A Trip to Europe

 Less than a month ago I graduated from Brigham Young University with a bachelor's degree in psychology. I'll soon be working full time and applying to PhD programs for counseling psychology. In the meantime I have set the summer aside to do some exciting things, starting with a trip to Europe.

On May 9, I boarded a plane to Amsterdam along with my parents and little sister. After arriving early morning in Amsterdam, we caught a flight to Vienna. Rather than share the details of all the places we have visited during our time here, I want to focus on just a few specific things. 

This is the view from a bridge in Venice, overlooking the city canal. We came to Vienna on a cool, cloudy day. Despite the gloomy weather, the city was packed with tourists from around the world. It was especially interesting to hear so many different languages spoken in the same place. Venice itself is a beautiful city, filled with old architecture and a rich history. Of all the cities we visited in Europe, Venice was my favorite, second only to Vienna. 

This is a statue of St. Bartholomew, one of the original 12 apostles, who was allegedly skinned alive. This work is found in the Milan Cathedral, a mammoth cathedral constructed in the Gothic style. Though filled with thousands of statues, none of them stood out to be as much as this haunting, yet masterful depiction of St. Bartholomew. 

This is an image of a Protestant church and graveyard in a small, Swiss village called Schangnau. This is actually the village where my great-great-great grandfather, Samuel Reber and his brother Johannes Reber lived before being baptized as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and moving to America. This is the church they would have attended in their youth, and the graveyard where their relatives would have been laid to rest. To this day many of the tombstones have the name Reber etched into them. 

The other image is of the river just below where Samuel and Johannes were baptized. It is said that when Johannes was baptized, the hunchback which he had since a child was miraculously healed. 

This image above is from the lakeside village of Hallstatt in Austria. This is an especially peaceful village in an alpine setting. It is surrounded by green mountains and glacial water. It was a breath of fresh air to be in such a beautiful outdoor setting (even with the large crowds).

On our way back to Vienna, where we had begun our trip, we stopped by the Mauthausen concentration camp. This was quite a different experience for me and my family. There was a solemn and reverent feeling present as we walked through the camp. It was a demonstration of the horrors of mankind untempered by morality. I was reminded of the need to see others as human beings like myself, worthy of respect, love, and dignity. I was also moved to make a positive impact on the world and to stand up for what is right even when it is difficult to do so. 

We spent the last couple of our days back in Vienna, where we explored the inner city and enjoyed the warm weather. This image above is of the Burgtheater, just across from city hall. During our trip, we had the opportunity to visit various cities and villages in Austria, Italy, and Switzerland. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity to see all of these beautiful places and experience such rich culture.