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!