Trip to Österreich!

Update: I am in Österreich and I am currently in the highest town in Austria called Obergurgle! This is my current view: 

Current altitude:1,930 - 2,150 m a.s.l.

So cool, right?! But as you can see from my computer screen, I'm working on my Neuroscience seminar essay while my friends are out on a hike.  

A quick background on the reason for my trip to Österreich. So since I still have an art goal to fulfill before I graduate, I decided to take an art class here in Germany. There were so many Art class options to pick from but this class stood out, the title of the course is called: Into the Wild: Observing Fragile Alpine Nature Through Lenses of Art & Science. Such a cool title, right? So now I am here, exploring fragile alpine nature! The goal of this course is to really dive into the art expressed by nature and the science component is addressing the climate change aspect and how it has affected the Alps. 

So far, we went on one hike yesterday morning–which lasted about 7 hours!! That was my first ever long hike and I have to say, it was truly amazing. Exploring the nature of the Alps was breathtaking and the views were just, wow! See for yourself: 




Hiking with Germans, however, is not for the weak! After our long 7-hour hike, we came back for dinner. After dinner, one of my friends said, "Anyone up for a stroll?" Naturally, everyone agreed. To my surprise, it was no normal stroll... it lasted a whole 2 hours! (a hike in and of itself!) So now I know what a "stroll" means when a German says it! 

After the "stroll," we all started to make some art of what we observed while hiking (which was part of the course curriculum). This activity really pushed me out of my comfort zone–given I am not too much of an art person. Here are some of the drawings I made using a technique called "printmaking."




And here's a fun picture I took of a super-friendly cow!



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