Week 5- Stop this Train

Vienna looks like cake

Let's give it up to train rides for bringing to me the most interesting and profound encounters. Encounters that are sometimes so wild that I could not dream them up. So here's a touching one I'll share with you. Last week we were traveling to Vienna to see some of the oldest medical schools and the beautiful collection of wax anatomical models that students studied, as well as the crypts at St. Micheal's and a classical concert. As you could have guessed we took a train from Bonn to Vienna. I sat with a couple of my friends at one of the four person tables and worked on homework as I listened to music. The seat next to the window was reserved for part of our travel so it was nice having no one next to me for most of the trip. I got to relax and just get some thoughts written down. Eventually we reached a stop and this little old man came and claimed his seat next to me. I was still trying to work on homework for a while but then the wifi wasn't working very well so I quit and pulled my earbuds out. After a while this man starting speaking to the three of us. But... he was speaking German and he didn't seem to understand when we would say "sprechen sie Englisch". He was very sweet and when he would say anything to us we would respond with "ja" or a nice laugh. 

A little later I noticed that the German guys behind us were switch to English occasionally so I turned around and asked if they would translate. One of the boys was brave enough to walk over and so he told our tablemate that we were students form America and we didn't speak any German. They both chatted for a while in German ( I still have no idea what they said), and then the boy told me that "well if you need anything else, ha, I guess you know where I find me" so I told him "yeah thanks I'll just... knock?" we both laughed and then I started to finish up a Belgium chocolate bar. I decided to share a piece with the old man, we'll call him Thomas. Thomas was soo excited and said "mmm lecher". He ate it and then started going through every single pocket in his brief case and pulled out an apple saying "I only have apples". Oh. My. Gosh. He totally knew English! I was shocked. I thanked him for the apple, and guys it was honestly really good.

Since my laptop was out I started showing him pictures of my family. I would pull up a picture of my mom and say "meine Mutter" and others "das ist mein Vater und Bruter" and he flipped through his wallet and would show me pictures of his wife and grandson.

Eventually he got more comfortable with his English, and I learned that his wife and both his parents had already passed away. His father had died in 1945 (the year World War Two ended), he was 88 years old, and he had many grandchildren who were all really tall now. We sort of had to play charades for part of our conversation, but it was fun. He told us that he learned English in school over 70 years ago, and it blew my mind that he still remembered what he did. It was such a profound shared communication and it really made my heart happy to be able to have a conversation with someone without actually having the words to say. I don't think I'll ever forget that experience.

In hind sight it was only fitting to have such a beautiful interaction on the train ride to Vienna- just foreshadowing all the good that would come out of this excursion. 

Dr. Schnabel

When we finished unpacking at the hotel that afternoon, we took a tour around Vienna with one of Dr. Wasser's colleagues- Dr. Schnabel. We were told that Dr. Schnabel was a plague doctor and would show us around the most medically relevant historical buildings in Vienna. We got to see one of the first medical schools in the city and some of the buildings that became plague hospitals, and some very important figures that were leaders in medical advancement like Paracelsus. Throughout the whole tour we were given various different "medicines that prevent or cure the plague" including various herbs, spices, and certain liquids. Fun fact, if your doctor noticed that you had bad looking pee, a great cure for this would be to drink the urine of a young child. Really effective for sure. Ew. In the end we were obviously aware that Dr. Schnabel was indeed our beloved professor Dr. Wasser. Surprise!

That night we ate dinner at the Goulash museum. It was so so good. Some of my friends ordered the horse goulash which I did try, but I got myself the veal goulash with spinach dumplings. I highly recommend also getting the chocolate goulash for dessert.

Goulash Museum

The next day was probably one of the best days in the entire program so far. We started out with the discovery that they actually do serve cake for breakfast in Vienna. Then we headed to the Josephinum. This is the building that hosts a couple thousand anatomical wax models that were used by the medical students in the late 1700s. The exhibit was beautiful. First of all, the artists had to analyze these cadavers for long hours to create such detailed and perfectly accurate models- shape and color. Second of all, it blew me away to get to see the different systems of the body displayed in such detail. The human body is truly a miracle, there are millions of molecules and tissues that work together to create a balance which we refer to as life. We were created so beautifully. My favorite exhibit were the exclusive obstetrical models. The waxes displayed the fetal development, the different forms of pregnancy (twins, triplets, etc), and the different positions a baby can be in the birth canal. Very fascinating. 

St. Anna's Church

It was only fitting that the very same night we would come to see a string quartet perform in a gorgeous church downtown. We walked into the golden inside of St. Anna's church and took our seats in the pews awaiting the performance of music by Mozart and Beethoven. Watching the quartet make this beautiful, dramatic, silky, tense, dynamic music brought me straight back to my days of performing in ensembles. I miss the hard work that turns into that type of beauty, the breathing and moving together, the excitement and the fun. I miss my ensembles and my cellist, pianist, and violinist. The improvement, the goofy rehearsals, the long rehearsals, the good Indian food, the inside jokes, and how we have been there for each other in some of the hardest times. Fun fact, I met the musicians after they played and they told me that Vienna has a doctors amateur symphony.

Back in the olden days.

Here's a video of the Schumann piece that we performed and won 1st in state the summer before my junior year of high school (4 years ago).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4_aE1CVr1s

When I got back to Bonn I visited the Beethoven Haus, a place in Bonn where Beethoven was born and grew up. It was an inspiration to walk in the home of such a man that I looked up to for so many years. Listening, performing, and living in his music. What an honor. What a reminder. You are never too (fill in the blank with excuse) to spend time doing what you love. Disclaimer- I do still play with the Texas A&M orchestra, but I don't play as much as I used to.

Beautiful cake at Cafe Central

Some other highlights from our trip were visiting the Fools Tower (also established by Joseph the second and is now home of the pathology museum), the Natural History Museum, and the Freud House.

Freud House

In all honesty I didn't immediately fall in love with the place, but over our time there the city grew on me and everything that happened there has a special place in my heart.

It is hard to process or fully express, but this trip pointed my eyes, taste buds (cake), and ears to the most exquisite and delicate parts of the world in which we live. The harmony and life blood of music, the perfect coordination of the quartet, the perfect balance and coordination of the human body, the tango of cake flavors, the attention to detail, the joy, and the true miracle of life.

"I am going to steal... the MOON!!!"

Auschwitz & Modern Poland

Krakow Jewish Quarter

This was our very last weekend for traveling in the program. Ever since I was in Texas I was confident I would go to Salzburg this weekend & was pumped to see the place where so much history occurred (featured in the famous musical "The Sound of Music"). The Sound of Music, starring Julie Andrews has been a lifetime favorite and a very influential movie. I cried when I turned 16 and the song "Sixteen Going On Seventeen" could be about me, and subsequently cried again when I turned 19 and no longer fit into the lyrics at all. Another favorite song was "Edelweiss" which my sweet mom would sing to us when we couldn't sleep, felt sick, or were scared of storms. I could not wait to go and visit this beautiful place.

I obviously did not go to Salzburg. Something in me changed as we sat through our lectures last week. The detail of the Nazi experiments- sterilization, saltwater tolerance, euthanasia, altitude in addition to the child euthanasia really gripped my heart. A couple of my friends were planning on going to Krakow & Auschwitz that last weekend and so I made a 180 decision to go to Poland. 

After our last program event on Thursday the three of us caught a long bus ride to Katowice from Vienna. I sat next to a very tall and buff Czech man on the ride there up until he got off in Brno. At first I just made small talk and asked where he was going and then I fell asleep for 15 minutes. Eventually we got to talking about how I was a student here and our program, and how he was traveling from France after working on an Electron Microscope in a lab there. What a seriously cool dude. Our conversation progressed from how the microscope helped convert me from being a musician into a scientist, popular Czech sports, Trump's "wall", good foods, and the physics behind the EM scope. We probably talked for 3 hours nonstop as the landscape took a turn from the prestige of Austria into the humble Czech border towns, into the Eastern style buildings of the Czech Republic. 

View from the Airbnb in Katowice

As we pulled into Katowice it was 1:30 am and very poorly lit. The buildings were dark, and we walked 3 minutes to our AirBnB. Our host was out of town and left instructions, and it was almost like the escape room as Emily put it. It was supposedly in this old apartment complex, but we couldn't find the door we needed to buzz into. After searching around in the dark for several minutes, feeling like we may die, we walked out to the front of the complex and finally found our door. Our instructions were to buzz the number 5 and then walk in to the mailboxes and grab the correct set of keys. Let me tell you, this place had no lights on and was very old. With our flashlights in hand we FINALLY got into our beds and slept. 

Shrouded in the rays of morning Katowice was a vibrant little town, with street performers, fresh markets, bakeries, and flower stands. The buildings were a refreshing change from the perfect little towns in Western Europe. Poland was more... Eastern? More war torn, historical, less affluent? The people carried themselves differently, and there was a change in atmosphere. It was so exciting. We spent the majority of the morning at a little cafe and Mikayla, Emily, & I had such a quality conversation. This is one thing I will carry with me forever- Europe has blessed me the love of long meals and even longer conversations- to not rush around in life but prioritize investment in other people. 

Old Town Krakow

Later we almost missed the 3rd bus on the trip, even after ensuring ahead of time we had found the place. Out of breath from sprinting halfway across town we sat on the hot flixbus to Krakow. Seeing the landscape outside has been a top favorite from all of my travels, but not even the beautiful vineyards of the Rhineland compared to the beautiful birch trees in Poland. This was the most beautiful country I have seen which I didn't expect. There were sprinkles of wildflowers everywhere in the best color combinations (as if they knew how to color coordinate), and soft grasses covering all the areas where there were no trees. I was instantly in love, and Poland is now on the top of my list up there with Norderney and Interlaken.

Guess

Our first day was relaxing and we had our first taste of polish pierogis, and went into town after dark. The buildings in the town square were lit up making them look both medieval and romantic. There were people walking around, musicians playing throughout the streets, and locals laughing and chatting at all of the street cafes and bars. Even the shops were still open. Such a charming place. My favorite moment was the cellist and composer playing cello with a loop pedal in one of the side streets in front of this building with Roman statues behind him. Even the air that night was perfect. 10/10 recommend this town for a romantic weekend get-away. Also, if you find yourself in Krakow, try the Basil mozzarella gelato. Ha, oh my it was actually good? No further comments. We spent that night in a hostel and a polish guy who worked as a manger for McDonalds slept in the bed across from me. Interesting place.

                                                          . . . . . . . . . 

Day two we got up early to catch our bud to take us to Auschwitz. Once we got there the air was still, and I got the chills. It is hard to describe the place. It was real. We walked into the smaller, older part of the camp first. After the "Work will make you free" gate we walked through a building that contained thousands of pounds of hair that was cut from the women prisoners, and mounds of shoes of the children that were not even given a chance at life. 

Four feelings:

Disbelief.
Fury.
Sorrow.
Nausea. 

There are no words that can do justice to walking through the camp yourself. There is nothing that can fix it or make what happened better.

We walked past the building where the "doctors" performed and killed many young women about my age in the sterilization experiments. 

We walked through one of the smaller crematoriums and "showers" aka gas chambers.

We walked into the death block where they contained "prisoners". We walked where they performed the gas experiments to see that it would be an effective method of murder. In that building was a starvation cell where St. Maximilian Kolbe actively gave his life in order for a father to live and raise his children. 

Remember earlier when I was gushing over the landscape in Poland as we traveled from Katowice to Krakow- well hey guess what, Auschwitz is in that area. Walking around the camp- if I had no clue about what happened there- I would have thought "wow look how beautiful the trees and soft the grasses are and how cool the buildings looked (on the exterior)." All of us girls agreed.

It made me sick. 

We were told that there was no grass inside the camp at the time because the amount of prisoners trampling it every day made it impossible for life. My stomach twisted. 

We then took the bus to the 3km way second part of the camp called Birkenau. I could not comprehend how large this place was in comparison. Not even the sheer number of buildings, but how packed they were on top of how awful the weather gets when it wasn't the chilly summer time. 

My soul ached, and I just wanted to sit in the middle of the camp and bawl my eyes out.

Of all of the horrors of the place, as we left we noticed that the fields outside of the fence were filled to capacity with the most beautiful wildflowers I have ever seen. The flowers were consoling. There is only grass inside the fence, but outside it was as if God left his own memorial for those who suffered here. 

It blew my mind that people could be so dehumanized and treated in such a way because of what? How could such a large part of society turn against these people in such a cruel way? What did the Jews and Polish people ever do to deserve this? 

The three of us discussed how it was unbelievable how people could be so horrible, but then we got to talking about the crusades, slavery, internment camps, Rwanda, and even now with the mindset we have about immigration. People are capable of horrible things, and always have been. However, look at the example of St. Maximillian Kolbe, the sonderkommando workers who rebelled by blowing up one of  the crematoriums, and other heroic and compassionate people during the war. We as humans have an enormous capacity. Capacity for whatever things we chose. I have faith in humanity and hope in the beauty of life, and that we are capable of learning from the past especially when it comes down to how we treat others. 

On Sunday we visited Schindler's Factory. It wasn't what I expected it to be, but it was very cool. Background- Schindler was a Nazi who owned an enamelware factory and employed many Polish and Jewish workers, and saved their lives by hiding them and bribing the SS workers. He is a prime example of how even a Nazi can be bold enough to see humanity for what it really is. 

The factory was curated well, it walked you through the progression of antisemitism in Krakow, the Nazi takeover of the city, the persecution of the professors and students, the new German population of the town, the work camps, the smuggling, daily life, poor conditions, and the forming of the Jewish ghetto. The place did a very good job conveying how not only were the concentration camps a disgrace to humanity, but also the conditions in which the Jewish and Polish people lived in outside of those places were just awful. Words cannot convey the feeling that the country has left on my heart.

One of the buildings in the previous Jewish Ghetto

We decided to visit the Jewish Square and the area that used to be the Jewish Ghetto that afternoon, and I'm very glad we did.

Modern Poland has a deeply rooted Catholic culture that remains vibrant and devout. Any store you walk into you walk out of with an extra prayer card in your pocket. The food is spectacular, and reminds me of home. I have eaten my weight in the delicious pierogis, seen so much beauty and liveliness in the nature people and city.

All the cafes had magnificent flowers

It has been a blessing to get to witness and live in another culture as opposed to just reading about it. Poland you are beautiful to your very core. 

Week 4- "Scalpel Bitte" my last week in Bonn

My sister, "Cardiac Girl", the most inspiring superhero.

I am shocked that this is my last full week here in Bonn. It's only Wednesday and it has flown by. Monday we shadowed at the UniClinic here, and I was blown away. First of all, if you would have asked me 3 years ago if I would be a doctor I would have said absolutely no way. But, I fell in love with science, and saw how medicine can impact the lives of my loved ones, especially my sweet little sister.
I don't feel like I chose medicine, but as I ran away from it, medicine chased after me and snatched me up- or I guess "chose me". Over time, I've really grown comfortable with the pursuit of an MD and I couldn't see myself spending my time, talent, and effort doing anything else. Last week I was sitting on the shore of the North Sea having a conversation with a friend who wants to go into surgery and spoke the words "no I wouldn't be a surgeon," without even giving it a chance or any thought.

Gigs with the roomie.

Monday was different. If we exclude parts of a C-section, then I would say that I had not yet seen a surgery before. I got to see a 7 hr long hip replacement and a few other surgeries and I was ecstatic. It didn't even feel like 7 hours! Orthopedics was the most fascinating and incredible thing I have ever seen ever. The surgeons made a large incision on this man's leg and started cauterizing and drilling away. The patient was older, had heart problems, and lost over 2 liters of blood- needless to say the surgery was complicated and the patient's blood pressure was a low-riding roller coaster. The anesthesiologist handled it very well, but you could visibly see his stress by the amount he sweat through his scrubs. The head surgeon was worried that they would need to order a custom piece, meaning they would have to do a second operation, but the patient was not stable at all and it would be risky to open him up again. So there was a lot of trial and error on what piece would fit and the surgeon would hammer in various different parts sequentially. Any time he would hammer a new metal piece in to see if it would fit, some blood would go flying or squirt up. They got covered in it. I was standing about 6 feet away or more by the wall, but at on point I even got it with a few drops myself. It was amazing to see the surgeons at work, and the teamwork between the scrub nurses, the various levels of surgeons, and the anesthesia team. It was even more amazing to see the intricacy of the human body and how it truly is a mixture of science and miracle. I was blown away. After that day I will most definitely be looking more into a career as a surgeon, but no commitments just yet.

Arrival at the Clinic

Two other things. I cannot imagine how hard it was to get 30 students cleared for shadowing so thank you so much Dr. Wasser & AIB. Second thing, all of the patients I saw were men in their 80s. Germans are on average way more active and fit than Americans, and during the case I just described I couldn't help but think that if it were an average 88 year old American then the patient would not have made it through. With the combination of obesity and diabetes alongside with many organ system and circulatory issues it is hard to imagine the outcome. The German nation however is one of countries with a large rise in obesity, nevertheless they have taught me a lesson. Take very good care of your body.

Historical operating room, Anesthesia Museum

Tuesday we started class at 14:00 so I slept from 18:00-22:30 Monday evening and then from 2-10:30 Tuesday morning. I usually hibernate on the weekends, but since we have been traveling every weekend I haven't had the chance. It was fantastic to get some rest. Class was really fun and engaging as usual, but it was bittersweet because it was the last in-person class we will have with our beloved Dr. Fajt. She was an awesome instructor and I wish all of our classes could be like the ones this summer- traveling with our professors, going on adventures with them, and laughing with them. It has been a true privilege.

Wednesday we had our long lost history of medicine sit-down traditional lectures again. Today was a heavy day. We had two lectures, and they were about the evolution of Anesthesia and about how different ideologies post-WW1 allowed for the acceptance of Nazi policies and the horrors of Nazi medical practices and eugenics. What really hit me were the practices of forced sterilization (which was very common to many countries at the time including the US), and the euthanizing of those with a genetic disease or a mental illness. It broke my heart and nearly brought me to tears hearing about the physicians who specialized in euthanasia of children. I don't think it would be as real if it wasn't taught by Dr. Wasser who is as knowledgeable and passionate as it comes, and it wouldn't be the same learning this back in the states. Being here and living in Germany it makes it easier to process so harder to learn more about. There is something profound about being in the place where it all happened- it feels different, deeper.

Anesthesia Museum, Obstetrics Collection

The rest of our day was spent on an excursion to Cologne to tour the top of the Dom Cathedral. First of all I have very few fears, second of all heights is one of them. Well, I braved the creaky service elevator, the numerous steep spiral staircases, the walks across (basically) ledges on the sides of the cathedral, and finally to the top to the wonderful breeze and neat view of the Rhine and the entire city of Cologne. Many eye witnesses can confirm hysterical tears as we walked across this glorified pirate-plank to the death cage of an elevator and rode it down to the sweet heavenly earth. The tour guide was super cool and taught us about the different materials used to build the different parts of the cathedral depending on the availability and the time period that were building in. It was crazy that they made the plans for this massive architectural feat all the way back in the 1200s.

Reaching the top of the Cologne Cathedral

Thursday we had the privileged to meet a living artifact at the Horst Stoeckel Anesthesia Museum. Dr. Stoeckel himself. It was really cool to get a tour of the museum and to learn about the history of the instruments, and the physiology of how many of them aided or harmed a patient. In some cases, like in 1846 when Thomas Morton introduced ether as one of the first analgesics, the medicine would nearly knock out the surgical team along with the patient. It was incredible to see how far we come in such little time. Another interesting thing was that, as we learned in class, women were believed to require the pains of child birth or even deserved it, so when the epidural was first suggested many physicians thought it was blasphemous. God bless modern medicine. Truly. Congrats, you survived to the end of the post. Message me for your prize.

"Iron Lung", a device that lowers the air pressure to allow patients to breathe easier.

Week 3- In another life I was probably a fish

...maybe a Cate-fish (not to be confused with a catfish because my mom hates those).

If you've ever heard the phrase "living out of a suitcase" I don't know if you actually know how that feels. Exciting. Exhausting. Different. And sometimes you pack imperfectly. Note to self- if the Germans say an island will be cold, pack more than 2 light jackets. When our train neared the stop for our ferry to Norderney, you could see the locals all bundled up, and sitting there with my one jacket on, I looked down at my Birkenstocks just thought “oh crap, I’m a Texan”. 

For those of you who truly know me- you know that I am absolutely in love with water- swimming in it, floating in it, watching it, listening to it (even on spotify), and when the occasion should arise for rain- dancing in it. This place instantly stole my heart as I stood there soaking it all in.

Germans love their foam

Our first steps on the island took us to the bike rental shop to pick up our hot rides for the week. With our white bikes we looked like a flock of seagulls flying too low to the ground, and sometimes we even sounded like the seagulls from Finding Nemo (“moin”, “moin”, “moin”- the island greeting).

Seagull Bikes

Our hostel was a nice place only 3 min from the beach. However, we were at he end of the hallway, and nearest to the rooms with the pre-pubescent German boys. It was like working as a lifeguard at scout camp all over again. Except these boys not only tried to flirt with us, but also made fun of us for only knowing English. See video for the daily norm. And when we got there Henning told US we should try not to wake THEM up, mhm.

We took a bike tour of the island that first day.  It was chilly and the clouds would sporadically sprinkle rain on us. The little town center was straight out of a novel-full of little shops and cafes. There was even a beautiful grassy area of the town in front of the Badehaus and Conversationshaus. In one of the woody areas Dr. Wasser pointed out the best place to get Eis on the island: Fresieneis. What a dad Dr. Wasser is to all us 29 kiddos- “Everyone gets a scoop… don’t ruin your dinner, well oh well.” And even though it was chilly, we huddled there and all enjoyed our one scoop with drizzled syrups and toppings. It most definitely ruined my appetite for dinner. Worth it. After dinner, Mikayla and I explored the beach, and could not believe the amount of sea foam that collected along the beach. Germans just love foam I guess- on the beer and on the beaches. Of course that evening I had to see more of our enchanting island, so I went on a run through the dunes and the beaches. It was unreal.

Freisian Eis

The first morning in Norderney included waking up at 5:45 am, jogging to the beach, a combo of working out in the sand and a Wasser physiology lesson, and topping it off Thalassotherapy. For you non-Northern Europeans- Thalasso is the use of sea water for health purposes. For us this meant running into the icy North Sea. It was an extraordinary morning, 14 C, and the water was cooler. I think I stayed in long enough to call it a quick swim as I jumped around in the incoming waves. I'm convinced there is no better way to wake up.

After breakfast we rode our bikes to the Baudehaus for a lesson on the healing elements of Sauna and the medical significance of the island. The island's location provides salty air, zero allergens, and special mud. This lead to the island becoming a key therapeutic designation for those needing respiratory, mental, and skin therapies. In Germany, you can even become prescribed to spend a few weeks on Norderney. As always, the Dr. Wasser lecture included a physiological explanation of the health benefits, and then afterwards (for strictly scientific purposes) we got to experience the health benefits. The first floor of the Badehaus, the Wasserlevel, contained salt baths, jet baths, hot baths, and a large ocean water pool. The second level had the mud bath room, saunas, steam rooms, and hanging beds for you to rest on. We weren't spoiled, we were just being scientists. Such a peaceful day- dreamy and mellow. After a few hours in the sauna, the relaxation continued as Mikayla and I wandered outside, got another Eis and the largest MilchKaffee of my life, looked through some of the shops, made our way back to the grassy area (now sunny and warm), and laid there listening to the cute German toddlers counting down for hide and seek. You better bet we fell asleep there.

Listening to small Germans count down during tag "eins, zwei, drei..."

Eventually we made our way to the dunes behind the hostel for our special “BBQ” which included all sorts of wurst, s’mores, special North Sea shrimp, and dancing around. Henning, Alexa, some other brave people, and I decided to go swimming again that night, and we did. It was frigid, but that wasn’t stopping me from spending the better part of an hour diving into the incoming waves and swimming around. Glorious, glorious, glorious. After a while it gets so numb that you get used to the water temperature and don’t feel cold until you climb out of the salty ocean and get pummeled by the icy wind. 

Day two we had a long bike tour of the nature trails on the island. Seagulls, salty sea grasses, fields of green and gold, millions of bunnies, chilly wind, sand dunes, and the mud flats. After dinner we went on a biological tour of those mud flats. These are the types places where the Badehaus mud comes from. A cool thing about the island is that when it is low tide the ocean floor becomes so exposed that you can even walk to the mainland. So we hiked barefoot in the mud until we reached the water, and then rushed back when the tide started coming back in.

Our biological mud flat hike

Our final morning and Wasser workout began at 6am. For the Thalasso part, I basically had to be dragged out of the water because I didn’t want to leave it. It really made me miss my swim coaches and my teammates. Afterwards we had breakfast, showers, and packed everything up. As everyone was finishing I walked out to the beach with Carol and we just stood in awe. She left after a while and I stayed there, ankle deep, soaking it all in. There is so much beauty in way that God crafted the detail of every wave, every gust of wind, and every fragment of seashell. In the language of my heart the word “Norderney”, this small East Frisian Island, translates into the English word “enchantment”.

Did I just get in the water or am I about to?

The Land of the Giants, a Dutch Weekend

If Germany is the land of potatoes, "Kartoffelland", then Holland is the land of Stroopwafles & Tulips. Ask me a year ago if I would ever find myself in Europe- let alone a place I have heard so much about when growing up? No you'd be crazy, there's no chance. But, against all odds, here I was in Amsterdam with my girls.

Pick your Stroopwafle of choice

It was an enchanting place, a huge city, but still decked with flowers along the charming labyrinth of canals. The train ride there from Bonn was sleepy, but the closer we got to Amsterdam the more real it became and the excitement sunk in. I love riding the trains in my travels- getting to see the Rhineland turn into farmlands with windmills, and the German houses turn into the Dutch domed roofs.

Canals of Amsterdam

The Dutch have a very special place in my heart thanks to the Den Harders. My Dad played soccer in college and has kept the game in his life by coaching in his free time. When I was little he coached a group of boys with quadruplets on the team. The boys were born in the states, but Cora & Peter were from the Netherlands. Our families grew really close together over the years. Peter & my Dad both coaching for the club teams, and the boys being our adopted older brothers. The boys would come over and babysit us as a team, and honestly were among the only successful babysitters of the five of us kids. Anytime I would come over to their house, Cora would lay out a huge blanket and dump buckets of Leggo's on top for us to play. Other times I came over, she and I would cook sugar pies and other Dutch sweets together. Cora remains one of the most organized human beings to exist.
I loved their house decorations- the boys were colored coded at birth and their little onesies were framed on the walls. They had all of their wooden shoes by the front door, and tulips all over the house. The living room had a view of the Dutch flag, and the kitchen had Delft pottery.

So experiencing the country that formed Cora and Peter was a true privilege. The bikes all over the place, the extremely tall natives, the abundance of flowers, and the Dutch pancakes.

Flower Market

Sunday we found a cool place with outstanding (gluten free for our sweet Carol) pancakes, and had some great conversations. One of my favorite moments of the trip was getting to go to Mass, in English, in this beautiful little church squeezed in between stores. There are many little churches like this throughout Europe, and I think it's the neatest thing. The rest of our Sunday we spent at a small little restaurant, where our hilarious waiter was the menu. I loved the vibe of the narrow street it was on, and the fresh food and wine.

Pannenkoek

If you get the chance to go to Amsterdam do the following- stay at Hotel Casa Amsterdam, drink the excellent coffee, see the Rijk's Museum, eat a fresh stroopwafle, laugh with friends, buy a coffee and spill it all before drinking any, then be graced by Carol's generosity, enjoy the parks and flowers, see the Tulip market if in season, eat a fancy meal or two, and soak in the beautiful culture.

Classic Me

Classic Art- Rijk's Museum

I plan to go back and spend more time exploing the small little Dutch cities at some point in my life- maybe sooner rather than later... Cora & Peter- I may sneak into your luggage next time you visit home.

-much love Mary-Cate

See ya soon Holland