CHAPTER V

We only had a day of class this week, and then lots of days in Vienna. Ah, so adventurous.

Vienna was an absolute blast, and I got to see such a variety of things! There was everything from medically-themed museums to classic Viennese treats to palaces. I appreciated the exquisite buildings, bustling streets, classy cafes, and rich history; all the pieces combined compose the splendid atmosphere.

We had a very unique (and ideal) introduction to the city: a tour from Dr. Schnabel. This event was described on our itinerary, but little did I know that Dr. Schnabel was actually a plague-doctor version of Dr. Wasser. Yes, we rushed around Vienna for a whole three hours following a man in a long black cape (and occasionally the creepy mask). It was quite the sight! At some point, Dr. Schnabel led us in song and other tourists were most definitely recording it.

There is so much history in Vienna, and as much as I wanted to retain it all, it just wasn't possible. The tour highlighted particular medical aspects of Vienna, including a lecture hall that used to be utilized for anatomical lectures with a corpse. We got to go inside and view the room. St. Stephen's Cathedral was a major highlight of the tour. It is unique from the Gothic cathedral in cologne because of its tiled roofs. The tile is colorful and also depicts the two-headed eagle emblem of Vienna.

The other main event of the day was the St. Michealkirche Crypt tour, and the same time as my favorite Vienna quote. Dr. Wasser promises that in Vienna, no matter what you prefer, "there is a crypt for you." So whether you like creepy or fancy, for the poor or rich, small or giant crypts, it can be found! (kind of like "there's an app" for that but with Viennese crypts.) The crypt tour was definitely interesting; it wasn't nearly as eerie as I expected. They had opened 20 rooms so far; we got to see about 5 of them. Apparently, the crypts may be larger but the walls are too thick to excavate more. Within the crypts, there were a few well-preserved mummies.  They were surrounded by woodchips and still in their clothes. (Is it odd we want to look at old, dead people?) FUN FACT: The church has not tried identifying them because then future tours could be considered an invasion of privacy.

We visited to different medicine specific museums: the Tarrenturm and the Josephinum. The Tarrenturm is an old mental hospital turned museum. It was one of the first to treat mental illness as a curable disease, instead of acting as an asylum. Although, so of their proposed "cures" caused more problems than they helped. The museum is full of wax models and other samples, including skulls, lungs, and intestines. The molds were taken from patients and painted to match the coloring of diseases. They could then be used for teaching and diagnosis. The Josephinum was similar. It was filled with life-size models of the full body or pieces of it. Each focused on a particular aspect of human anatomy. These were also used for teaching students.

I almost forgot to include Freud. Dr. Wasser lectured on an overview of Freud including his theories and methods before leading a tour. Freud lived in Vienna for most of his life. We could see his office and where he met with patients. Freud is a fascinating character; I haven't figured out if he was somewhat insightful or confused.

Vienna is home to my new favorite building. Its Rathaus is intricately designed with pattern and order and it lights up at night! I thought it was the coolest. In our free time, we took a tour to see the inside. A lot of the tour dealt with the governmental aspects; the different state's coat of arms hung on the wall, each mayor has a painted portrait, the legislative room is used by both the city and state government. FUN FACT: the metal statue man on top of the spire is a couple meters higher than any Vienna Cathedral's spire as the architects way to comply with the spire not towering above any cathedral. Also, he is not cemented down, but rather held by a pendulum through the center.

Another memorable part of Vienna is visiting the Schonbrunn palace. The palace itself is a large U-shaped building, but what I was really amazed by was the extensive gardens. I can only imagine how wonderful it must be in spring and summer! There are many paths, fountains, statues, and of course well-trimmed hedges. The view from the hill in the back was of the entire city skyline, and on the clear day, it looked beautiful.

Random Takeaways

Eat Käsekrainer. It's a cheese sausage and usually comes in a literal WHOLE baguette. I was impressed.

Sometimes Mocha means an espresso shot.

Cities always have free tours of something (the Rathaus in this case)!