Scatterbrained Thoughts

Week 3

This past week we went to Vienna and Prague! I have officially been to 4 European countries now on this trip - Belgium, Austria, Germany, and the Czech Republic. Overall I had so much fun. I still find it quite surreal that I get to participate in a program like this one where traveling for week with my friends and teachers and not attending classes is the norm. Also, I am slowly beginning to realize just how special Europe is that I am able to travel for a week for only around one hundred dollars including food, transportation, and souvenirs. I am currently collecting patches from each country I visit and possibly each city within Germany, though that has yet to be finalized. I have also been collecting post cards, but I haven't found the time to thoughtfully write a message and send them so thus far, I just have a small pile collecting in my room.

I loved Vienna. Everything about it amazed me. The culture of people is so sophisticated and everyone was so friendly and educated. I appreciate the rich history of the city and the beauty of it stacked on top of a more modern feel with the high end clothing and jewelry stores. I felt like the Austrian style of cafe where the different assortment of pastries and cakes are all displayed in a case that can be seen from outside the store and the hot chocolate and coffee are served to you at a table as you sit and rest was interesting. I know this isn't necessarily an Austrian commodity but I very much enjoyed these types of coffee houses with my friends. During some free time while in Austria, my friends and I enjoyed a tour of the Rathaus and explored the Schönburg Gardens. These are two of the most impressive things I have seen and I would consider them a must-see for anyone traveling to Austria. At night the Rathaus it up in the most beautiful way and the ice rink out front with the food courts made it all the most inviting and fun. This was a special ice rink with many different winding paths and a large expanse to explore. I however, did not go ice-skating because my recurring hip injury was bothering me during much of my time in Austria. As for the Schönburg Gardens, they were incredibly expansive and gorgeous, even in the winter although the green of the summer would have been much more awe-inspiring. The statue of Poseidon and the Pantheon-resembling building at the top of the hill across from the palace were easily my favorite parts. As a part of the program, we went to two different wax museums. One in the Fool's Tower where skin diseases and diseases of the genitalia were the focus and one in the Josephinum where the anatomical accuracy was emphasized and there was a room dedicated entirely to pregnant women. I found it sad the these waxes had to be taken from diseased human bodies. Especially in the room of the women giving birth, this meant the the wax models that showed the woman with a baby half way out of her vaginal cavity had dies like so while giving birth. As a medical enthusiast and someone with a great curiosity for the field, I did enjoy these two locations however gruesome they could be. We also went to a string quartet concert in a church. The church itself was magnificent and golden and sparkling so I spent much of the time inside just setting and glancing around trying to soak in as much glory as possible. Something about churches makes me want to do that. However, classical music does not touch me the way I know it can for many others so I used the time to mull through some thoughts in my head. I was reminded of the way the main character in the book I am reading (Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance) narrates his thoughts to the readers; although, the main character in this book is mentally insane so I hope the connection only goes so far. I hope to read more and become more educated in various theologies soon because I am increasingly finding myself drawn to the subject. We visited the house of Freud and walked where he and his patients would have sat to give and receive psychotherapeutic help. We also visited the Natural History Museum, where I got to see a collection of gems and stones that interests me as well as many current and history animals carcasses/bones and representations. The final day started out with a trip to the Spanish Riding School where we walked the morning practice for two sets of about 6 horses. I learned that there are around 20 riders and each rider trains 4-8 horses, so there are at least around 100 horses or more. That is incredible! Lastly, my friends and I visited the Austrian Naitonal Library, an impressive structure in its own rite. When you factor in the immense history on top of the impressive aesthetic beauty and the amount of books, this building was one of my favorites. What struck me most was that this structure, form its beginning, was only a building dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge and to the wisdom of people. Unlike the churches which are so ornate and impressive as a way of manifesting the all-powerful nature of god, this building seemed to promote a similar idea but in celebration of the power of the accomplishments and the wisdom of men. I thought that was a really amazing this to see, especially as a student.

On Friday we headed to Prague and arrived late at night to Deanna's friend's apartment. We slept on two beds pushed together and Camella volunteered to sleep on a mattress on the ground. The only problem with the beds was that they separated and left a large gap right where my butt and your lower back were at night. Fortunately, this was free housing, so I am in no place to complain. Also, during the last night of our stay I left the window open in order to be cooler at night. I was perfectly warm but my friends were frigid in their sleep. We found out in the morning that it had snowed overnight, so we literally slept with the window open while it snowed. While in Prague, we spent a majority of the time visiting tall buildings with skyline views of the city. The skyline was gorgeous and had many spires and terracotta roofs. We also got to visit St. Charles' Bridge and the famous Prague Church. These were impressive but I think I am becoming saturated with churches and impressive infrastructure, particularly those celebrating the greatness of God. I am beginning to show more interest in some of the smaller more grounded monuments. For example, my favorite place by far in Prague was the Lennon Wall. I was struck by how this wall was to celebrate peace and life and happiness and yet, even with it really only being a wall of graffiti, so many people were around it and wanting to participate in the peaceful act and the happiness was palpable near it. It brought me to the brink of tears. I wrote my name on the wall in Sharpie as a way to participate in the community of peaceful happiness. Overall, I was not as impressed by Prague as I believed I would be, but I did thoroughly enjoy my time with my friends. I am making memories, planting the seeds of ideas, and learning new things each day. I am really thrilled about this trip. I can already feel myself changing into a person I want to be more.

I apologize for the scatterbrained nature of this blog post, but my mind is not working in a fully linear way recently. Perhaps that will stop soon, but we will see! Bis späder!