Week 4: 4 countries!

~After traveling to Rome for the weekend, I had to prepare myself for the upcoming week-long adventures. 

Monday (2/3): Bonn, Germany

I had a normal school day, meaning that my classes were from 10 AM until 9 PM. This was kind of unfortunate because I had to wash my laundry and pack for our week-long program excursion in Vienna. To make matters a little more unfortunate, my taxi was going to pick me up at 3:50 AM the following morning. Having arrived from Rome at 11 PM the night before and getting home from school at 10 PM, I was ready to be sleep deprived!  

Tuesday (2/4): Vienna, Austria

In the morning, Dr. Schnabel gave us a city tour of Vienna. When we first met Dr. Schnabel, he walked up some stairs from the subway station and we were all surprised by his attire. It turned out that Dr. Schnabel was really Dr. Wasser dressed as a doctor from the time of the Black Plague. Throughout the tour, he gave us “medicines” that were perceived as helpful during that time. I really appreciated the effort Dr. Schnabel/Dr. Wasser put into dressing up and making us feel like we were back in time. During the tour, we visited a room in an old university building where Beethoven performed. Along with the beautiful ceiling, it was incredible to be in the same room as Beethoven once was!

We also took a tour of St. Michael's Church and its catacomb. In the catacomb, I saw beautifully preserved mummies and tombs with many bones. In the church, along with other amazing things, I saw a painting and crucifix that were each about 500 years old.  

For dinner, the program visited the Guolashmuseum. There, I tried my first Goulash and apple strudel (famous in Vienna), yum!

Wednesday (2/5): Vienna

In the morning, our program went to the Osterreichisches Pharma + Drogisten + Museum. Afterwards, we had the rest of the day to ourselves. I tried Wienerschnitzel for lunch, and then went to Starbucks to study for the rest of the day.

Thursday (2/6): Vienna

In the morning, the program visited the Narrenturm (Madhouse Tower). This was one of the first mental hospitals in the world. There, I saw anatomical wax figures, diseased specimens, and old medical tools. As a program, we ate a Pakistani buffet. On the door of the restaurant, it said “eat all you want, pay as you like” – I thought this was super cool. :) Afterwards, we visited the Freud House and Museum.

Patient waiting room with original furniture

At night, we went to St. Anne Church for a classical concert. Needless to say, it was a long and busy day.

Friday (2/7): Vienna

This morning, we visited the Spanish House Riding School, which is one of the oldest Spanish riding schools in the world. We saw the riders and horses do their morning exercises. To conclude our visit in Vienna, the program went to the Natural History Museum.

Real skeleton of biggest sea turtle ever found! (For perspective, look at the little girl on the right LOL)

Saturday (2/9): Krakow, Poland

My friends and I took an overnight bus to Krakow. We arrived early in the morning and visited a cute café for breakfast. There, I had the most delicious cinnamon roll, Szarlotka (Polish apple pastry) and a cappuccino. Afterwards, we walked around town and visited churches and a castle. 👸

Beautiful sky on the left, castle on the right!

In the afternoon, I took a guided tour around Auschwitz and Birkenau – concentration and death camps in which more than 1.1 million Jews were tortured and murdered. Visiting these sites were my reason for traveling to Poland. The tour was an emotional, educational, and unforgettable experience.

Auschwitz 

Birkenau -- Train tracks where people would arrive

Gas chamber remains at Birkenau. 

Sunday (2/10): Bye Poland, hello again, Germany

This morning, I ate breakfast and studied at a café. Though I didn’t get to tour the city again, I was not disappointed. Duty calls 😊

~I’m writing this on my flight back to Germany, and I am honestly excited to go home. Although these last 2 weeks have been so eventful and fun, I am a little tired from traveling. From one Sunday to the next, I visited Italy, Germany, Austria, and Poland. #what.

I wonder what my next adventure will be.

Bye for now!

-Mel 💜