Week 4!

After week three was full of adventures, cancelled trains, and traveling, week four was very relaxing. I enjoyed class this week and I loved learning about the huge role women played in the history of medicine. It was refreshing to hear about important women when history is usually based around the roles of men. My favorite lecture this week was the one given by Reagan, my favorite part being our discussion at the end. As young women pursuing a variety of careers in the medical field, I think it’s important to understand the hardships of women in the past and how their struggles have given us the opportunities we have today. 

I also thoroughly enjoyed the Johann Winter museum. It was so cool to see how intricate some of the procedures in antiquity were especially with their lack of technology. I usually don’t think of these civilizations as capable to perform medical procedures but after seeing evidence of trepanation in the Roman Civilization and even earlier, I now think these civilizations are much more intelligent and complex than I thought. They had a greater understanding of the human body than what I once thought.

It was also intriguing to see how fast things have changed in recent years. Within the last 50 to 60 years, technology in the medical field has vastly increased and is continuing to change. It was so cool to see how machines we still use today looked so different when they were first invented in the 70s and 80s. 

This weekend I traveled to Brussels, I had no expectations other than I just wanted to have a fun time and that I did! We did a pub crawl Saturday night and I was surprised by how many people in the medical field I met. I met multiple people studying biomedical engineering, one of which does research in orthopedics so me and him had fun talking about our research projects! 

I’m excited to travel to Vienna! I can’t wait for the Freud museum. I learned some about him in high school and I’ve always been intrigued by his thought process and how drastically he messed up the psychiatric field while still bringing awareness to it. 

Week 4

 I can’t believe we have already finished our fourth week in Bonn. It feels like time has flown by. I enjoyed learning about WWII history at the Remagen bridge on Monday. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and passionate, which made the experience much more compelling. This week was full of good food. The Spanish tapas at the aib dinner party were amazing. I especially loved the bacon wrapped dates. I also tried pork schnitzel for the first time. Honestly, I was surprised by how much I liked it. It was very similar to chicken fried steak in my opinion. 

This weekend Ava and I went to Salzburg, Austria. I was not expecting Salzburg to be such a pretty town, but it was beautiful. We went hiking outside of the city and enjoyed the view from a mountain top restaurant. We took a ski lift up the mountain and rode the mountain coaster down. It was so fun and the view was amazing. We saw different sights from The Sound of Music at the Hotel Schloss Leopoldskron and Mirabell Gardens. 

This week was definitely my favorite so far, and I can’t wait to visit Vienna this week! 

Tschuss

Week 4 in Germany

 

Hi guys!!!

I can’t believe it’s already past week four. This week was very chill in Bonn, but so cool to so much history this week! We went to remagen, andernach, and bingen! 

This week we learned the beauty of rewe and hot easy it is to get good lunch there! I’m going to miss that place and their sushi. 

This weekend we met our friends in Salzburg and it was so pretty there. We went to the top of the mountain and then rode a little rollercoaster down it and it was so fun! We also snuck into the hotel where they filmed some of the sound of music which was beautiful. Overall Salzburg was a 10/10 and my favorite place I’ve been to so far. I’m so excited to go back to Austria on Tuesday! I’ll tell y’all all about it next week!! Bye!!!

-Ava Brown

Week 4: Bonn and Brussels!!

 Hi everyone!

This week was a really good week packed full of classes and some other activities. We had an AiB summer party where we got to bring our host families on Wednesday. My host mom really enjoyed it and it was a lot of fun. On Friday, we went on a study trip to Bingen and Andernach and got to go to two really cool museums. My favorite museum was the one in Andernach that we stopped at last. It was a lot of medical tools and history and I found a lot of the displays to be very interesting.

After our study trip, a few of my friends and I went to Brussels for the weekend! Brussels was so so much fun and we really enjoyed our time there. Our train got canceled both on the way there and the way back so that sucked but we figured it out and got to where we needed to be. In Brussels, we went to the Atomium and that was really cool to see and there was a lot of lights on the inside and then we took the elevator all the way up to the top to see the beautiful view.  We also went on a pub crawl on Saturday night in Brussels and it was a lot of fun, we got to meet new friends and experience the city at night while in a big group! On Sunday morning,

we had a chocolate tour and also got to make chocolates. Our guide showed us all around the best chocolate shops and we got some tasty samples of course and then we went and got to make our own chocolate, the whole experience was a lot of fun and I would definitely recommend. Brussels was a beautiful city and we had such a good time there this weekend.

I can't wait for next week with our trip to Vienna coming up so soon and after Vienna my friends and I are going to Zurich so we are really excited for that as well.

Thanks for reading!!

Week 4 in Bonn

 Week 4 !

This week was a nice week to stay in Bonn. Kendall and I had a picnic at Rhein Aue Park and I got to spend a lot of time reading. Wednesday had a fun AiB party where we ate delicious tapas it was great. On Friday we took a class trip to Bingen where we explored the Hildegard van Bingen museum. I loved walking through the garden and getting an insight to how her garden might have looked. Then we visited Andernach and my favorite museum of the trip yet. It was a medicine museum that housed many ancient medical tools and we got to walk through time with medicine and see in person all that we have learned about in class. I am getting a little homesick for a few certain things but I am still excited for my two weeks I have left here in Europe. This next week I will be in 3 countries !!

Week 4

 Week four has ended and I can’t believe we’re already at two weeks left. I’m getting excited to go home and see many family and friends. 

I really enjoyed learning about Hildegard of Bingen this past week. She was a pioneer of her time and an excellent role model. I enjoyed visiting the museum in Bingen about her. 

This weekend I had a very good time in Düsseldorf shopping and eating! On Sunday, I visited Beethoven Haus and attended the Classic Picnic and listened to the Beethoven Orchestra. 

I am very much looking forward to visiting Vienna! I have heard many good things. 

Another Week in Bonn plus a weekend in Brussels!

 Once again we were sidetracked by the mf Deutsche Bahn! Before we had yet another terrible experience with the DB we had a really amazing and jam-packed week in Bonn.

This was our second full week in Bonn was filled with museums, monuments, and of course lots of classes! My favorite part of the week was definitely the Johann Winter Museum. It was super cool to see how many modern medical instruments have evolved over time! Working in EMS I have used many of the items seen in the museum and I don't even think twice about the development of these items so that was really eye-opening (and the Iron Lung was sooooooo coooool to see in real life). 

After a long week in Bonn, we took a weekend trip to Brussels! So far, Brussels has been my favorite city I have visited. Both times the DB canceled our direct train (not surprising) but we were determined to make it to Brussels ;). Even though we were only there for a short time we had so many amazing and unique experiences, meet a boatload of cool people, and made memories that will last a lifetime! 

I think this weekend in particular was really a turning point for me! This past year I have been so caught up in school and work and really burnt myself out trying to balance everything, I felt like I lost myself along the way, but this weekend I finally felt like myself again!

I am so grateful for every opportunity I have had thus far and I can't wait to experience the rest of our study abroad!

Bonn Breakdown Week 4

This week was one of the heaviest class weeks we've had in Bonn because we spent 3.5/5 school days in a classroom. It also doesn't help that it has gotten hotter this past week and Europeans neglect to acknowledge that AC can be a wonderful thing. I did really enjoy the things we learned in both pharmacology and history of medicine. In pharmacology we got to dive more into affective researching and how to find valuable sources. I found this incredibly helpful especially when it comes down to trying to find sources for a specific question. We also learned about how to form a PICO question for which we base our source search on. In history of medicine we learned about the healthcare systems in both the US and here and Germany. The lecture I found the most interesting was history of women in healthcare. Not just because it applies to our all women group, but also because I got to learn more about more badass women in history, especially Hildegard. I never knew who she was until Dr. Wasser's lecture on her. I always like to hear about a powerful, influential woman from history because they helped pave the way for what women can do now. They're also inspiring for me to want to also make an impact on future females in STEM because yes, we've made a lot of progress compared to 100 years ago, but there's still more that can be done. 

Our little field trip to Bingen and Andernach was really cool. The Hildegard Museum was really interesting but my favorite was the Johann Winter Museum. I loved seeing all the historical medical tools and the progression they had to what we have today. I also like museums with cool little oddities and trinkets like this museum had. The schnitzel we had in Andernach was also delicious along with the ice cream courtesy of AiB. 

My favorite part of this week was getting to visit Brussels over the weekend. Besides the fact that both our direct trains going to and from Brussels got cancelled (honestly think DB has a vendetta against us), once we got to Brussels, it was a blast. The first day we went to this amazing brunch spot that had savory waffles under eggs benedict which is literally the best brunch invention I think has ever been created because it was DELICIOUS! We then went to the Atomium which was really cool because it had these techno lights along with sci-fi music. Later that night we went on a bar crawl and got to meet a bunch of cool people while also getting some free drinks. We met 2 students from Georgia Tech, an Australian couple who were on their honey moon, and a girl from Hawaii who serves in the military and is based in Naples. It was fun to hang out with these people for a night and here a little bit about their lives. Our last thing we did in Brussels was a chocolate making and tasting tour where we got to go into a few chocolate shops and learn about what good chocolate is supposed to taste like while also getting to see a few historical landmarks of Brussels. We also made some of our chocolates to take home with us. I must say, Belgians know how to make good chocolate. 

Overall, this was a super fun week and I can't wait to experience this coming week because we're going to Vienna!! Tschüss und bis später!!

Week 4 Post

Week 4!! I can’t believe this program is almost over! This week I was happy to be back from the long weekend and go to class. My favorite lecture this week was the history of women in medicine. It was really neat to learn about influential women in medicine since we never really talk about women in history. The discussion after the lecture was pretty cool since it made me realize other girls have experienced similar things I have been through which just overall made me feel less alone. My favorite person we learned about this week was Hildegard (the notorious HVB). She is AMAZING and I had no clue who she was before the program, but I definitely will not forget who she is. 

I really enjoyed the study trip last Friday. Specifically, I really liked the Johann Winter Museum. It was really neat to see things we’ve learned in the classroom applied to at a museum. I specifically really liked seeing the old EKG machine, the plague attire, and the stroke mask we saw in the first room (not sure what to call it, but it looked really neat). Overall, it was really neat to see how some medical tools have not really changed. It’s neat to know that people perfected the tools we needed in the medical field a long time ago today (it just kinda blows my mind). Also, on the trip I tried schnitzel for the first time and it was AMAZING!

After the trip, Hannah and I went to Paris! Paris is a beautiful city and I can not wait to visit again. While we were there we visited the Notre Dame, St. Chapelle, the Louvre, and the Eiffel Tower. One thing I noticed on the trip/going to different art museums was how many details are in paintings. There were many religious paintings at the Louvre and I love applying what we have learned in the classroom about identifying the saints to the paintings. Anyways, I am excited to go to Vienna this week!

The Louve

Eiffel Tower

Hercules Statue in Louve

The Arc of Triumph

Bonn & Bingen & Andernach

 

I can't believe we just finished our fourth week here in Bonn and are going into our fifth week. Time flies when you're having fun. We toured Bingen and Andernach this week and went to the coolest museum of medicine. I had schnitzel for the first time since being here, and it was super yummy. Next week we're headed to Vienna! That will be country number four in five weeks. 

Tschüss for now!

Germany Week 4

This week was a restful week of classes and activities around, but was needed after a busy week of traveling. It was filled with interesting lectures, daily trips to nearby towns, and quality time with classmates. 

To start the week off, we began in Remagen where we visited the Peace Museum where the bridge used to be during World War I and II. Remagen was a beautiful little river town, with beautiful views of the hills and the quaint houses along the river. At the museum, we learned about the history of the bridge as it stood between both banks of Rhine serving as a connection for traveling trains. This bridge stood strong despite many efforts to demolish it, as it served as a strong point for whichever side of the war had control of it. Eventually, it collapsed on its own, but still serves as a symbol of peace and remembrance of those who lost their lives in Remagen during the war. 

Later on in the week, we had the summer party at AiB where everyone in an AiB program and their host families in Bonn were able to get together, hang out, and enjoy some food together. The whole night was peaceful and enjoyable, as everyone interacted and shared some quality time together. The tapas and yummy flan was the frosting on the cake too. 

At the end of the school week, we had a full day of traveling to Bingen and Andernach! Both of these towns had beautiful sights as they were surrounded by vineyards and along the Rhine. We started in Bingen where we finally got to see the famous Hildegard museum and Hildegarden. Learning about such an influential woman in medicine during class and being able to subsequently see a museum dedicated to her history and work was a unique and cool experience. There are so many things that women from the past have contributed to medicine as a whole, so honoring that and learning more about it is definitely rewarding, especially since this whole group consists of women. After Binge, we travelled to Andernach where we started with a yummy schnitzel lunch then made our way to the museum filled with historical medical equipment. This was such a cool museum to see because it shows just how much progress medicine has made in the last century. It is such a young profession in the grand scheme of things, and it really puts into perspective how much farther we have to grow in or knowledge of medicine and the human body. We finished the trip with some ice cream and headed home! 

For our free weekend, we decided to stay in Bonn and explore the area a bit more since we haven't had a full weekend at home. The weekend consisted of relaxation as we spent most of the day Saturday picnicking at the Rheinaue. Our last few weeks are flying by and approaching quickly, so I am trying to soak in all of our moments in Germany up. Though we are halfway through, I have enjoyed every second of travel, class days in Bonn, bonding with our host mom, and exploring all over Europe. Next up, Vienna and then Berlin!

Week 3 Travels!!!

    Last week we finally went to Norderney! I was very excited and a little nervous because Dr. Wasser has really hyped up this trip and I was excited to see the place that he speaks so highly about. We learned in class about the history of saunas and I was especially interested to see the Badehaus although I wasn't sure what to expect. 

    The highlights of this trip for me were going to the Badehaus and the mud flat hike! I have a lot of interest in holistic medicine such as what they do in the Badehaus since I started going to physical therapy and doing dry needling this year. I was surprised that this treatment worked better for me than other medicinal options I had tried and so I was very curious when we learned about the badehaus and the benefits of a sauna. 

    On the mud flat hike, we learned a lot about the wildlife that can be found in the mud such as worms and crustaceans. I have a minor in Ecology and Conservation Biology so I found this really interesting and I loved learning from our guide. I was uncomfortable stepping in the mud at first, but after some time I was able to get more comfortable. Unfortunately, I did get a large cut on the bottom of my foot from a clam, but overall it was a great experience!

    After Norderney, I went to Amsterdam with some friends! I was really excited to see the Van Gogh Museum and see the nightlife in the city. We also went to the Rijks Museum and saw lots of beautiful art! Some of my favorite parts of this excursion were the Van Gogh museum and also going on a cruise down the canal. I was a little surprised by the experience we had in Amsterdam due to the Red Light District and the kind of people that are attracted to see it. We also had quite an adventure on the train back to Bonn when our train got canceled halfway through the trip and we had to figure out how to get home from a random town where we were stranded.

    Overall, it was another great week! I loved the excursion with our group and was happy to travel independently with my friends!

Week 3: Norderney & Rome

Week 3 was jam-packed with traveling! We began with a study trip to the German island of Norderney, and I then travelled to Rome for a long weekend. This week was marked by immense trust in God as well as hilarious memories of joy.

Norderney

Norderney was such a fun trip. We travelled by bus and ferry to the quaint island, where wind and cool temperatures awaited. It is exactly what you would expect from a German island- German architecture near the beach! We went on bike rides around the island to observe the nature, a mud flat hike to examine sea organisms, and sunrise training excursions to the beach accompanied with a jump into the frigid North Sea! Near the end of our trip, we spend an afternoon at the baderhaus (spa). This was my favorite part of our trip. The baderhaus consisted of several types of pools with seawater ranging from hot to cold. We spent time in each pool and even got to have a mud treatment for skin health. It was so relaxing and peaceful. Trinity and I also got to attend mass in a cute church near our hostel. It was good fun.

Traveling to Rome 

This is when the chaos began. Our travel itinerary to get to Rome had close to eight different connections. We knew the plans would fall through at some point.. just not as soon as the first stop! The DB “fell asleep” for unknown reasons, causing us to miss our bus connection. Trinity and I frantically scrambled to figure out our next move. We asked a bus driver if the bus stopped near our next connection, and a kind man spoke to us in English and told us he could help. We followed him to the next stop in which we got on a train. This man helped us plan our next moves and had lovely conversation with us. His name was Bastian, and he was a tall Dutch man with piercing blue eyes. We kept joking that he was our hippie Jesus that led the way for us. 4 trains, a plane, and a taxi later, we arrived in Rome. Thank you Lord for guiding us!

Rome!

Rome was incredible. I have always wanted to travel to Italy, so it felt so surreal to finally make it there. Our room was lovely and had a beautiful terrace. We spent three days wandering around the city seeing ruins, the Pantheon, the Vatican!!!, the Sistine chapel, and countless other museums. We had soooo much gelato, pasta, pizza, and espresso. On our last night, Trinity and I went to a cooking class at an Italian woman’s home in which we made pasta and chocolate espresso truffles. We were meeting up with some friends afterwards, so we took an electric scooter to their location. Well.. we tried to. Long story short, we got lost, ended up on a highway, got back on the sidewalk near our friends destination, and hit a MASSIVE pothole and face planted on the ground. Trin took a worse hit than me because she was driving and chipped her tooth. All was well and nothing was broken.. but it was pretty hilarious! Her mouth was bleeding so she used my long skirt as a bandage to apply pressure. We looked pretty pathetic hahaha. We will never take another scooter ever again 🤣🤣🫶🏻

Week 03: Norderney - Amsterdam - Paris

 Lovely Memories in Norderney

Norderney...was weird, but only at first. The whole island resembled a scene straight out of Pleasantville with blue skies, clear streets, white picket fences, and not a single loud soul to behold. Everything looked perfect in an eerily way. However, I knew to put my discomfort aside and assimilate into the island as I knew I needed to. Everything deserves a chance after all!

From getting ice cream to going to the baddehaus, to painful aches after a scenic bike ride, to meeting the sweetest Vietnamese family ever on this trip to Norderney, I truly have never felt such peace. The fresh air was refreshing. I learned so much about the culture and the sanctity of nature this island had to offer. 

While my favorite part was relaxing in the baddehaus, my second favorite part was the mud hike. I never knew that mud, in all its messy glory, could ever be sterile. Except it can, and it is, thanks to these magnificent worms that live there. I also found it interesting how these creatures possess blood that is considered a world donor and how there is currently research going on to figure out how to put them to use in the medical world. 

Amsterdam Is My Foe

I was only supposed to stay in Amsterdam for one night with my friend Olivia. From previous experience, I knew this city was god awful expensive. It is not my favorite city, but it has its quirks. However, after a long day of travel and the horrid experience I had with the hotel staff, this city tanked itself to the bottom of my barrel. 

It had been difficult finding a hotel for two people in a city as busy as Amsterdam, especially during tourist season. Therefore, Olivia and I planned to rent a single bed for a single person and have her pretend to be my one-night lover in order to stay over for the night. However, this staff had been quite adamant about only one person being in a room for some unknown reason. One could have chalked this up to a rule except later on, they would charge me 40 euros for letting a person stay in the room overnight. 

While we went to explore the city in the evening and had the best burgers known to man, when we went back to the hotel, the idea was for Olivia to play drunk and needed a place a crash. She was quite the actor and for that, I give her a round of applause. After fighting with the staff about how I had a sick friend and she needed to use the restroom for five minutes and then them interrogating me about why she was here and where her hotel was, I had reached my limit. As telling them my friend was drunk and incoherent was not working, I had to escalate the situation to how she had also smoked, and only then did they allow her to stay over. 

While I am respectful to staff most of the time, the number of questions they asked only to finally allow her to stay for 40 euros when before they could have charged it upfront without the questions, this hotel pissed me off to no end. I truly don't know what to say about Amsterdam, except for the fact that if I never had the opportunity to go again, I'll be more than happy. 

Paris, je t'aime bcp

I love Paris. I don't know if it is because I can speak French and have Parisian friends, but France makes me feel welcome. I feel like I assimilate well there more than any other country I have been to aside from Vietnam. This weekend, I had the most amazing time with my friends as we went sightseeing at the Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe, and more. 

Here, I also had the best gelato I've ever tasted. I can not say much about Paris as every day was spent touring the city and catching up with my friends, but I do know that I would pick Paris 100 times over to visit if I could. 

Week 3 in Germany and Amsterdam

 Howdy!!

It has been such a busy week traveling and having the best time with friends. This week we were in Norderney till Wednesday and then my friends and I traveled to Amsterdam. I’m currently on the train going back to Bonn from Amsterdam. 

Amsterdam was awesome and we did so many fun things. We did a walking tour, went to the Van Gogh museum, did a canal cruise with pizza included (YUM!), went to the ice bar, and lots of shopping of course. Amsterdam has been my favorite place we’ve visited so far and I can’t wait to visit more places!!

I’m so ready for another fun week abroad and can’t wait for our excursion tomorrow!

Week 3 Germany Adventures

 Hi guys!!!!

I just got back to Bonn from Amsterdam and to say I am tired is an understatement, but this past week has been so fun!!!! 

Norderney was beautiful the badehaus was unreal. I could go everyday and be happy. The mud flat hike was cool too  but very very cold. Overall norderney lived up to the hype. 

Then we went to Amsterdam which was so fun. We stayed a little outside of the city in the Olympic park which was cool but it was only a short tram ride into the city. We went to the rijks museum, Van Gogh museum, the ice bar, and a canal cruise. We also saw the clog factory and the cheese factory and that was so fun. We tried like 50 different types of cheese I’m not kidding. My favorites were smoked Gouda and truffle.  It was so hot there I thought I was going to pass out and it made me scared to go back to Texas, but overall Amsterdam was so fun and I would definitely go back. 

This week I am looking forward to our excursion tomorrow to ramagen. We haven’t heard much about what we are doing so it’ll be a fun surprise. Also Lila and I are going to Salzburg this weekend and I’m so excited about that!! 

Yay! Thanks for reading! See you next week! Bye!!

-Ava Brown

Germany Week 3!

 Norderney, Norder”nay”, however you want to pronounce it, I love you! 

With such a beautiful landscape and wildlife it’s hard to not fall in love. I enjoyed the mudflat hike and learning about the thousands of little creatures who found a home in mud. It’s so fascinating how something so seemingly simple is actually full of so much life. 

I also enjoyed the badehaus. The same mud that harbors thousands of little creatures made my skin glow and feel so smooth. The sauna was nice, maybe I didn’t find it as enjoyable as Dr. Wasser does but it was still relaxing. The cold water splash was my favorite part of “sauna-ing”. It was refreshing and rejuvenating. 

Our free travel weekend following Norderney has taught me one main lesson: DO NOT TRUST RHE DEUTSCHE BAHN!! 

After a lovely weekend visiting family in Delft and seeing the streets of Amsterdam, we are now stranded waiting for a clear alternative to get us back to Bonn. Apparently train tracks need maintenance and construction can cancel your second train of a trip with no warning, leaving you stranded in the middle of nowhere with no train to get home! Hopefully we’ll figure things out soon! 

Fun Travels - Week #3

 This week has been nothing short of exciting and new adventures outside of Bonn. Last Saturday we arrived in Norderney and I have to say, it definitely exceeded my expectations. It was so nice to get away from the city and enjoy Mother Nature for a couple days. Each day began with a short workout led by Dr. Wasser which consisted of  Tai Chi and a light vigorous workout followed by a Thalasso dip in the ocean. I quite enjoyed these morning workouts and wished I had waken up to do this on the first day. Some of my favorite activities in Norderney included the bike tour, the bade haus, and enjoying the East Frisian tea. I am so incredibly proud of myself for participating in the bike tour. I had learned to bike right before this trip and I cannot believe I biked ~17 km. Yay me!! The bade haus is for sure a highlight of this week. I was skeptical about going into the saunas and participating in the mud scrub but they were such AMAZING experiences. It was a bit weird to be sitting in 85-90 C air but it felt nice to sweat and just relax. I could have probably stayed there for the whole day. The bade haus is an experience I will never forget. My last favorite activity was drinking East Frisian tea. I'm not a huge tea drinker but I could have drunk the whole pot if it were not for the mud flat hike afterwards. The tea was the perfect blend if sweet and bitter which made it all the more enjoyable. Those 4.5 days on the island were filled with so many firsts and I couldn't have expected anything more. 

For the remainder of the week, my best friend and I traveled to Amsterdam, Edinburgh, and London. We spent two night in Amsterdam and the city was full of gorgeous canals. We also visited the Van Gogh Museum which displayed such beautiful artwork. Stroopwafel are a must in Amsterdam so we of course went to the most famous stroopwafel place and it was DIVINE. We also went to Fabel Frites, famous for their fries, and they were so good (much much better than the ones here). The waiting in line for both shops was definitely worth it. 

We only spent half a day visiting Edinburgh, and this was by far my most favorite place. The scenery was breathtaking. Although there was SO MUCH walking, the castle is for sure a must see place. We spent 2.5 hours walking the castle grounds and I was pleasantly surprised by the number of little exhibits they had. We also had the chance to see the oldest Crown jewels and scepter in Britain and they were magnificent. I absolutely loved all the architecture here and the sights. If we had gotten more time, I would have definitely planned a hike.

Out last stop was London. Our day was filled tons of sight seeing such as the Buckingham palace, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Tower Bridge, and walking over the London Bridge. We were so lucky that while we were visiting Buckingham palace, we saw the exchanging of guards. What a real treat! We also went to the Borough Market which was jam packed with people and booths filled with cheese, food, and jams. While in London, we were fortunate enough to get tickets to ride the London Eye which allowed us the opportunity to see the city of London from above. 

Although our visit to each city was short, I had the time of my life. I cannot believe we're halfway done with this program, but I cannot wait for the other excursions coming up! 

Nordeney -> Amsterdam -> Brussels

Week 3

This week started with our relaxing stay in Nordeney Island. I really enjoyed our day at the Badehaus, and especially the mud and sea salt scrub. My skin was glowing and so smooth. I also got to catch up on a lot of sleep and just get some much needed rest. On Wednesday I headed to Amsterdam! In Amsterdam I did a canal cruise, the Van Gogh Museum and went to an Ice Bar that was -9 degrees. On Friday I headed to Brussels and I loved it. I was blown away by the beauty of the city and especially the Grand Palace. While in Brussels I enjoyed a Belgium Waffle and chocolates, and went to the Royal Fine Arts Museum. This week was the most traveling I have ever done on my own and it was very fun but I am relieved to be back in Bonn now and get back to a more normal schedule.

Week 3!!

This week contained so much traveling and so many adventures! I am currently writing this while stranded at a bus stop in the middle of no where Germany thanks to the DB. Keeping my spirits hopeful!

We started the week in Nordeney. The weather was colder, but I admit it was a nice break from the heat. We started the trip with a hike. The dunes and beaches are beautiful. I found the science on how the dunes and vegetation developed very interesting. I also noticed how the trees grew in the direction of the wind which was very cool. We went to a look out point that showed a great view of all the dunes in the area. The walk back was a bit long, but a good workout!

The next day we walked around the town and saw the beach! We tried the salt water shots, which are supposed to raise your blood pressure. I did not like it, but it was a fun experience. The beaches here are beautiful. On Tuesday, I did wake up for the morning Tai Chi. It was very refreshing and relaxing. The water though was very cold. 

Through the trip we went to many other museums and the badehaus. The badehaus museum was very interesting and had some cool artifacts from the past. I really enjoyed seeing all the different clothing from the past and what they used to wear to the beach. It is very different from what I wear for sure!

The badehaus was a wonderful experience. The hot pool with the chimney was definetly my favorite part. I admit I was a bit nervous for the badehaus because of all the talk before, but it was awesome. The fishing museum was very interesting as well. It had cool history related to the house and I enjoyed seeing all the fishing equipment and fish artifacts hanging on the walls. 

The tea party was also a one of a kind experience. I honestly don’t like tea or every drink, so I wasn’t really looking forward to it. However, I surprising thought the tea was quite nice and it was a fun experience. It was a true tea party!

After a long few days in Norderney, my friends and I headed to Amsterdam for the rest of the week. Amsterdam was very cool! The museums there were AMAZING. I loved learning about the life of Vincent van gogh and getting to explore the Rijksmuseum where I even saw some Saints we talked about in class. I even went to an archeology museum where I saw a mummy! 

This past week has been very fun, but I am ready to come back to Bonn! I can say I am not the biggest fan of the DB, but I think I have a better understanding of how to make the most of a rough time. I am looking forward to our next few excursions and to seeing how I can relate them back to what we’ve learned in class, like I did at the museums!