Home Sweet Home

Hej everyone,

I'm so sorry it's taken me this long to write this last post... with finals the last week of Copenhagen and then packing and then spending the past week home at Lafayette and the beach, I haven't had much time. In fact, I should be packing for my next adventure in North Carolina right now as I'm leaving in less than 5 hours, but oh well.

Den Lille Havfrue

My final days in Copenhagen were a blur of finals and being a tourist.  I finally saw Den Lille Havefrue (The Little Mermaid) statue... so anti-climactic.  I climbed the Spiral Tower on top of the Church of Our Saviour.  I saw Amalienborg Palace and the Black Diamond library.  These are all things that I probably should have done throughout the semester, but of course I waited until the end.  It was strange viewing Copenhagen from a tourist's perspective (especially when I went into tourist shops to buy a couple souvenirs) because I had come to really feel at home in the city.  The weather was absolutely gorgeous for once, but as much as I enjoyed the barbecues and sunshine, it was probably for the best that I had to go since my 90% of the clothes I packed were geared toward the winter.

Hej Hej, Nyhavn

Our core class had a final dinner at a cafe with delicious steak.  After a few too many glasses of rødvin (red wine) and sad goodbyes, a couple of us decided to bring more wine to Nyhavn and sit on the side of the canal as the sun went down.  It was such a sad night in one of the most beautiful places in the city, but it was a perfect ending to an amazing experience.

Last night out with the Keops girls

On my 2nd to last night, a student from DIS arranged a farewell event at a nightclub called NASA, which was apparently Copenhagen's hottest club in the late 90s/early 2000s. We went up in an elevator and all the walls were white... definitely an interesting venue.  It was a great way to see everyone in order to say goodbye.  I was even able to convince my Scottish/Irish friends to come as well for one last night out together.

Mine Danske Familie

I spent the very last day with my visiting family.  Thomas and I went shopping together and then cooked dinner for everyone else, and then we just sat around and talked for a while.  They were really a fantastic part of my time abroad and I am so grateful for all that they did for and taught me... it was so nice having a family to visit once a week and it really allowed me to understand Danish culture in a way I would not have otherwise.

The last morning, I said goodbye to the bikes and weinerbrød and then carried my extremely heavy luggage up and down stairs, onto the S-tog and the metro, and finally into the airport.  My flight home was non-stop, which was nice albeit long, and I arrived in Newark safely.

Now that I have been home for over a week, I can celebrate the fact that throughout my entire time travelling abroad I was never once pick-pocketed and I never lost my luggage.  I had such an amazing experience and have made some amazing friends with people from all over the world.  It's crazy to me that it's over- I've never experienced life move so quickly.  I'd like to end this with a big thank you to my parents for supporting me on my trip, and though I would love to post their gift (which some of you may have seen on Facebook), they still have yet to see it as it has not arrived.  I guess I'll add it on once it finally comes.  Also stay tuned on my Shutterfly for the final Copenhagen pictures which will be added soon.  Oh, and if you're interested in learning a bit more about the society I've grown to love over the past 4.5 months, check out this article recently written for the Huffington Post and this fun BuzzFeed piece.

Thanks so much for reading this semester! Now it's off to new adventures in North Carolina... and by adventures I mean Duke neuroscience lab and my apartment/MCATstudycentral.  Not super fun.

Vi ses,

Stephanie

Edit:

Thank You Mom and Dad for Giving Me the World!

Adventures in Sweden

Before I talk about my weekend, I'd like to start off saying that Tivoli was AWESOME.  Strangely

Tivoli at night

enough, only two other people (out of like 30 or so) wanted to go on all the rides too.  We ended up buying the all-ride passes and going on all the best rides at least twice.  There were no lines and everything was so close that walking from ride to ride was super easy.  As an avid thrill ride-goer, I was delightfully surprised at how good/fun some of them were. I had an absolute blast.  One of the rides was a typical "The Swings" ride where you're raised high in the air and travel in a circle.  The view was breathtaking- all of Copenhagen could be seen from the top.  We went on again at sunset and I don't know if I've ever seen a more beautiful sight.  Unfortunately, they pat you down to make sure you don't bring a camera, so I couldn't get any pictures.  But it will be something I remember always.

So like I said before, I decided last minute to use some of my birthday money to take part in a school-

Rönneå from the canoe

sponsored "adventure trip" to Southern Sweden.  It was incredible.  We left early Saturday morning on a coach bus, took the ferry from Helsingør (where Hamlet's Castle, Kronborg Slot is located)  to Helsingborg, and continued to Rönneå where we were able to canoe.  It was BEAUTIFUL outside; I actually wore a tank top.  (I was at the point where I thought that would never happen in Scandinavia.) We rowed for about 3 hours and saw the cutest little cottages and some big beautiful houses.  The
Swedes really know how to landscape, I'll give them that.  There were also many ducks and birds.  Some old guy called out to us from the land at one point and asked what state we were from (apparently he had been calling out to each duo that can gone by and deduced we were American), and Jen and I said "New Jersey".  He then said, "Oh... the gangster state!" It was strange, but funny.  Anyway, as much as I enjoyed canoeing, I think I prefer single person kayaks better... more personal control.

One of the Nimis Sculptures

After canoeing, we headed over to the hostel for lunch.  The hostel was located in the middle of nowhere Swedish farmland, but it was really cute and clean.  Jen and I were even able to get our own room.  From the hostel, we went hiking in Himmelstorpsgården, a wooded area next to the water.  Our destination was Nimis, a really cool collection of climbable driftwood sculptures that actually started a war and are now considered on the land of their own micro-nation, Ladonia.  Fun fact- ANYONE can become a citizen, and one can become "nobility" for the price of about $12 USD.  I strongly considered getting dual citizenship.  We laid out on the rocks for a while, found some blue baby jellyfish, and then hiked (up a steep incline) back to the bus.  We then had a BBQ at the hostel and roasted marshmallows around a bonfire before going to sleep.

The next morning, we left the hostel and went to the Kullaberg Nature Reserve.  This is on the Kullaberg Peninsula, and includes hiking trails, cliffs, pebble beaches, a golf course, and more.  Splitting in half, I was in the rappeling group first.  We first practiced on a baby cliff, making sure to get the hang of it.  Our next task was the nearby large cliff with a stunning view of the land and sea.  I was

Jen rappelling down the big cliff

able to rappel down this cliff twice- the second time being much more fun, as the first time my braid got caught in the rope about 3/4 of the way down, prohibiting me from moving further, and I thought I was going to have to find a rock to saw it off or something.  After lunch, a few of us stumbled across a golf course and met an older Swedish couple who started talking to us.  It turned out they were famous- they'd been on the Ed Sullivan Show 8 times as trapeze artists and toured with the Beatles for 4 months, also opening for The Jackson 5 when "little Michael was just 12 years old".  Jen and I took a picture with them, but as no one can seem to work my camera (it's really frustrating) we found out too late that it unfortunately didn't take correctly.

We then had an orienteering competition, which was basically a navigational scavenger hunt.  Armed with a map and a compass, we had to make it to different areas and then completely various tasks quickly upon arrival.  This was actually rather difficult, as

Vaniljhjärta

we had to climb up and down steep rocky slopes.  Some of the views were spectacular, and though treacherous (and dangerous, with my clumsiness), it was well-worth it.  Once all the outdoorsy stuff was done, our last stop was to Flickorna Lundgren, a cute little outdoor bakery where we tried delicious traditional Swedish vaniljhjärta and cake.  Overall it was an absolutely fantastic weekend with perfect weather and tons of fun and fresh air!

Be sure to check out all of the pictures here!

MAYDAY! MAYDAY!

Winter is finally over, and summer is here.  It's as if spring was just completely skipped over.  With two weeks left before I leave, I am so sad that I will not be able to experience this wonderful weather.  Vendors, open air markets, and outdoor bars and cafes are making appearances all over- all the things I loved about the other cities that I visited.  Copenhagen in the summer has it all, and I unfortunately don't have much time left to enjoy it.

In trying to make the most of things, I decided to go to a fodbold (soccer) game last week. FC København vs. Aarhus, the two biggest cities in Denmark.  They played at Parken, the national stadium that is not too far rom where I live.  It was definitely bigger than I expected for the size of this country, and the stands had a lot of people in them.  Closing my eyes and breathing in, I almost felt as if I was back home at Citizens Bank Park, smelling the athletic event familiarity of hotdogs and beer.  There was a cheering section where everyone remained standing the entire time, singing fight songs and chanting.  I really loved the spirit, although I didn't understand why everyone applauded for all shots on goal (when all of them were missed shots).  The game ended at 0-0, which was a shame because I would have liked to see how the fans reacted to a goal. It was still a lot of fun though.

Anyone who saw my Facebook status will know this story already, but it is too funny to leave out of my blog.  The other day I was at Nørreport metro station when a cute little old American couple approached me, asking for help with the metro system.  I explained what they wanted to know, and then they exclaimed, "Thank you so much! You speak such good English!"  At that point I realized that my assimilation into Danish culture must be complete.

Yesterday was May Day, also known as Labor Day.  All of Copenhagen's 20-30 year olds gather in this giant park called Fælledparken and listen to political speeches from parties from the social democrats to socialists to communists.  Additionally, there are bands playing on several stages, many food vendors, and copious amounts of alcohol and day drinking (gotta love not having open-container laws).  This was possibly my favorite Danish experience to-date, and it made me feel a little better about having to miss Lafayette's All College Day this year.

Tonight I have plans to go to Tivoli, the worlds oldest theme park (opened in 1843).  Disney World is actually supposedly modeled after it.  Unfortunately, you have pay to get in and then again to go on rides, so I'm not sure how much I'll actually end up going on.  The gardens are supposed to be beautiful, though, so I am excited to bring my camera.

I have to decided to go on one more excursion while I am abroad, as someone was selling her spot on a DIS-sponsored adventure trip to Southern Sweden this weekend.  I will be canoeing, kayaking, rappelling  and orienteering- super outdoorsy things, which should be interesting as I am not in the best shape right now.

I''ll try to get in another post or two before I go leave!

World Travels

Hello everyone! My apologies for not updating in a long time, but I have been traveling and dealing with midterms and just procrastinating.

I think I'll just write some highlights from my time in each city. Make sure to check out all the pictures on my Shutterfly account!


Prague, Czech Republic (pictures)
I began my first self-travel break with an overnight train ride to Prague.  I was in a cabin with people from Denmark, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany, and my American friends.  I actually loved talking to all of them and sleeping on the train- it was almost like being rocked to sleep.  I had such high hopes for Prague, as everyone I know who'd been there said it was fantastic and beautiful.  I therefore gave myself 5 days to experience it, which may have been a day or two too long.  My main problem with Prague was that the time we (and by we, I mean Jen, Kelsey, and me) went was "the coldest weekend in 15 years". Other than that, though, it really was a beautiful city.  Like Budapest, there were two main parts to the city separated by a river.  The Old City part had a really great Easter Market going on with wonderful food and music.  We went on an underground ghost tour that started from beneath the Astrological Clock, also pretty interesting.  The other side of the city, the one with the castle on it, was gorgeous.  There were numerous times that we wandered around looking for food (and finding great little places), but the best time was when we stumbled into a cozy pizza place where they gave us a free bottle of wine when we ordered 2 pizzas.  Getting around was fairly simple; we could take the tram and then walk most places.  It was a relatively inexpensive city, especially coming from Copenhagen, which was also a great part of the city.  A night highlight was going on a pub crawl that stopped at a few local bars before ending up at the five-story club.  Beer was PHENOMENAL here, and I don't even typically like beer.  My favorite parts were visiting the Lennon Wall and viewing everything people had written and painted on it as well as visiting the statues of David Cerny's giant faceless babies.

London, England (pictures)
Kelsey and I flew to London for two days and stayed with my friends from Laf/AGD, Bianca and Danielle.  It was really awesome to see them as well as to see places in the city that I have seen on television and heard about so many times.  "London Calling" was stuck on a loop inside my head as I replayed the Friends episode where the cast goes to London for Ross and Emily's wedding. Kelsey and I explored all the major sights, drank a lot of tea (so happy to be somewhere where tea > coffee), and I embarrassed myself with my attempts at speaking with a British accent.  I have to say, being in a place where English is the predominant language was so nice.  Crossing Abbey Road, eating delicious fish and chips, English-nerding out at the Globe Theater, and eating phenomenal Indian food were some fun highlights.  I also spent a decent amount of time visiting the Tower of London and seeing the crown jewels.  Having to take the tube everywhere was kind of annoying, especially with how expensive it was.  London isn't the most walkable city in the world, and it was also really cold outside.  Overall it seemed like a pretty typical large city, similar to NYC.  My biggest regret was not having an extra day to do the Harry Potter Studio tour... I'll have to come back some day. The best part, though, was leaving from Kings Cross Station and taking some pictures of going through the wall at Platform 9 3/4.

Edinburgh, Scotland (pictures)
Continuing with my Harry Potter quest, I traveled by train to Edinburgh (where JK Rowling first began writing the books) for two more days.  I absolutely loved Edinburgh.  It was such a cute little city that was completely walkable.  The 4 of us stayed in a hostel that was right next to the castle, so it was a fantastic location.  Walking down the Royal Mile, climbing Arthur's Seat, and visiting other Laf friends made it a really good time.  It was Easter weekend, so the city was pretty crowded for the holiday.  I love Scottish people and their accents and everything about Scotland- I can't wait to return and visit my friend Grace in the Highlands someday.  My favorite part of my stay in Edinburgh was going on the "Potter Trail" tour of all the places that influenced JK Rowling- ie. Tom Riddle's grave, the Elephant House, etc. The Elephant House bathroom actually made me almost cry.  Any avid Harry Potter fan will appreciate the dozens of pictures I have from there. (People who aren't will probably think I'm crazy).  Out of the three cities visited that week, Edinburgh was definitely my favorite.  I would love to one day return again to the land of sheep.

My 21st Birthday
Okay, I realize this isn't a place. But it was a major event in my life.  We started the celebration in Copenhagen on April 11th, since my actual birthday (the 12th) would be spent in class and on a plane to Berlin.  After receiving some awesome packages from my family, I went out to dinner with a few of my close friends.  We had delicious Thai food with lots of wine.  The plan was then to go back to my kollegium and then go out to a karaoke bar, but we ended up staying in Keops all night and singing along to our own songs.  My Scottish and Canadian friends thought that it was hilarious that they were celebrating a "coming of age" party again- they thought they'd be done with that at 18.  I had a great time though, and it will definitely be a birthday that I'll never forget.

Berlin, Germany (pictures)
I flew out to Berlin on the 12th.  Though Jen and Bri and I got to the airport 2 hours early, we still almost missed our flight.  Sitting around, eating dinner at the airport, we thought we still had 45 minutes when one of us happened to look up at the screen and notice that our gate said "closed".  We started to walk rather quickly until a man asked us if we were flying to Berlin and then proceeded to tell us to "RUN".  This was not my first time running through an airport, and we eventually made it along with some other passengers.  Apparently everyone had checked-in early so they decided to change the flight to a half hour earlier.  I still don't understand how that's even allowed.  Anyway, we were only in Berlin for less than 24 hours because it was cheaper than flying directly to Barcelona.  It was pouring rain, so I didn't see much besides the East Gallery of the Berlin Wall.  I could definitely feel the alternative vibe of the city, though.  It reminded me of 90s grunge, if that makes any sense.

Barcelona, Spain (pictures)
I LOVED BARCELONA. I should have studied there, as it was much more "me" than Copenhagen is.  (They didn't offer a suitable program for me, though, so I really couldn't have.)  The beautiful weather, the beach scene, the night life, great wine, tapas, speaking Spanish- it was all just fantastic.  I got to see one of my best friends from high school too, which was so incredibly nice.  We went to an Indian "Holi" festival of Spring, where colored powders are thrown in the air and Bollywood-style dancing and music was being performed.  We went to Razzmatazz, one of the biggest night clubs in Europe.  We unknowingly ate "queso con alcohol" - quite possibly one of the most disgusting things I've ever tasted. We laid out on the beach and had a Spanish man bring us wine and ice and cups.  I can't even express how great it was to smell the blossoms of the orange trees and actually communicate in Spanish with the locals.  The metro system was easy to use, and it was still fairly walkable.  Cabs were cheap as well, which was super nice.

Paris, France (pictures)
I traveled to Paris by myself, which was an interesting experience in itself.  More on that later.  I have wanted to visit Paris since I was a little girl and asked my parents to buy me a computer program that would teach me French.  (They pretty much forced me into taking Spanish in middle school, though, so my French is still limited to my 1st grade knowledge and ballet terms.)  Paris was beautiful, but I did not like the people.  It was 75 degrees when I arrived, so I decided to wear a sundress.  Bad idea.  The men were absolutely awful, and I hated walking around alone and having to deal with crude comments.    I was able to visit a ton of museums for free though- thank you, Danish Residence Card.  The Louvre was awesome and huge although the Mona Lisa was a bit anti climactic.  I loved all the outdoor gardens most of all.  The flowers were just so beautiful and it was nice to see the signs of winter being over.  I was able to meet up with my friend Corinne, and together we climbed the Eiffel Tower and took some awesome pictures.  The crepes were amazing.  I loved all the outdoor cafes and accordion music.  My hostel wasn't far from the Moulin Rouge, which was pretty neat to see considering it's one of my top 5 musicals (along with Wicked and Chicago and Rent and Grease).  Like London, the city was kind of spread out and required a lot of metro use.  I did not feel completely safe, either, a feeling that I hadn't really felt in my European cities.

Amsterdam, The Netherlands (pictures)
Amsterdam really surprised me.  The land of tulips, cheese, clogs, and canals was actually really pretty. I met up with some friends from DIS and we explored the city together, stopping in every cheese shop and trying all of the free samples (there were a lot).  We went on a canal tour and an all-you-can-eat pancake cruise.  I spent about 10 minutes in the Red Light District but then had to leave- the girls all just looked so sad.  That ares reminded me a lot of Bourbon Street in New Orleans, but the rest of the city was made up of quaint little streets with cafes on either side of the canal.  I went to Anne Frank's "Secret Annex," her hideaway during WWII.  Since I have read her diary at least 3 or 4 times, it was really surreal to actually be there.  It was surprisingly bigger than I had expected it to be.  Overall, Amsterdam was a nice, chill ending to a long 10 days of travel.


Factors that Impact Travel
After two months of visiting 10 different countries, I have learned a thing or two about traveling.

1. Weather. The temperature/elements can really make or break an experience. It can influence not only what you choose to do and see, but also your mood.  Rain can ruin a day of walking around and seeing sights, but i think that the cold is the worst.

2. Traveling Companions. The people with whom you travel can make a huge difference in your trip.  You have to make sure that whoever you go with has similar interests in wake-up time, amount of sight-seeing they want to do, how much they plan on drinking/going out, and how much money they want to spend.  Obviously you'll have to make some compromises, but the more similar the better.  Traveling alone is great in that you can do whatever you want whenever you want.  You can also meet new, really awesome people.  However, it can also be somewhat lonely and scary at times.  I think I most enjoy traveling in a small group, ideally with maybe one person other than myself so that you don't have to feel like a crowd pleaser.

3. Public Transportation. Any place where walking is the main source of transportation is my favorite.  Metro systems are generally easy to navigate with an adequate map, but they can get rather expensive. Cabs are easy but typically the most expensive.

4. Language. Obviously, it was easiest for me to get around in English-speaking countries.  The good news is, most people in big cities like I have visited know English.  It can be difficult sometimes, but it's  really fun to be able to speak and read the native language.  Whenever I went anywhere I made sure to know (at the very least) how to say "excuse me" and "thank you".  It gets you a lot further than you would think, and people are much friendlier.

5. Hostel. Hostels range from awesome to awful.  While it's fun to meet new people from all over the world, I definitely prefer when the room only consists of my traveling companions and me.  I also prefer all-female rooms.  Guys snore and are obnoxious.  Additionally, hostel location is a big factor- it's never fun to have to take public transportation just to get into the city (especially at night when you have to get back and transportation is sparse).


Lastly, I want to touch briefly on the Boston bombings. I was in Barcelona when I first heard about it, and the world, which had been starting to feel so small, suddenly became immense again.  Anything can happen on any given day at any point in the world.  I'd like to end this post with the following quote:

"We cannot change what happened anymore. The only thing we can do is to learn from the past and to realize what discrimination and persecution of innocent people means. I believe that it's everyone's responsibility to fight prejudice." -- Otto Frank, 1970

St. Paddy's.... IN DUBLIN!

Hej alle, har tingene endelig faldet til ro lidt.

Well, besides the fact that I have an oral exam in Danish on Friday for which I am soooo unprepared.

Anyway, time is flying by SO quickly.  As of Sunday there are only 2 months until my flight back to the US.  I have been having an incredible time though.

This weekend I went to Dublin with two of my sorority sisters for St. Patrick's Day weekend.  We booked this trip back in late October, so it was almost surreal that the time had finally come.  It was nighttime once we got there and checked into the hostel, so we decided to explore the area's nightlife scene.  The first place we stumbled upon was called "Lafayette," so obviously we had to go inside.  It was a really cool venue.  Actually all the places we went throughout the weekend at night had fun set-ups.  One thing we noticed was that all the Irish girls tended to wear super high heels with miniskirts, crop tops, and false eyelashes.

I did not like the hostel at which we stayed, despite the great location next to Trinity College (which was beautiful, by the way... so green!) and Temple Bar.  However, the next night we stayed further South in a hotel with the most comfortable beds ever.  Because we were only there for a limited time, Saturday was confined to exploring on my own version of a self-guided tour with detours into shops along the way.  We didn't let the rain and hail that went on for most of the weekend prevent us from having a good time, although it did prevent a lot of pictures from being taken.  Everyone was wearing leprechaun hats and dressed in green no matter where we went. Later in the day we headed over to the Guinness Factory, which had live music and food and beer and the best view of Dublin in addition to the walkthrough.  I had THE BEST burger of my life while there, as it had been marinated in a Guinness sauce and on a Guinness bun.  I can't imagine any burger ever topping it.

Dressed up at the parade!

Sunday was actually St. Paddy's Day, and the whole city was abuzz.  We started the day off with some Bailey's and hot chocolate... a delicious combination.  The parade was awesome, though it was difficult to see with all the people.  At one point Jen even climbed up on top of a phone booth to get a better view.  Overall it was a really great weekend.  Dublin is a very pedestrian-friendly city, and I'd love to go back to see the cliffs and the Leprechaun Museum and everything else I missed in my short time there.

This will be my last post for a while, as I have more midterms this week and planning and packing to do.  I will be in Prague, London, and Edinburgh for the 10 days leading up until Easter, so much more to write about following!

Long Study Tour

So yet again I apologize for the length of wait time for this post as week as lack of depth- this week and next week are full of midterms and I have no time to spare (except to go to Dublin, of course...).

Last week... well I guess closer to two weeks ago now... I had my long study tour trip to Budapest and Vienna. Pictures have been up for a while now, but those are the links to the albums anyway.

No trip is ever completely stress free, and my stressful situation came at the very beginning...

Széchenyi Chain Bridge, Budapest

I had to be at the airport by 5:15, which meant that I had to leave my kollegium at 4:15.  Because I have insomnia anyway, I figured I'd just do what I normally do before an early flight and pull and all-nighter.  I packed, watched tv, and Skyped with people until I had about 20 minutes before I should've woken up to get ready/go.  So of course I decided that a 20 minute nap would be a good idea. I fell asleep, missed 3 alarms and woke up an hour and 20 min later. I held up the class so long they had to go without me and THANK GOD the airport people let me go in the express lane because I made it to the terminal right as they were boarding. (Sorry mom and dad for not telling you about this... didn't think it was something you'd wanna hear.)

Fisherman's Bastion, Budapest

Anyway, we landed in Budapest and had some time to explore and eat brunch before going on a walking tour.  Allen, Kelsey, Mary and I found a great cafe and split some meat and cheese and bread platters while enjoying the super cheap prices.  The walking tour of Pest (fun fact... Budapest is actually two cities made up of "Buda" and "Pest") was interesting in that we got to see the entrance to the WWII Jewish Ghetto and and 2nd biggest synagogue in the world as well as ugly buildings left over from the communist period; however, our tour guide was a little too obsessed with street art (or lack thereof) for my liking.  After the tour we went on a wonderful dinner cruise on the Danube, and I took some amazing pictures of the bridge and the skyline of Buda.  Many people went out afterward, but I was way too tired after the previous night's affair and fell right asleep.

Széchenyi Spa, Budapest

The next two days in Budapest consisted of hospital visits with my class, a trip to a museum of an old wartime hospital that was literally inside of a rock, exploring the sights in Buda, marveling at Matthias Church and the view from the Fishman's Bastion, swimming in a Hungarian bath house, eating chimney cake (Hungary's oldest pastry), having dinner at an all-you-can-eat AND all-you-can-drink buffet, and going out to Szimpla Kert, which was rated the 3rd best bar in the world.  Overall I thought Budapest was a really fun city, though I could definitely tell it was Eastern Europe.  The transportation system, while, easy to navigate, seemed pretty sketchy.  The currency took a little bit getting used to as well, as we had to divide by 236.50 to convert to dollars- they had BIG bills.  My favorite thing was definitely the bath- an ornate, outdoor (though inside), giant hot tub.

Class before the bike tour, Vienna

We took the train to Vienna, and while I wish I could've enjoyed the view of the countryside, I slept instead.  It was dinnertime by the time we got to Vienna, and after a delicious soup I went back to the hotel for a night in.  The next morning we awoke to 60 degree weather, which was perfect for our bike ride.  Riding a bike in a pack of people for the first time in years was a little scary at first, but I ended up loving it.  I think I just have a strange fear of self-transportation that being abroad is unintentionally helping me to overcome.  Anyway, Vienna was BEAUTIFUL.  Around every corner was another exquisite building.  The only thing that I didn't like about the bike tour was that it limited my ability to take pictures of the city, but it was still fantastic.

Schönnbrunn Palace, Austria

In Vienna we visited more hospitals, saw the Viennese Orchestra, explored the Schönnbrunn Palace, and went cafe-hopping.  We went to some really cool bars- I breathed fire at one and the other was really swanky and had an awesome view of the city.  Overall Vienna was beautiful, had an extremely easy-to-navigate and clean transportation system, and friendly people.  I remembered way more German than I had realized!

Proof that Kelsey has a heart.

Returning to the Copenhagen tundra was tough, but it was nice to be back "home".  The only highlight of this past week was learning how to perform and read ultrasounds on each other.

I'd like to write about the health care systems of Hungary and Austria, as they are extremely interesting to note, but I need to save those efforts right now for a paper I have to finish involving the subject.

Some exciting news though- I leave for Dublin tomorrow! I'll be in Ireland for St. Paddy's (not St. Patty's, as my Irish friends have drilled into me), Day weekend! So excited.


Happy early birthday, Dad! Sorry I won't be around for it!

Weekly Highlights

This is going to be pretty short because I have to leave in less than 6 hours and I still haven't packed yet, but I'll include some pictures so it isn't too boring.

Too bad I had just come from the gym.

Some highlights: In what I fondly refer to as my "doctor class", I got to wear a doctor's lab coat and interview a real patient to collect her history. I actually felt like a doctor, so that was pretty cool.

We're actually under a giant windmill.

I visited Malmö, Sweden for the day last Saturday. It was like a much quieter, smaller version of Copenhagen. Pictures are on my Shutterfly page.  We walked around, had brunch, did a little shopping, and visited a museum.  Nothing too exciting.

I also went to see the ballet at the Royal Danish Theater with my Danish Class.  The name was called "dans2go", and it was two hours of 3 different ballets. The first was a brand new modern piece, the second was a music-less modern style piece from the 70s, and the third was a classical Russian ballet from the 1800s.  I definitely preferred the last on the best, though many of the other people didn't like any of them. Being there and seeing the dancers onstage really made me miss dance.

Entrance to Christiania

This week my Danish class visited Christiania, an anarchist/hippie-founded society inside Copenhagen that doesn't believe they have to follow the same rules as everyone else in the world.  Hash and marijuana are sold openly on the street as they are legal there, but they are still illegal in Denmark so it doesn't really make sense.  I actually have a lot to say about Christiana, but I'll save it for another time.


Last night I went out with my Scottish and Canadian friends to a bar called "Dupong", a "ping-pong bar".  I was unaware that these existed.  You go to the bar, get a paddle and a beer, and then jump in the line of people circling the ping pong table playing a round robin game.  Each time someone messes up, they're out, and play continues until everyone is running to hit the ball and the last two people are in and play a normal game of up to 5 points.  It was pretty anti-climactic when someone won, though, because the game just started over again.  The concept was strange but enjoyable.  For the first time since I've been here I endured some pretty strong anti-American sentiments from a girl from Belgium.  Again more on that later, as I have a lot to say but don't have the time.

Sorry this was so brief but like I said, I'm leaving for the airport in about 5 hours (4:15am)!  I'll be in Budapest and Vienna with my core class this week- super excited!