This morning, we woke up, got on the bus, and traveled to the headquarters of Tekniker. Tekniker is an engineering company that develops a wide variety of products, but we specifically focused on their innovations in the healthcare industry. They have worked on robots that perform surgeries, modifications to pills to make them easier to swallow, and a device that calculates blood coagulation time for patients. We were able to tour the different labs where they test products for clinical trials. The headquarters also had many different areas for employees, including relaxation spaces, a gym, a rock wall, and a yoga studio, all designed to promote a healthy work-life balance. That was something that really surprised me, as it is not something I would typically expect to see at a company headquarters.

After visiting Tekniker, we went to the Oma Forest. The forest contains various trees painted with colorful designs. When you stand in certain spots, the paintings align to create complete images, but from other angles the trees simply appear individually painted without forming a specific design. The hike up was a little strenuous because the path was very muddy. On the hike down, I slipped and fell in the mud, which was unfortunate because I ended up completely covered in it.

Following our hike, we visited Guernica. First, we saw a copy of the famous painting Guernica by Pablo Picasso. We also visited the parliament building in the center of the city, where officials vote on various laws. The building featured beautiful stained glass that illustrated the town’s history. Lastly, we toured a bomb shelter that protected residents during the bombing of Guernica in the Spanish Civil War. Overall, it was a very educational day, and I really enjoyed the experience.