Students study in Vienna to experience culture, learn history

Jan. 21, 2015 kicked off the trip of a lifetime for students traveling to Vienna, Austria through Lipscomb’s Global Learning program.  In the first week of the program students participated in a weekend retreat. The group stayed in a monastery nestled in the mountains of Schlägl and quickly learned about the simple life of the priests who live there. After returning from the retreat, the students settled in to start classes in Vienna. German, Psalms, Cross Cultural Experience, Foundations of Western Civilization since 1600 and International Business are the courses offered on this trip. The students said it is neat to see the connection between what they learn in class and on the weekend trips. “The other night there were riots in the city and it was really interesting to see the political side of everything that happened,” Janie Lynn Lankford said. “It was really cool to see people so passionate about something because sometimes when you travel you just see the light and fluffy side of things and in reality there’s dispute.” During the week, the students also go on walking tours throughout the city to see historical palaces and locations. One of the walking tours included visiting the Schönbrunn Palace. “The view we saw from the Schönbrunn Palace was beautiful and you can see all of Vienna,” sophomore Sarah Wagner said. “It was really mesmerizing.” The students also have the opportunity to visit art galleries and museums. “We went to an art museum and it was so cool because it is unlike any art museum in America,” sophomore Shelby Jordan said. “There is so much history behind the art, and...