ride to Remagen, which proved to be nothing short of an Olympic feat. After arriving in Remagen, 22 kilometers down the Rhine from Bonn, we ate lunch, enjoyed a quick afternoon nap, and headed over to the peace museum. The museum’s exhibits are housed in the towers of the bridge at Remagen follow the origin of the bridge, what it was used for, and its history as it stands today.  Thursday was a full day, starting out with the visit to the museum in Bingen to see the exhibit on Hildegard von Bingen. The Rhine cruise took us from Bingen to St. Goar, where we hiked up to Rheinfels Castle. When we were asked to get creative and give a tour of a section of the castle, I cringed a little at first. I’m not one for impromptu situations, but it turned out to be the highlight of the day. We’re always learning great things about the history of medicine throughout this program and travelling and gaining a new sense of independence, but I appreciated this opportunity to just be a kid and have fun.  With the week coming to a close, I am looking forward to a beautiful weekend in Switzerland as well as our final week of the program in Berlin! 

One Final Week in Germany – Berlin/Dresden

I feel like I am writing my farewell address to the European world as I sit here on a train on August 11 headed from Berlin to Frankfurt, where I will stay one night before taking my flight home. This is such a strange feeling to know that I will be home in less than 48 hours, because I have been away from the U.S. for 83 days, now. Tomorrow will be 84. I guess, I really feel the same as if I were simply travelling to another city, like I have been doing pretty much all summer, but It’s a strange concept for my brain. Soon, I will be able to speak the terrible English that we Texans speak and be understood. Then the question occurs to me if I will even revert completely back to how Texans talk. Surely, I haven’t been away long enough for it to affect my speech. This is just one of the things that I am questioning and wondering about. Have I changed at all for the better during this summer abroad? I don’t think I fully know, but maybe the people closest to me from home would be able to notice a difference. I think that in order for there to be a change in me, I need to be able to remember what I learned from everywhere I have been. I don’t want to forget the relationships that I have grown in, the places I’ve seen, the fun I’ve had, the things I’ve learned, etc. I want to learn from the mistakes that I’ve made and the things I was able to do right.

Our last week in Germany was spent in what I’ve heard some Germans call the “New York City” of Germany, that is Berlin. Our arrival into Berlin was long awaited after what I would call a less than fun night of travel from Lucerne, Switzerland as described towards the end of my last blog. Basically, we got on a train a little after midnight and arrived in Berlin at about 2 pm. After lugging all our luggage to finally arrive at the Alex Hotel, our group went on a (no sarcasm here because I did enjoy it) relaxing bike tour of the city. Our guide was able to highlight what seemed like the most interesting sights in the city, including one Holocaust memorial that stuck with me. The memorial involved several hundred stone blocks of differing heights, evenly distributed with equal spaces between, giving it the look of a rough sketch of a city’s downtown buildings. What was most interesting was the fact that there was no explanation of the meaning for this memorial. I guess, you are supposed to be able to interpret the meaning for yourself. Walking between the ‘buildings’ gave a feeling of losing yourself and others, seeing one person round a corner and not being able to quite reach them. This was the part that really made me think the most on the tour, especially on parts of what it might have been like to have been affected by the Holocaust. The next day’s tour with Sion of Sachsenhausen’s concentration camp was even more enlightening to ideas and facts such as these. Although this camp was not a death camp, the Nazi’s at this camp were responsible for the deaths of thousands of Eastern European, Russian, Jewish people groups, and many others. To think, see, and understand the ways that people were killed or committed suicide in camps such as this puts so much of what we learn in the classroom into perspective. It’s hard to imagine being murdered by a guard holding you head in a toilet or anything of the sort. Then the question pops into head of whether or not I would be brave enough to act if I knew of something this brutal was happening in the United States. What went through the heads of the people that knew what was happening next to their homes? Did they work against or for this great evil?

Wednesday, the 8^th, was spent in and around the Charite Learning Center and Museum, where we were able to see the interactive learning methods for local medical students in past and present. This was especially intriguing, because I know that I learn better in environments that are more mobile than stationary. Thursday in Dresden involved a war museum and the Hygienic Museum followed by a walking city tour with a particularly interesting and fun guide. Although the war museum caught me off guard for its focus on the human rather than the technology, the highlight of the day for me was the Hygienic Museum for the active way that we were able to learn about the body’s functions. The section that I was focused on to teach to the rest of the group allowed me to see the evolution of sexuality and changes in human views towards it. The progression of contraception and birth control has definitely seen a separation of sex and the function of reproduction, because now it can be used for simply pleasure more easily without so much ‘fear’ of having children.

Our final day was spent in visiting the Dellbruck Center of Molecular Medicine and the Otto Bock Center before having our farewell dinner at the Kasbah Restaurant. Our first stop for the day showed us opportunity for students such as us to do a PhD program abroad in an area that is relevant to what we are currently studying in our undergraduate degree. Animal research is done, there, including the use of a three tesla and seven tesla MRI for smaller animal anatomical study. The Otto Bock Center, on the other hand, focuses on the study and development in prosthesis. Games and activities are made available in the center to inform visitors on purposes and abilities in having a prosthetic limb. Technology is constantly allowing for people handicapped in this physical way to live very close to if not completely normal lives in this sense. Dinner of that night was both a treat to get to spend the final hours of the summer program having a good time with everyone and bitter in sensing the pending end to our journey overseas. These things are a part of my life that I wish to never forget; I want to remember them for the sake of learning not only the facts and trends in History of Medicine, though those are important things, but also for the sake of learning in a completely different environment. One of the most important things to me in this kind of situation is learning things about the perspective that people across the world and even across the street have. The way that you may think of something may not always be the right way, and there may not even be a right way. I believe in truth, but some things are just different and not bad at all.

Long Weekend... Switzerland!

Switzerland was a blast.  We started the lovely long weekend in Interlaken, where we went canyoning down this river thing.  Once I got past my initial fear of the heights and the single rope that was holding me as I repelled down the first cliff, I had a ton of fun.  We slid down these slippery rocks and jumped into narrow wedges.  I felt incredibly adventurous.  The next day in Interlaken we went to one of the lakes nearby and just walked around and looked at the incredibly blue water.  Seriously, Switzerland is so beautiful it almost seems fake.  Sarah and I napped in the grass while the others went paddle boarding and pedal boating.  That afternoon, we hopped on the scenic train that would take us to Luzern.  We marveled and took pictures of all of the Alpine mountains and blue lakes (and the attractive Harvard boys a couple of seats over).

My first impression of Luzern wasn’t too great. I had grown accustomed to the beautiful scenery of Interlaken and Luzern was a city.  However, after we got to the hostel and ate fondue for dinner (which was tasty but not appropriate for the summer), I realized that I did indeed like Luzern.  We saw the dying lion, a very interesting piece of art.  The next day we had until midnight to explore so we went up Mount Pilatus, walked across the Chapel Bridge, ate at Mr. Pickwick and watched the Olympics, and ate by Lake Luzern.  I had a terrific time in Switzerland.

Fondue in Luzern

The group on Mount Pilatus

Chapel Bridge

It's not Tschuss...it's Bis Spater!

The final week was completely bittersweet for me. I would even venture to say more “bitter” than “sweet,” which surprises me. I knew I would enjoy this trip, but I didn’t think I would be hesitant to return home so soon. I even think I could have survived a whole semester in Germany. However, this program was perfect for me in every way. I am very pleased with how it turned out.

This week in Berlin we were able to experience some great things. We started the week with a bike tour. After the 44km bike-ride in Bonn, this was nothing too difficult for us. However, bike riding after traveling on a train for the last 13 hours from Switzerland did not make it easy. Did I mention that we had a 3 hour lay over where we huddled up outside in the cold, rainy Olten train station? I have definitely had to adapt to the busy traveling life during my study abroad. Just another aspect of the trip I have enjoyed more than expected. It can be refreshing to be on the go.

Our bike tour was filled with great information of Berlin’s role in the history of Germany. We visited the main sights, like Brandenburg gate, the Reichstag building, and part of the Berlin Wall. I enjoyed our visit to the Holocaust Memorial. The piece is very unique and can be interpreted in several ways, which is something the artist had intended. The memorial contains over 2000 concrete blocks of different heights and sizes. Walking through it, my mind tried to interpret the meaning of the work. The ideas of containment, perspective, and shadows came to mind. The victims were taken away from their families or loved ones to be contained in cold, dark places (literally and metaphorically), similar to concrete. Also there are many ways to experience the memorial. For instance, you could stand outside of the perimeter of the blocks or you could walk through the rows and rows of blocks. When you view it from the perimeter, it could represent outsiders or non-victims witnessing the increase of destruction. When you view it from within while walking through, everything looks the same…daunting rows of concrete. This could parallel those experiencing the pain…all of it seemed to blend together. You can’t escape it either, just as it is a maze-like feeling when you are walking through, easily getting lost.

On Tuesday, we toured Germany’s parliament building or the Reichstag. It was very modern looking inside with a lot of security, which is to be expected. I enjoyed walking up the dome on top of the building. It gave a great view of the city and the dome itself is an interesting piece of architecture. The building has been a part of Germany’s history in several ways and today they have incorporated much of the history within the building. For example, some of the walls inside are made from the original walls that would have stood outside facing the Russian control of Germany.

 The concentration camp was our final stop for the day. It was serious and saddening time, but I appreciate the opportunity to see such a historical site. One of the things I have enjoyed learning about on this trip is how the history of Germany has affected its present and future culture so strongly.  The people of Germany have had to deal with the unfortunate parts of their historical reputation and continue to have problems with this. It is very interesting how many things done by the Nazi’s in the past have been either made illegal, or in the case of Nazi phrases that were commonly used, it is unheard of for a German today to say the same words.

Wednesday, we went to the Charite’, a medical school, which included a museum as well. A medical student, also a student-tutor, showed us the type of learning environment the school provides for its students. The Charite’ includes a unique curriculum plan that allows students to be taught pre-clinical and clinical concepts at the same time. This means medical students interact with patients from the beginning. In response to the curriculum, the school allows the students to experience hands-on learning. For instance, there is a suit that students can put on to create the feeling of an elderly body. The weights in the suit cause you to move slower and your joints are more constrained. It was a fun activity to participate and watch other students try to do simple tasks like sit down and take a shoe off. We also put on gloves that stimulated the symptoms of having tremors, which elderly people can have, making it hard to do daily tasks like drink or write. Let’s just say my handwriting was worse than a kindergarteners’. At the museum, we had a lecture on Rudolf Virchow, in fact we sat in the room where he had lectured at the Charite’. As a major influence in the medical world, he is known for the concept that all cells come from other cells. Even though other had previously stated the idea, Virchow received the credit. Interestingly, even though he was an accomplished scientist, he impacted Berlin in a political way because he set up the sewer system.  Once we arrived back to our hotel after a long day, we decided to go out to a karaoke bar as a group. This was so much fun and the best karaoke experience I have had so far. I am so glad Olivia, our coordinator, joined us!

Most of Thursday was spent in Emden, which was a lovely town. I wish we could have stayed the night. We visited two museums, the War Museum and the Hygiene museum. The War Museum had a new exhibit, which could be seen from the outside of the building because it had a different architectural style than the rest of the building. In fact, the architecture played an important role in the new exhibit because it symbolized war. War makes its mark, usually a permanent mark, and is always uneven and changing. Even the floors of the exhibit were slanted and imbalanced as a representation. At the Hygiene museum, we had to fulfill our own task of explaining one of the rooms. Mario and I explained the Learning, Thinking, and Memory room. It was great to have hands-on activities like the visual pictures for mind games, and the boxes that required you to use your hands not your eyes to decipher what was inside. After the museum visits, we had one of the best tours of Emden. Our tour guide was fabulous! She was funny, friendly and very knowledgeable. I think what made her so spectacular was the fact that she had experienced the communist rule while living in Emden. She does a great job of brining the city new life and reputation and promotes it as a wonderful place to live.

The final day, Friday, arrived and seemed to fly by. Our last to excursions included visits to the Molecular Medicine Center (MDC) and Otto Bock Center. I enjoyed both, but the Otto Bock center was more interactive. The MDC showed me that there are many opportunities for American students to work, research, or go to school in Germany. I am so thankful that this program has opened my eyes to these types of options because I am definitely considering them. I believe it would be an opportunity to benefit intellectually and personally. At the Otto Bock center, our tour was filled with physical activities. I especially enjoyed the wheelchair designed for playing basketball. I was able to test it and it proved more difficult than I expected! It’s amazing what technology has allowed disabled people to do to be able to continue the most normal life possible. After the museums, we had a wonderful farewell dinner. The Moroccan food was so delicious! It was a great ending to an amazing trip. I will never forget this experience. I hope to come back to Germany soon! Thank you to everyone in this group, all of the students, Dr. Wasser, and Olivia, for giving me an unbelievable experience. You have become my family away from home and I appreciate the time we had together. Best of luck to everyone!

Canyoning in Interlaken

This is the video of the group canyoning! Only 3 of us got the video so the ones you see actually jumping are Morgan, Katharine and Michelle (Me). Hooray for Outdoor Interlaken  in Switzerland :)

We'll always have Switzerland

First off, Switzerland is the most beautiful country ever and at some point in my life I'm going to live there. I absolutely loved it. Interlaken was my favorite city. It was just the perfect little Swiss town nestled in the middle of the Alps between 2 gorgeous lakes. I could have stayed there forever. It is also like the extreme sports capital of Europe. You could sky dive, paraglide, canyon, white water raft, hang-glide and more. It was intense. When we arrived on Friday we checked into our hostel and then walked around for a little bit. Just down the street from the hostel was a really nice little Irish pub so we stopped there and had lunch. Our waiter was from New Zealand and he was really funny. The olympics were on and he was critiquing his team and asking about where we were from. It was a really nice meal. After that we headed a couple doors down to go canyoning with Outdoor Interlaken. I was super nervous. I didn't really know what to expect. We put on our swim suits and they dressed us up with wetsuits, jackets, boots, lifejackets, harnesses, and helmets. Everyone's helmet had a different name on it and that was what the guides called you the whole trip. I was babe, Morgan was love, Katharine was Peanut Butter, Caleb was Single, Sarah was Cockles, Mikaela was Gaga, Meredith was Mystique, and Jooye was Nemo. Some of the reactions to the names were hilarious. Once we were all dressed to the 9's in our gear, they loaded us in the van and took us up the mountain. When we reached the top we had to hike up a trail for another 10 minutes to reach where we would go down into the canyon. The first thing we had to do was repel down. The instructions were to lean back and put all your weight on the rope then walk backwards down the wall. It was not that easy. I stumbled a bit at the beginning but then I did pretty well until I slipped at the bottom which was ok because the wall went in so I would have had to jump out anyway. After we got into the canyon we hiked, slid or jumped down the various waterfalls. It was the most fun I've had in a long time. I was able to actually jump off the highest waterfall, so I was really proud of myself. Everyone actually jumped off the tall one. I can understand why canyoning is considered dangerous. The guides told us exactly how to jump for each waterfall and showed us where to jump. If you tried to jump willy nilly down the waterfalls you would get hurt fast. In some places the water wasn't incredibly deep so you had to bend your knees, other places had rocks that were hidden under the water so you couldn't just jump straight out. Our guides were really fun and they were very confident in what they were doing. You could tell they really loved their job. I would love to canyoning again and I probably will one day. I wish we could have done more and there was a little bit of a push to go white water rafting saturday morning but it didn't work out. I love outdoorsy stuff so everything was right up my ally. I could have spent weeks there just playing around in the lakes and hiking up the mountains and doing some of the extreme sports. I would have done paragliding but that was about it. I'm not into any of the stuff that is too extreme. I do like water sports though. All afternoon Friday and all day Saturday the sky was dotted with paragliders flying around. It was really cool to see. Everyone just seemed to love being outside. Saturday morning we decided to take a bus to one of the lakes. It was so unrealistically blue, it was breathtaking. Morgan, Katharine, Jooye, and I decided to rent a paddle boat so we could go out on the lake. It was a lot of fun and really relaxing. I could have totally stayed out there all day. I wish I brought my swim suit because I would have been in the water in a heartbeat even though it was freezing. Mikaela and Caleb rented paddle boards, if I had my swim suit I would have done that instead of the boat, but I was too afraid I would fall in. Honestly, I would have jumped in. In the afternoon on Saturday we caught a scenic train to Luzern. The views from the train were amazing. It was like you were in a dream. I didn't know a country could be that beautiful in real life. It was wonderful. Once we got to Luzern we checked in to our hostel and then relaxed for a little bit while Meredith and Sarah obsessed over finding a fondue place. When they finally found one we walked there and ate dinner. The fondue was good but it was expensive and it didn't really make a meal. I like bread and cheese but I can't make a meal out of only bread and cheese. I could only eat so much and I wasn't full. But at least I got the experience of fondue in Switzerland. The restaurant was by the dying lion monument so we walked over and saw it. It was dark so we couldn't really get good pictures. On Sunday we decided to wake up early and go take a gondola ride up Mount Pilatus. The gondola was really cool, it was a nice relaxing ride. When we got to the top of the mountain it was really cloudy so we couldn't get any of the really good panoramic views. I was a little disappointed. After that we headed back down to Luzern and went to the rest of the big sites that I didn't want to miss. First we walked across Chapel Bridge, which was really pretty. The blue water and the oldness of the bridge made it so picturesque. Then we wandered around some streets trying to get to the 9 towers. We got to see a little bit of the homey side of Luzern since we walked down a bunch of suburban streets trying to get there. It didn't take us that long at all and we walked along the wall and up one of the tall towers. At the top there were some really amazing views of the city and we took lots of pictures. I loved it. Plus it was a medieval tower, who doesn't love medieval towers with gorgeous panoramic views. If we had more time we would have climbed up the other towers but we were getting tired. Once we traversed the whole length of the wall we found our way to the dying lion monument again. This time it was bright so we were able to get lots of pictures. It really is a beautiful carving, it's very sad. I really liked seeing it. It made me think of Aslan from Narnia. Once we finished there and went in a couple of souvenir shops we headed back to the hostel to get our stuff, relax for a little bit and then caught the train back to Bonn. I was really sad to leave Switzerland and I really wish I could have spent more time there. I will definitely be going back.

Second to last week

This past week was our last week in Bonn. I'm really sad, the trip is flying by and I'm not ready to home just yet. Not only was it our last week, but I have to say it was probably our best week yet. Monday originally was our bike ride to Remagen but the weather was looking bad so it was rescheduled to Wednesday. That meant that Monday was just a day of class with the wonderful Dr. Wasser. There were also lectures on Tuesday so we got to hear about lots of interesting things like medieval medicine and the Nazi Extermination program, Hildegard von Bingen and Paracelcus. The Fullmetal Alchemist reference made the lecture that much more fun. Paracelcus seemed like an interesting guy. It was really inspiring that he was able to go against the normal view of medicine at the time and had the courage to say that it was wrong. I guess it shouldn't be that inspiring since it was done out of narcism, but then again being a raging narcissist seemed to be the only option at that point for making a difference. It makes me wonder what medicine would have been like had Paracelcus not being so revolutionary and forceful in his medical practice. Dr. Wasser keeps referencing a book called The Greatest Benefit to Mankind and now I feel like I should read it. I'm thinking about buying it on my nook in the near future if I can get some wifi. If they have it for the nook. The most interesting lecture of the day for me was the one on the Nazi Euthanasia Programs. I did not realize that the ideals they based their terrible actions on were ideas that were already circulating at that time. I thought the Nazi's made up the rationale for their actions, but come to find out their ideas were inspired by other people who were not Nazi's and were never associated with the Nazi's. Then learning about the T4 program was eye opening. That was something you never hear about and I had never heard about it. It was really disturbing that almost all the mental institutions went along with it and that so many people just kind of let it happen. I guess that demonstrates the power of propoganda and the detachment many people felt at that time. If it wasn't happening to them it didn't seem to be their problem. I think it was really sad that it was used a practice for concentration camps. That's just tragic. The idea of trying to perfect the mass murder of groups of people is disturbing to me. I feel like there should be more recognition for the victims of T4. I also think that it is fascinating to look at how the past affects the present. Sometimes we feel so removed from the past because it happened seemingly so long ago, but the ripples of it's affects can still be felt. I'm really excited for the lecture on the Nazi doctors' trial. I feel like that one will be really interesting as well. The lecture on Hildegard von Bingen was also interesting and was a very good precursor the the visit to the museum exhibit. For lunch on Monday we went to a burger place for lunch. It was pretty good, the burgers were huge. Still, American's do burgers better, but these were not bad at all. Tuesday has been my favorite day thus far. We got to go to the medical school in Bonn and watch orthopedic surgeries. It was my first time actually watching a surgery and I was really nervous but incredibly excited. We got to dress up in scrubs, and for the one I watched we had to also wear lead aprons because they took x rays at certain points. At first it was hard to see anything because I was at a bad angle. In the begining I had to sit down a couple times because I started to feel really hot. Once I got a better angle and could actually see what the doctors were doing I was fine and I got really into it. It was an 8 week old tibia and fibula fracture. It had originally penetrated the skin so that was repaired first with a skin graph and now they were going back in to repair the fractures. The tibia had several shards broken off, most of them were small and were removed but one was very large so the first thing they did was pin it back into place. The fibula was broken into 2 peices so they inserted a plate and screwed the peices back together. Then they screwed the shard of the tibia back on and placed a plate between the fibula and tibia and screwed them together. It was really cool to watch. I was surprised with how rough the surgeons were, but they were also very meticulous. I'm sure that person's leg will be in extreme pain when they wake up and I do not envy that at all. Ouchy. I'm really happy that I got to watch it and I can't wait to watch another one. Tuesday was also our predepature meeting for our trip to Berlin, it's so sad. It's our last excursion and week. After we were done for the day on Tuesday Morgan and I went shopping for Birkenstocks. I decided to get a pair of black ones and she got some turquoise ones for her sister. They really neat shoes, they're very light and they fit all the curves of your foot. It's definitely a change from my normal pairs of flip flops. Wednesday was our rescheduled bike trip to Remagen to go to the Remagen Peace Museum at the site of the Bridge of Remagen. The bikes we got were really nice to ride and we got to ride along the Rhine so the view was gorgeous. It was 22 kilometers there and 22 kilometers back. It was intense, that's like 28 miles of bike riding. Whoo! The town of Remagen was really pretty and the bridge towers looked really cool. Before we went to the museum we had a picnic lunch on the grass by the river and then pretty much everyone took a nap. The museum was amazing, the man who founded it gave us the tour and he was the most precious inspiring old man. I loved him. He was so passionate about the museum and the history behind it, it was really moving. The fact we were standing where American soldiers stood in World War 2, and that it was the place of an event that brought about a quicker end to the war was spine tingling. I love World War 2 history, especially the European part of the war so this was really interesting. It's just so heart wrenching the pure destruction that war caused but it really is amazing to see how Germany has bounced back. Honestly, having Mr. Kurten give us the tour made the museum visit. He was awesome. That was the only thing we did on Wednesday and once I got home I watched some more of the olympics and then took a nap before dinner. Thursday we took a train early in the morning to the town of Bingen. Dr. Wasser had lectured us about Hildegard von Bingen earlier in the week and now we were visiting her museum. The museum was not just for here but also about the history of the town of Bingen as well. One compeletly novel fact that I have learned on this trip was that many of the towns on the Rhine in Germany were founded by the Romans and their names come from the Roman names of the towns or military camps. The museum in Bingen had a collection of Roman doctor's tools, which I thought was really cool. They were surprisingly similar to the tools of modern doctors. My favorite part about the museum was the herb garden, they had many of the common herbs/plants that Hildegard mentioned in her writings. It was neat to walk through and be told what each plant was and what it was used for. We learned more about the medieval theory that like cures like. If the plant looked like a body part, it was used to treat diseases of that body part. I find it really amusing that to a certain extent that theory worked. I really wish we could have gone to visit the monastery ruins of Disembodenbeck, but the museum provided a really cool model of what it would have looked like and what the ruins look like now. I think it's really tragic that they knocked down what was left of the her monastery in Bingen. The museum did have a really wonderful exhibit on Hildegard though and I feel like I learned a lot, the tour guide was also really awesome. After the museum tour we ate lunch at a cute beirgarden on the Rhine and then we took a boat tour up the Rhine. We were in the middle of wine and castle country, so I was pretty much in heaven. There were vineyards lining the mountains on both sides and every so often there would be a castle or the remains of a castle. I was super excited. One day, when I'm a big girl and have lots and lots of money, I'll own a castle and a vineyard on the Rhine. I had no idea how many castles there were. I think we passed at least 10. I thought they were much rarer than that, but apparently not. After our cruise was over we got to hike up a mountain to the remains of a medieval castle. We missed the last tour so we had to make up our own which was fun. Honestly I could have spent all day there just exploring every nook and cranny. It was so amazing. I love the medival times and the whole idea of castles, so walking through the ruins of one was right up my alley and made me giddy. I wish we could have spent more time there and I was quite upset my camera died, but I guess you can't always get what you want. At least I got to spend a good couple hours there. After that we took a train back to Bonn. I had packed up the majority of my stuff earlier in the week and when I got home all I had to do was put some clothes in my backpack and I was ready for the trip to Switzerland.

The most beautiful place I have ever seen...:)

I could not have chosen a better place to spend my long weekend than in Switzerland. Everything was so beautiful!

Like always, we had to catch a train at an inconvenient time to get the most out of our free weekends. I said goodbye to my host family one last time at 4 AM and took a cab to the Hauptbahnhof with all of my suitcases. Little did I realize how much I would suffer from dragging an entire five weeks worth of luggage around the train stations. Carrying two suitcases and heavy backpack up and down the stairs at every stop...not fun to say the least.

We arrived in Interlaken and signed up to go CANYONING like we had planned! Going canyoning was our first activity in Switzerland and we had a ton of fun. Getting in our wetsuits and putting on so many layers to the point where we could barely move our limbs, and then wearing helmets with funny names on them, we excitedly followed our instructors and eventually got up to the top of the canyoning site. Throughout the three-hour session, we glided over waterfalls, walked down cliffs, and even jumped down from a fairly high canyon. It was definitely an experience I will never forget, and I am so glad we all got to do it together! Later that night, we went to a club that was a part of Balmers, the hostel we were staying at. So far, I have loved every hostel we have been to during our weekends. All of them have been super English-friendly and welcoming, especially for clueless tourists like ourselves.

On Saturday, we went to chill at a lake nearby. I found out that the city Interlaken is named in response to the town being between two lakes. I loved looking at the site of the clear blue lake in front of all the mountains. Nothing I have seen in real life could ever compare to the gorgeous landscape of Switzerland. We then took a scenic train to Luzern and ate dinner at a fondue restaurant after signing in at our hostel. The fondue was, interesting...I was definitely not a fan of the cheeze fondue and wasn't prepared, but also wasn't shocked, about the food in Switzerland being so expensive. Luckily I brought my cup ramen, which came in handy for the rest of that weekend because I refused to buy full meals in Switzerland from that point on.

On Sunday, we took a gondola lift up Mt. Pilatus!! As always, the scenery was gorgeous and we took plenty of pictures on our way up the mountain as well as many more on the mountain, where there were several different trails up to different parts of the peak. While some of us had to leave the mountain early to catch their train back to Bonn, I stayed with the others and spent the rest of the day enjoying Luzern before our ride to Berlin at midnight. We ate lunch on the mountain and spent the rest of the day walking around and enjoying the nature and beautiful sights of the city. It was all in all a nice, relaxing final day of our long weekend before starting our next week in Berlin. I wish we had more time in Switzerland because it was so incredibly beautiful everywhere we went!

Good Friends Come When You Least Expect It

The fourth and final free weekend went down with a bang. It all started on Friday morning, when I boarded the 6am train for Luxembourg. I was almost crying because I was so excited to meet up with my friend Esther. She just moved from the states and it hadn't really occurred to me until now that she is actually gone. I finally arrived in Bascharage and Esther whisked me away to the stables to see Hersey, the only horse I've gotten to watch grow up. The barn was really cool. It had a really rustic feel and you could tell the layout was developed by just adding on a section of stalls when needed. After we left the barn, Esther took me to Luxembourg City to show me around the "city center." The thing I learned about Luxembourg real quick is that it takes about 5 minutes to be in a new city. So you basically feel like the country is one big city. The city was very cool. There is kind of an upper part with shops and a lower part with restaurants and clubs. After our short city tour, we headed back to the house and changed for dinner. Did I forget to mention it was Esther's birthday?! We went to eat Italian at a little local place to celebrate. Bedtime came early because we new the next day would be a long one.

5am wake up call. Time for Paris. We hope in the car and headed on our 4 hour drive to the city they call a fashion capital. I've been lucky enough to go a lot of places, but I've never been to France. Paris blew my mind. We walked the entire city on Saturday had lunch in front of the Louve. We ended the day by going to the Moulin Rouge. The Moulin Rouge was spectacular. It reminded me of a circus show. The room had its own environment and you felt very luxurious and relaxed. Paris was an amazing experience because I got to share it with Esther and Michael. It was also Esther's first time and Michael spoke French and was able to act as a tour guide. I love Paris and I plan to be back. 

We left Paris at midnight expecting to arrive home around 4. The car ride back was torture. We were all struggling to stay awake. On top of the sleep issue, it started pouring raining which made the drive down the pitch black autobahn even more difficult. We didn't get back until 5:30, an hour and a half later than expected. I walked upstairs immediately and crawled into bed completely exhausted. 

Sunday didn't begin for me until noon. I needed 6 hours of sleep to regain some strength. We all went downstairs and had a nice large breakfast of cereals and breads with all kinds of what were to me exotic spreads. Esther and I pack and got dressed and headed back into the city. We explored some more and took pictures and finally stopped at a chocolate shop...dangerous territory for both of us. After eating some of the best chocolate cake and quiche I've ever had, we hoped in the car and started our drive to Bonn. I was sad when we arrived that my time with Esther was over but I loved and appreciated every moment of it. There is no doubt in my mind that is was the best free weekend I had. If you would have asked me 10 years ago if I would be traveling and staying in Europe with a women from Germany I would have told you that you were crazy. I'm so happy I was wrong about that. I'll always love my crazy German.