Weekend in Italy

Rome is a fantastic city. Walking through the city feels like I am going through an open-air museum. Everywhere you look is a monument of a wall that is 2,000 years old. On Friday one of Samantha’s friends who is coordinating a study abroad program in Rome showed us around the city and gave us tours of the papal churches. My favorite has to be St. Peter’s basilica. It is a monstrous church and everything inside is so incredibly ornate that it is a little overwhelming. It was really impressive and even with the thousands of tourists inside it still felt pretty holy inside. One thing I found interesting about the church was that Michelangelo was the chief architect in the design of the church. I thought he was only an artist; I had no idea that he was an architect too. The other papal churches were very pretty. I really liked St. Paul outside the walls. It was kind of in the middle of nowhere and then you walk up and there is a big church with a beautiful garden in front. I loved the nave inside the St. Paul’s; it was really long and filled with lots of columns it made the church feel much longer than it was. Then we went to a nice restaurant and had a fantastic dinner. After sharing some delicious antipasti with everyone, I had ravioli for my primi course and it was some of the best ravioli that I’ve ever had. My goal was to finish the whole five-course dinner but halfway through my secondi, which was just a plate of assorted meats, I had to tap out. It was just too much food.

            Then on Saturday we went to the cupola on top of St. Peters first thing in the morning. After around 400 steps we made it to the top and had great views of the city of Rome. I could see the pantheon and the roman forums and plenty of other landmarks from the cupola. It was a really pretty view and it made for some very good pictures. Then we spent most of the afternoon in the Vatican museums and it was so cool. Of course, the paintings by Raphael and the Sistine Chapel were just incredible. The Sistine chapel is truly extraordinary; I think I could just stay in there and look at the ceiling and The Last Judgment all day long without getting bored. I thought it was funny how after Biagio de Cesena ridiculed Michelangelo because of the nudity in The Last Judgment, Michelangelo painted Cesena in hell with donkey ears and a snake biting his genitals to cover up the nudity. Of all the art that I have seen while here in Europe, Michelangelo is probably my favorite artist; his art is mesmerizing and I could just look at it for hours.

            Since everyone was seeing the Coliseum, Pantheon, and the Roman Forums on Sunday and I had already seen them when I went to Rome a few years ago, I went to Naples for the day. I should have just stayed and seen those things again as Naples was really not that impressive. The entire city reeked and garbage was everywhere but it was easy to navigate in Naples. There are maps all over the city and they point out the major landmarks and churches, which was really nice. I saw a couple of old castles and churches and the Piazza del Plebiscito, which was pretty neat, but it is covered in graffiti. I walked around the coast for a good bit of the afternoon and I decided that Naples must have the largest amount of tan old men in the world. I never saw any young people or old ladies out; just really tan, really old men soaking up the sun. I was really looking forward to eating a pizza because Naples is known for their pizza and is where the dish originated, but since I went to Naples on Sunday, almost every restaurant in town was closed. I ended up just having a pizza at one of the few open restaurants off the main shopping street. It was pretty good but I have had better pizza in College Station. Italy was awesome, and I loved all the history in Rome, but I am excited to get back to Germany!

Long Weekend in Rome

            Before I start on the magnificence and utter natural beauty of Italy, I want to say that the country would be significantly better for tourists if it weren’t for the beggars and vendors constantly hounding you to give them money or buy their useless and cheaply made products. Literally everywhere we went, from the four Papal Basilicas in Rome to the Accademia Gallery in Florence, we were surrounded by these people. On top of that, you have to be on high alert at all times for pick pocketers, always keeping your hands in your pockets and looking back at your backpack to make sure that nothing has been unzipped. I get that it’s a place with an incredible amount of tourists and that is the reason why most of this occurs, but I feel as though these are things that could be easily controlled better by the cities in order to better the experience of the millions of tourists who travel there each year.

            I don’t want to sound completely negative though, because there were definitely a lot of positives to the weekend as well. On Friday we went to the four Papal Basilicas, starting with St. Peter’s, then going to St. John Lateran, then St. Mary Major, ending with St. Paul’s outside the walls. Needless to say, these were four of the most spectacular churches that I have seen and will probably ever see in my life. With St. Peter’s, the outside and inside is adorned and influenced greatly by Bernini, who is probably one of the best known artists and my personal favorite of all time. It also features Michelangelo’s “Pieta,” a statue of St. Peter (whose foot can be rubbed for good luck), and is overall staggeringly big. It literally took my breath away upon going inside and I personally felt as though that I was meant to have a spiritual experience there. That sounds cheesy, but it can only be explained by going inside and experiencing it yourself. The other three Papal Basilicas were not as massive as St. Peter’s, but each had special qualities about them that made them equally as special. At St. John Lutheran there are beautifully sculpted statues of the 12 apostles adorning the main aisle, at St. Mary Major there is what is to believed to be part of the manger that Jesus was born in, and at St. Paul’s Outside the Walls there is pictures of all of the popes who have ever reigned aligning the ceiling as well as the chains that were believed to have held St. Paul while he was beheaded. Now, these locations were probably more impressive to me because I am Catholic, but I would recommend them to anyone (Catholic or not) who is visiting Rome.

            On Saturday a few of us decided to take a daytrip from Rome and went to Florence. We started off by standing in line and going into the Accademia Gallery (where Michelangelo’s “David” is located). The museum in itself is honestly not that impressive, but seeing the David statue along with a few of Michelango’s unfinished statues was unbelievable. After that, we walked past the Duomo and realized we did not want to stand in the extremely long line to go to the top. It was a very nice and aesthetically pleasing church due to the different types of stone used to build it (unlike most of the other churches we have seen thus far). We continued walking through the city and ended by walking over the jewelry shop adorned Ponte Vicchio bridge. Even though I do not have too many exciting things to say about Florence, it was a beautiful city and I am extremely glad that we decided to go.

            On Sunday we decided to join what seemed like every other tourist in Rome at the Colosseum, then walked around the Roman Forums, and ended at the Pantheon. Like the other sites on this trip, I could take a page or two to talk about the appearance and majesty of these buildings and structures but it would just not do justice to seeing them in person. Knowing that the Romans were able to build these structures (some being over two thousand years old) is INCREDIBLY impressive. At The Colosseum, you got to see where some of the entertainment events occurred back in the day such as where Gladiators used to fight, where exotic animals were exhibited, and where Christians were killed. This was contradictory amazing and sombering at the same time. At the Roman forums, you could see where the Romans used to worship, used to hold their governmental functions, and even where they lived. Lastly, the Pantheon was in surprisingly good condition and I felt like it was built just a few decades ago instead of a few thousand years. Sunday was an extremely hot day in Rome and sightseeing entitled a lot of walking, but everything we saw was just so cool it made it worth it.

            I can’t talk about Italy without talking about the food we ate there. Some meals were better than others, but I had some of the best Italian food that I have ever had. Pasta with a good sauce seems so simple, but they definitely know how to do it better than I ever could at home or get it anywhere else.

            Overall the weekend was extremely tiring with the hot weather and people everywhere, but we without a doubt needed the full three day weekend there to see everything we wanted to see. We didn’t even get to see all of the major tourist attractions, such as the Sistine Chapel. I would definitely like to go back again some day but focus more on the other parts of Italy that are not so touristy. 

Week 5: Cologne Zoo, University Clinics, Bingen, and Rheinfels Castle

            This week was not one in which a multitude of information was learned, but still one that I was able to experience some of my favorite parts of the program. The week started with a tour of the Cologne Zoo. I legitimately think that we were the oldest people there who weren’t parents and even though I am a 20 year-old college student, I will never outgrow the zoo.We got to go on a “behind the scenes” tour of the zoo itself, getting to feed giraffes, seeing where the elephants are trained, and seeing where and what exactly all of the animals eat. It was unlike any other zoo I have ever been to in that most of the animal exhibits felt open to the public, almost as though some of the animals could freely escape if they wanted to. This obviously wasn’t the case and was the result of careful planning, but definitely enhances the experience of anyone who visits the zoo.

            The next day we got to go to the University Clinics at the Bonn University Medical School and view live surgery. This was something that I was initially apprehensive about never having seen a live surgery before, but it was incredibly cool and made me possibly want to explore a career in medicine instead of just strictly engineering. I was put with an anesthesiologist who worked in the orthopedics section of the OR. Being with the anesthesiologist, he explained everything that he had to monitor within each patient and showed me throughout the surgeries different adjustments that he was making in order to make sure the patient was still under anesthesia and not in pain. The first surgery I got to experience was a 16 year old girl who was having plates and pins removed from her hips which had been placed there a few years previously to help her femurs aligned properly. The coolest part of this surgery was being able to see the holes in the bone where the pins had been put in. The second surgery was with an older lady who had a badly dislocated shoulder. One minute they were opening her open up and the next they were sawing part of her bone off in order to put an implantation in. This surgery is the one that absolutely baffled me, because it reached a point where the surgeons did not know how to properly put in the implantation. They hammered and hammered, presumably forcing a piece of the implant into her shoulder socket, but then stood there with her arm literally almost completely dislocated from her body talking to a person from the implantation company on the phone figuring out what to do. I had to leave though before they resumed the surgery (which hopefully ended with a successful implant). That was seriously one of the coolest experiences not only of the program, but of my entire life.

            On Wednesday we went to Bingen, where we got to see the museum of Hildegard von Bingen, of whom we had a lecture about from Dr. Wasser the day before. She was a very interesting and impressive woman, and getting to experience the garden and descriptions of what and how she used to utilize certain plants for healing made it an enriching experience. The museum itself was entertaining as well, featuring some of her music and drawings of her visions among other things. Following that, we went on a cruise on the Rhine River, which exhibited the utter beauty and rich history of the Rhineland.  There are castles all along the river and we got to stop at one of them named Rheinfels Castle to take a tour of it. It was well preserved, and we got to see secret tunnels, the dungeon, and a humongous storage room, which had all been used when the castle was occupied. Best of all was the view from the top of the castle though, in which you could see much of the beautiful landscape surrounding the castle. I definitely would not have minded being able to live in the castle and getting to experience that view each and every day. 

Berlin

On Monday I woke up early, helped with breakfast and then me and my host mom rushed out the door with a quick goodbye because we were both running a bit late. At about 2 pm those of us leaving from Bonn made it to Berlin, unloaded all of our luggage at the hotel and then all of us headed over to take a bus your of the city. It was my first or second favorite bike tour since Norderney is high up on the list as well. Our tour guide was from Wales and was fun with the stories that he told along the way. The best thing during the bus tour was hearing how much history is centered in Berlin. All of the stories were very interesting and either made me wish I knew more or made me more aware of how much I didn't know. The weather was perfect for a ride at the beginning, but after a while into the journey a cold front blew through. Luckily it was kind enough to not rain until we made it back to the bike shop. For dinner all I wanted was something hearty and warm so we found a restaurant that had some of the best German food I've had so far. I ate way too much, but it was wonderful. My favorite days of the rest of the week were Tuesday and Friday. Tuesday we visited the Reistag building which is where Germany's parliament gathers. Their work offices are connected to this building with underground tunnels. The outside of the government building is the old facade while the inside is very modern and built with glass and metal to convey the symbolic idea of transparency within the parliament. The most memorable part of Tuesday, though, was our visit to Sachsenhausen, a concentration camp. Friday was an awesome morning that made us all feel like kids in a candy store or toy store. We went to take a tour of the Otto Bock company museum. This company began in Germany and moved to America in the 1950s and it works on the development and production of prosthetic limbs.They also designed a device that fixes the drop-foot gait of some stroke victims. The museum was three floors and each floor had a theme and fun displays that were interactive so that we could play with them. On the first floor, there were displays related to our senses. There was a very disproportionate looking statue whose features were actually proportionate based on how many nerves were there. For example, the creature had a very small back with a large head and huge lips and hands. If you were to lightly poke yourself on the back with two needles, you would only feel one prick while if you poked yourself on a finger or on your lip, you would be able to count the two separate contact points. Next we got to play with an interactive video game that tested reaction times of grabbing different falling items. The second floor was related to the mechanics of how we move. This floor mainly consisted of a dark room that had screens projected onto tables. The screens had buttons that you could push to learn about different parts of the body such as ligaments, bones, and muscles. One projection had a place to put your arm and hand onto the table and then muscles, bones, nerves, and ligaments would be projected directly onto your arms so that it appeared that you had lost your skin. It surprised me at first but was really cool. Another screen compared the walking and running gaits of a man with and without a prosthetic leg. On the third floor, we found a showcase of the company's devices. There were two legs, one newer version and one older version. The most amazing thing about both of these is how unique they are for each person. The foot attachment can be changed, as can the knee to adjust to different levels and types of activities such as walking versus snowboarding. In addition, the place at which the prosthetic is attached to a person is molded for them and held in place with a vacuum. There was also a display of a prosthetic hand that could grasp objects more easily and gracefully than a claw type prosthetic hand. Another interactive game type display sat you in a wheelchair that was hooked up to a video screen of an animated recreation of a plaza near the museum. Its purpose was to test your skills at operating a chair and to demonstrate how minor obstacles for most walking people can mean the end of a journey for someone in a wheelchair. Overall, it was a really fun and worthwhile museum to visit.

The Long Weekend

Friday morning I woke up very early at 5:45 to catch the 7:14 train to Heidelberg. Once there I went up the cable car that leads to the castle and I purchased a tour ticket so that I could see the inside. Unfortunately, on the cable car ride up I met a minorly creepy guy who asked enough questions to make me uneasy since I was on my own this weekend. I told him that I was meeting family at the top of the ride and promptly said goodbye to him and found a blond family to follow around for a while. I really enjoyed the castle tour since some of the rooms of the ruins were still in tact. Some, of course, had been repaired and redecorated by different architects, but being within completed castle walls was awesome. The tour guide told us the story that when people were invited to visit the resident of the castle it was common and polite to bring gifts. Therefore, the mote area of the caste which was eventually filled with dirt and then surrounded with a new wall was filled with a few lions from time to time. Just imagine waking up in the mornings and looking outside your window at your own personal zoo. I'm not really sure how I would feel about that, but I know it's not something I will ever experience. The next morning I woke up early again to visit the last parts of Heidelberg that I missed the first time or wanted to see again. I wanted to make sure that I had seen all of the sights on my list so there were not any regrets or wishes to have changed what I did. Walking around in the morning was also much nicer because the streets were not so crowded and moving was possible. In the early afternoon I hopped on another train headed to Rudesheim. Once I got there I was faced with the problem of finding my hostel. I followed my very blurry map as best I could, and Google Maps said it would only be a 20 minute walk so I wasn't worried. However, as soon as I made my way from the train station past the largest town streets, I reached a mountain. From the maps I could see that the town runs lengthwise along the river. What I learned very quickly was that the reason the town does not go further into the land is because the giant steep hill covered in a vineyard is in the way. Based on my map, the hostel was somewhere in the middle of this vineyard quite a ways up the hill. What I also learned is that Google maps does not take into account the land's topography in its calculated walking times. Thus my 20 minute walk turned into a 40 minute hike and stair climbing exercise. I did meet a nice lady at a three way fork in my path who helped me choose the correct windy path up the mountain. Once I committed to the fact that I was going to have to climb this thing it was not so bad. Whenever I needed to take a break, turning around rewarded me with one of the most gorgeous views of the river I have ever seen. That made it worth all the effort. After checking in, I went into town to explore. The next day, Sunday, I hiked across the mountain to St. Hildegarde's abbey and attended church there. The nuns sit in a side section of the church so that they cannot be seen by visitors. They sang the most beautiful songs I have heard a choir sing. These songs were some of Hildegarde's compositions and were still read out of a hymnal in which the music is written down in an old form that has only four lines on a staff and none of the usual note symbols that we have today.

Our Last Week in Bonn

This last week was much shorter and more relaxed in comparison to the week that proceeded it. On Monday, we spent the morning on a guided tour of the Cologne zoo. It was the most fun and most unique trip to the zoo I have ever had. I fed a giraffe, scratched the whiskers under his chin, and saw his skinny long black tongue. Did you know that giraffes like bananas? I was completely unaware of that but I'm also not sure I ever considered a giraffe's diet before. I guess I never thought it varied much past the leaves on trees and maybe grass. We also got to see behind the scenes of the elephant enclosure. We saw some of their food and medicines and the tools the elephant caretakers use to train and work on the animals' feet. It was amazing learning all of what is necessary to house such large and potentially dangerous animals. We also got to visit the zoo kitchen including a giant refrigerator, freezer, and a well-stocked pantry. After visiting the zoo, we had the rest of the day free to explore the city. I think we must have all been a little homesick because we were determined to go to a burrito shop for lunch since we had learned that the owner who works there was from Texas. Luckily, we were not at all disappointed; the burritos were excellent. Wednesday was a day I had been looking forward to since the beginning of the trip. We took a cruise down the Rhine and toured the ruins of a castle in St. Goar. The castle was so much fun to explore and had so many awesome stories in its past. I really wanted more time to look around there than was provided by the guided tour. I kept finding new places that I needed to see more closely and there just wasn't time. The most exciting part of the entire tour was exploring the old mine tunnels that ran underneath the castle and castle grounds. Some of the tunnels were tall, but others were stuffy and required that I bend almost in half to navigate them. Thankfully, I'm not at all claustrophobic otherwise it would have been a big problem. Oddly enough, there is only one entry and exit to these paths. All of the rest of the branches are dead ends, so if you get lost, eventually after trying every tunnel, you will find your way out into the daylight again. On Wednesday, we also went to the Hildegarde museum. The day before we had a lecture on her life so that we were prepared. She was very intriguing to me for a reason I cannot quite place. Hildegarde wrote books on herbal medicine based on visions that she had. She also wrote music and even started her own abbey. This was a surprising feat for a woman of her time because starting a new abbey means that the girls and their dowry are no longer always going to the abbey that Hildegarde first belonged to. It took some of the revenue away from the first church and other leaders would not be happy with that.

Week In Berlin

So The last week in the program is completed and over with! I will make this short.
     The most memorable event of Berlin was my trip to the victory tower, the trip to the concentration camp, and the dinner on the last night.
     To start with the victory tower, I saw this on the bus tour and I saw this statue and it amazed me how beautiful it looked! I told myself I HAVE TO go see this! So I went to the statue and walked up. the midsection showed a story of Germania the warrier woman who embodies Germany. I then walked to the top which was a good exercise. When I got to the top I saw an amazing view of the city in 360 degrees. I then walked back down and went into the park and took something of a nap in the middle of it.
    The trip to SH (Sachsanhausen) was very interesting. This was my first time going into a concentration  camp. It felt like history was alive there and it felt strang watching the gate that said work makes you free as I walked passed it. Basically I was very shocked at how much pain and suffering they put these people threw. I did not know that SH would be in such low condition. The day was a very interesting day for me.
    Lastly the goodbye dinner was nice. I went in and was suprised at how mediocre the resturant was as a I walked in. The resturant appeared to be more like a common resturant vs. how fancy it was described as but the food was delicious. I very much enjoyed the food and I loved it. I am happy we got to go. I felt sad leaving my family there...
     some final notes. I am so greatful for dr. wasser on this trip. He was very informative and made the trip a lot of fun. My favorite place was norderny. Thank you for everything and goodnight

Week 6-Part 2

Our week in Berlin was a busy one. On Monday we did a bike tour of the city. Our tour guide was entertaining and I enjoyed learning about Berlin since it is such a historically important city. I was a little bit nervous biking in the city, but it did allow us to see a lot of the city. Amongst the many places we visited along our tour were the place where Hitler’s bunker was, the main government buildings, and the Jewish holocaust memorial. My favorite part of the tour was visiting Checkpoint Charlie and seeing parts of the Berlin wall. It was a powerful experience to see these things for ourselves instead of just reading about them. On Tuesday we first visited the Reichstag government building. I really liked the architecture of the building that holds the offices of the government officials. It was very impressive and modern. After the Reichstag, we went to the Sachsenhausen concentration camp memorial. This was a powerful, humbling experience. It is one thing to hear about the atrocities committed in concentration camps, but it is entirely different to see the memorial in person. It was sickening to imagine the fear and pain that so many people endured at the hands of the Nazi regime. I found it very difficult to imagine how human beings could commit such terrible crimes against humanity.

On Wednesday we visited the Charite learning center and museum. At the learning center, some of the medical students informed us about the system of students helping other students. We had the opportunity to put on a suit that simulated being old and also experienced a tremor simulator. It was quite comical to see our classmates trying to sign their names with shaking hands. We also have their intubation simulation a try and identified lung and heart problems on fake patients. I thought it was neat that they had all of these resources to use for learning. Next we visited the Charite museum. Our tour guide there was great, and we got so see some very interesting anatomical specimens and exhibits.

Thursday took us on a short train ride over to Leipzig for the day. First we visited the KFH kidney center. We learned a little bit about the center and about kidney problems and treatments. After that we visited the Pharmacy museum, where we learned a little bit about homeopathy and the history of pharmaceutical products and tools. Finally we took a walking city tour. This day trip to Leipzig was not my favorite excursion, but I did think Leipzig was a nice city with an interesting city. Finally on Friday we visited the Otto Bock center, which was really cool. I loved how interactive the exhibits were and the concept of movement that the museum was based on. I was amazed by the prosthetic products on display. The bionic leg that we saw was incredibly sophisticated and looked like something out of transformers. I was most amazed by the video they had of someone who had a new technology that allowed him to use mind control to move his prosthetic arm. This was one of my favorite places that we visited.

I can’t believe we are about to get on a plane to go back to the states already. Our time here in Europe has flown by, and it’s a bittersweet goodbye. This study abroad has been the best decision in my college career so far, and I will definitely encourage others to give it a try. Experiencing different cultures was a wonderful experience, one that I think everyone should partake in if they can. The most surprising thing about this trip and the most rewarding has been the people we have met, including those within our study abroad group. We all have a whole new group of friends that have shared our experiences and seen each other at our best and worst. Our time here would not have been possible without a great professor too. It would not have been the same without Dr. Wasser as our professor. The AIB was a great organization to be in league with as well. Olivia was a fantastic coordinator, and we couldn’t have done it without her. All in all, this was a wonderful experience and I am so glad that I decided to study abroad in Germany. 

Roma

            We have been extremely busy in Rome.  We’ve been getting up early every morning and staying out till late.  After waking up on Friday morning, one of Sam’s friends took us to see four of the basilicas, but first things first.  We needed some breakfast.  He took us to this pastry shop where eighteen pastries was just over five euros.  There is nothing like starting the day with cheap pastries in Rome.  We then saw St. Peter’s.  The line to get into the Vatican was intimidating at first, but it moved quickly.  Waiting in line was more like taking a leisurely stroll.  Entering St. Peter’s, I was in awe.  There was just too much too see in the short amount of time I had to see it.  Thankfully, I did get to see everything, and walk through the tombs.  The whole church was very impressive and beautiful.  From there, we went to St. Mary’s, St. John’s, and St. Paul’s outside the walls.  In St. John’s I was surprised to see that someone had thrown a one thousand dollar bill into St. John’s burial place.  Now that’s faith!  St. Paul’s was also really cool.  It had a picture of every pope around the wall, and I think it was St. John’s that had a statues for each apostle.  We finished off the day with a traditional Italian five course meal.  I barely made it through one.  Going out to dinner in Italy is not just a meal.  It is an event.  They usually don’t start eating until nine!

            The next day, we woke up, went to same pasty shop, and climb up St. Peter’s Cupola.  It was our exercise for the weekend.  From the top, we could see all around the Vatican and all over Rome.  We then went into the Vatican museum.  The Vatican museum had everything you could imagine.  There was even a museum inside dedicated to stamps, and another one dedicated to maps.  My favorite parts though were the Sistine Chapel and the rooms that led up to it.  I was amazed by Raphael’s work in the Stanze di Raphaello, rooms of Raphael.  He had talent.  Pictures of the Sistine Chapel don’t do it justice.  It amazes me that only one man painted everything.  My neck still hurts from looking at the ceiling for thirty minutes straight.  I can also still hear the guard saying, “Silence please” and shushing much louder than anybody was talking.  We spent most of the day in the Vatican.  We had lunch there, and we had walked about five miles without sitting looking at all the amazing collections.  Afterward, I took a much needed nap.  For dinner that night, I actually made it through more than one course.  I ate the bread appetizer.  By the way, the bread was delicious! I then ate my premi, and then my secondi.  I then finished every one else’s plate, washed it down with some delicious white wine followed by the best tiramisu I have ever had the pleasure of putting in my mouth. 

            On Sunday, we headed straight to the Coliseum.  I may or may not have dropped (accidently of course) my water bottle in the middle, where I would have been kicked out and probably arrested if I chased after it.  For the record, I felt bad for littering.  From the Coliseum, we went to the Forums to see the ruins and explore the old market place.  There was a flipbook in the Coliseum showing the ruins and what they would have looked like during the Roman Empire.  It was cool to see just that.  Afterwards, we grabbed a bite to eat at Pastamor. It was hands down the worst Italian food I have ever had.  Yes, even worse than the Common’s pasta on campus.  Thankfully we washed it down with the best gelato I have ever had.  Anyway, after eating whatever that meal was, we took a short walk to the Pantheon.  The pantheon was magnificent.  I found the curvature of the floor pretty cool.  They designed it to drain water from rainfall.  A couple of us went into an official wine store on our way back from the pantheon, and we did some wine tasting.  Needless to say, I felt classy. 

            We had another Italian meal that night, and since I had been wanting some lasagna, I ordered some.  It was heavenly.  I have never and probably will never have lasagna that good again.  Even Garfield, being a lasagna connoisseur, probably never had lasagna that tasty.  Then for my secondi, I had some chicken cognac, also delicious.  We are off to Berlin in the morning, and I am not ready for it to be my last week.  On one hand, I feel like we just got here, and on the other, I feel like Rainer’s tour around Bonn was a year ago.  Either way, I am still not ready to go home.  

Week 5.5 – The End

It has finally come; this is my last blog from Germany. We just recently had our last dinner together and now have gone our separate ways. Most of us will go home, but a few will stay for a few more days on our own. I’m part of the second group and I still have mixed feelings about it. This week for the most part was a very interesting one. For our last week we were in Berlin, which was a great city to end our program on.

Monday we arrived midday from Rome. It was definitely a great relief to be back in Germany because Italy was terrible. The Italian people were rude and unhelpful. To start off our final week we had our traditional city tour, which was the best one out of all of them. I think it was mostly interesting because Sion was a great tour guide who actually tried to make his tour enjoyable. Also, the fact that we were in Berlin and had significant things to see helped a lot too.

Tuesday was split in half, as far as fun and interesting went. The Reichstag tour for the most part was extremely boring. The only thing that saved it was the Parliament room and the glass dome. Our tour guide spoke too softly and only showed us three main things. The rest of her tour was about how things used to be and not what changed and physically left behind. However, the Sachsenhausen concentration camp was very insightful and interesting. It was amazing to hear and see what the Nazis did to people in those camps. Most of the stuff was terrible to the point of being overly morally wrong. I don’t know how some of the guards and soldiers could live with themselves after the stuff they did to other people. I think the worse thing I saw was in the basement of the medical barracks. There was a room used as a dissecting area, which was later changed into a kitchen. Just the thought of that is horrible. When I first heard everything it was astonishing, but when I left it finally hit me and became a little depressing realizing what they put the people through.

Wednesday was another fun day. We visited the Medical Learning Center and got to play with some of the simulators they had and actually learn. After leaving the center I now know what it feels like to have a tremor and how to intubation on a model. If I decide to go to medical school I hope a center like that exists at my school because it seemed to be very useful and practical. After the learning center we moved down the street to the museum, which was small. However, again the guide added to the experience by being a well-spoken and interesting person. You could tell he enjoyed his job by how he explained the information to us. At one point I think he was a little too happy about his job. He was too excited to tell us about the bladder stone removal than he should have been. The last thing of the day was a lecture by Dr. Wasser over Rudolf Virschow.  It was rough getting through that last lecture because we knew how close to the end we were, but the information itself was fascinating as usual.

Thursday was probably the biggest waste of time every. I did not enjoy this day at all. I would have rather had a free day in Berlin then go back there. The kidney center was more of a tour of the buildings then it was of the clinics themselves. I think that was the worst designed hospital I’ve seen. They had rolling beds traveling between buildings and through basement tunnels. Just the kidney center was in three buildings connected by tunnels and other poorly designed walkways. Then came the pharmacy museum. I thought the Beethoven house was small until I went to this place. The entire museum was in three small rooms with a couple cases in each. I think the highlight of the museum was when we go to make tea and play with the pill press. I’m almost entirely sure I didn’t retain anything worthwhile from that place. The final nail in the coffin was the city tour. Taking a tour of Leipzig is like taking a tour of Bryan. There was about four main buildings to see and all in a one mile, if that far, radius of the center. At the end of the day Leipzig had no chance in my book because of the lack of worthwhile things.

Friday was our last day of program and for some the last day in Germany. However, it ended on a great note thanks to the Otto Bock center. It was a beautiful and futuristic place. Otto Bock is the leading manufacture of prosthetic limbs, which is exactly the type of business I want to get into. The museum was only three stores, but it had an artistic feel to it so that its sparse layout didn’t matter. It was just beyond words to explain for me, that’s how much I liked and enjoyed it. When dinnertime came around we all dressed up for our last meal together. We all had a delicious Moroccan dish, talked about how we first met, and everything we liked on the program. It was a wonderful and sad time for all of us. We knew it was time to go back home to the States, but we also knew we would miss our second home in Germany.

It truly has been a wonderful time studying abroad, learning about Germany medical history, and visiting many historical places. It has been a life changing experience for me and it’s thanks to a great professor and program coordinator. Dr. Wasser and Olivia did a fantastic job being our mentors for the last six weeks. Without them this program wouldn’t exist, so they deserve a lot of credit for all the things we did. Dr. Wasser, you are an amazing professor, role model, mentor, and encyclopedia. Thank you for everything you have done. Olivia, thank you for being the worlds best scheduler and coordinator because without you we definitely would’ve been lost multiple times, as well as not have tickets for anything.  

Well, Germany I’ve had a great time and I hope some day I get to come back and experience even more that you have to offer. However, the States are calling me back and it’s about time I answer and head back home. Thanks for the great life experience…

Week 6-Part 1

When I think of ultimate sightseeing vacation destination, I think of Rome. I had always wondered whether Rome was truly as fantastic a place to visit as I always thought. I am very pleased to say it was. On Friday morning, we met up with a friend of Samantha’s. He works for a university in Dallas and had just moved to Rome to work at their study abroad campus in Rome. I don’t know what we would have done without him. He did a great job of welcoming us to Rome and making sure we saw everything we could our first day.

Our main undertaking for the day was to visit the four major basilicas of the Catholic church. But first, we had to try some real Italian cappuccinos. It was the most delicious cappuccino I have ever had. The first church we visited was St. Peter’s Basilica within the Vatican. It is believed that this structure sits directly above the burial site of St. Peter. Its architecture is that of the Renaissance, and pictures could not do it justice. It has a beautiful façade surrounded by St. Peter’s square, and the inside is even more stunning. We also visited the tombs, which were also very beautiful. Many important people were buried in these tombs, including 91 popes, the Holy Roman Emperor Otto II, and many more. The second basilica we visited was St. John Lateran, which is the seat of the Bishop of Rome. It is the oldest of the four, and I thought was just as impressive as St. Peter’s. Next we visited St. Mary Major, which is the largest Catholic Marian church in Rome. Again I found it absolutely breathtaking. After grabbing some of the cheapest and most delicious pizza I have ever had, we visited the last basilica, St. Paul Outside the Walls, which was my favorite. It had a very unique façade, preceded by a courtyard complete with palm trees. After our extremely busy day we walked along the river to dinner at a genuine Italian restaurant in a less touristy part of town. We learned quickly that going out to eat in Italy is an event, not just the simple act of eating some food at a restaurant. The meal took us two and a half hours, and many of us didn’t even make it past the second course because it was so much food.   It was delicious, as was all of the tons of gelato we ate throughout the weekend.

After I spent the whole day sleeping on Saturday, it was time for round two on Sunday. On Sunday we tackled the major must-sees of Rome, starting with the Coliseum. It was really interesting to see the labyrinth of passageways and structures that lay beneath the actual floor that the audience could see. It was amazing how much of the structure was still standing, and you could really get a feel for what it might have been like to be a spectator in the Coliseum as you walked around and read the various informational boards. They also had an area with a number of artifacts related to Roman royalty, gladiators, and the like that were really neat. Next we headed next door to the Roman forums, which was basically the city center of Roman public life. Many of the structures around the forum are still standing and many are recognizable, which I think is incredible since the ruins are so old. After a quick lunch break we visited the pantheon, which now stands as a Catholic church. It was a little strange standing in the completely circular structure with its huge dome. Finally we had our last big Italian meal and visited the Trevi fountain after dark. It was beautiful all lit up.

On Monday morning, it was off to Berlin for our final week in Europe. Rome was a great weekend, and I definitely wouldn’t mind visiting it again someday. It was very touristy which was kind of exhausting, so it was not somewhere I would like to stay for a long period of time. Can’t believe we are heading into our last week. Tschüss!

When in Rome!

For the long weekend, I headed to Rome for three packed days of sightseeing and adventures.  We started early Friday morning, heading to four of the main basilicas of Rome.  A friend of Sam’s who is working as a study abroad coordinator in Rome led us throughout the city.  It was so nice to have someone who knew where they were going!  All the Basilicas were magnificent.  You grow up hearing about the Vatican and beautiful sights such as St. Peter’s and the Sistine Chapel.  It was a very humbling experience to see all these places and all the history that is there.  The beauty and size of these places are incredible, and their age and impact on history is hard to grasp.  We ended the day with a delicious Italian meal.  The food, wine, and company were all fantastic.  On Saturday, a few of us took a train to Florence for the day.  The city was much more crowded than we had anticipated!  We waited in line for almost two hours to see Michelangelo’s statue of David.  Although the wait was long, it was really neat to get to see the statue in person.  It was much bigger than I had expected.  Also in the museum were several of Michelangelo’s unfinished sculptures.  It was interesting to see how he carved out the image he was trying to create.  Then we walked around and tried to take in the city.  Florence is busy and full of tourist, but there is a different atmosphere than that in Rome.  We walked down the river and ate gelato, listening to the music and looking at all the street vendors.  Then we headed back to Rome for the evening.  Once back in Rome, we headed to the Coliseum and Trevi Fountain.  Both of these sights are beautiful at night, and I loved walking around that part of the city.  On Sunday, we all went to tour the inside of the Coliseum.  It was really neat to walk around and try to envision what the Coliseum has been like in the past.  We then went and toured the Forums.  The Forums are a group of ancient Roman ruins.  It’s hard to wrap my mind around how long these ruins have been there.  Our last stop of the day was the Pantheon.  Once again, I was amazed by the art and sculptures found inside the ancient Roman temple.  We ended our last day in Rome with another great Italian meal, and another trip to the Trevi Fountain.  We all tossed a coin and made a wish, taking in our last night in the city.  The next morning, we headed to the airport bright and early for one last stop before heading home! 

Amsterdam.

            So Amsterdam was interesting to say the least.  We wandered around the city Friday night and met a high Canadian guy who just finished taking a joyride in a stolen paddleboat.  We talked to him for a little while before heading back to the hostel to get a couple hours of sleep before heading to the Anne Frank House.  The city of Amsterdam was busy putting up the final decorations for the gay pride parade while we waited in line to walk through Anne Frank’s house.  We had woken up at 6:30 a.m. so we didn’t have to wait in the long line.  We arrived to the house around 8:15, we were about fifteenth in line, and we waited for the museum to open.  The tour took us through Otto Frank’s office and other various rooms in the building in order to give us background information and prepare us for what was ahead.  Then we walked through the infamous wooden bookcase into the annex where the Franks lived.  I was actually surprised by the size of the annex.  I felt as though the Gestapo should have been able to figure out that there was a whole section of the office building with no apparent way in or out and that there may be someone hiding in it.  It is impressive that they stayed hidden for so long.  After the Franks were found, all of their possessions were stolen.  Otto decided to keep it that way to represent the despair caused by the Nazis.  I could feel that emptiness in the house, and I felt the depression that went along side it.  Leaving the museum, we saw getting up early was a great choice. The line was a whole block long.  We walked by what seemed like the endless line of people toward the hostel, and I had a bacon and cheese pancake for lunch.

            We then went to the Rijksmuseum.  The museum was monstrous so there was no way I was going to see every thing.  I saw an exhibit of old guns and swords followed by a room of old instruments, which I loved, and then I browsed the art rooms.  Wilson and I left the museum early to get a second lunch, but stopped to watch the self-claimed greatest street performers in Amsterdam.  They were a group of charismatic dancers that were actually pretty good.  They performed in front of the I Amsterdam sign. Afterwards, we grabbed some lunch, met up with the rest of the gang, and made our way to the gay pride parade.  Many free spirits lined the canals and took part in the parade.  The music was loud, and I had quite a bit of fun dancing.  After watching the parade, we made our way to Vondell Park, where Rock and I had an intense handstand competition, and I climbed a tree.  We hung out there for a couple of hours before getting some pizza for dinner.  I then went straight to my bed and crashed.  I was so tired after only sleeping for a couple of hours the night before, but the next morning I woke up refreshed and ready to go.  We checked out, wandered the city, and went to the Heineken Factory.  We only went into the gift shop, but we got a Heineken next door.  I wouldn’t call myself a Heineken fan, but it was cold so I liked it. 

            The final thing that surprised me about Amsterdam was the amount of trash that lined the streets.  It was really dirty, but that might have been due to the two million people that came into town for the parade.   Now we’re back to Bonn.  I haven’t seen my host family since leaving for Vienna, and I’m excited to go to my German home.