Week 3

This week, we went to Vienna. The trip started on Tuesday morning, when a cab picked me up around 4:30 am. I stayed up all night to pack and finish homework before we left. I got about an hour of sleep on the flight. Once in Vienna, we dropped off our bags at the hotel and ate breakfast before we left for a tour of the city with Dr. Schnabel. It was really cold on the tour, but the good news is that we were protected from the plague. After the tour, we went to eat lunch at a café. When we left, it had started to snow. It was very picturesque with all of the beautiful buildings covered in snow. It made the cold worth it. Then, we were off to see the catacombs under the St. Michael's church. It was interesting to see the bones and mummies so well-preserved, if not a little spooky. After this, we had dinner at the Goulash museum. Once we returned to the hotel, I passed out for the night. It was a long, cold day.

Day 1: Snow!

Day two of our Vienna adventure began with a visit to the Narrenturm. They had a lot of models on display, many involving skin conditions, that were very interesting to see. They also had some real preserved specimens on display. After the tour, we went outside to play in the snow, which was really fun. Then, we split up and went to lunch. We went to a buffet where you pay as much as you can. Afterwards, I went shopping with some friends. We met back up at the hotel to plan what we would do for the remainder of the day. We went out to eat dinner, then we went ice skating. The ice skating rink was very beautiful. I only wish I was better at ice skating. I clung to the wall for most of the night.

Day 2: Ice skating

Day three began with a visit to the Josephinum. It was very interesting to see all of the anatomical wax models they had, along with the art exhibit they had on display. After lunch, we went to visit the Sigmund Freud house. We had an in-depth lecture about Sigmund Freud, then we toured what used to be his former home and office space. Afterwards, we had some free time to get ready for the concert at St. Anne's church. It was an amazing performance in a beautiful church.

Day 3: Concert

On our last day in Vienna, we visited the Spanish horse riding school. It was a neat experience because I am not familiar with horses, so it was cool to watch them practice. Afterwards, we went to eat at another café where I tried Wiener schnitzel. Then, we went to the National History Museum. My favorite exhibit was the meteorite room. There were so many meteorites, I didn't even have time to look at them all! Besides meteorites, they also had moon rocks and Mars rocks. Some of the meteorites were even found in Texas. I find space interesting, so this was definitely a favorite for me. I even got to touch some meteorites! The other Earth-related rocks and gems were pretty as well, but not as cool as the meteorites. After the museum tour, we headed back to the hotel to collect our luggage for the flight back to Bonn. Our plane got delayed, but we still made it back safe and sound. Vienna is a beautiful city, and I am glad I had the opportunity to visit. 

Day 4: Meteorites

(Side note: there is a song by Owl City called "Dear Vienna", and it was playing in my head the whole time I was in Vienna. Not sure if the lyrics have anything to do with the actual city, but here it is in case anyone was wondering what has been stuck in my head all week...)