Dealing with pain/suffering? That'll be 150 DKK

Once again the Danes have a great concept regarding health care. This time its in regards to patient compensation for malpractice and in this case there is no doubt in my mind that this should be implemented in the states. The Danish system is not even comparable to the American system. They are night and day. Just in case you are not aware, the American system is based on litigation and the court system. Personal injury lawyers have ads everywhere, telling patients that if things didn't go perfectly that court is the answer, because that's where patients can receive compensation. This, in turn, requires doctors to spend money on malpractice insurance to cover themselves in case a patient proceeds with a lawsuit against them. It doesn't even matter if the doctor did nothing wrong; there is nothing stopping frivolous lawsuits. So there's the recap on the American system.

Now for the Danish system. The Danes base their system on no fault compensation. For full information on the system check out this website: http://uk.patientforsikringen.dk/public/dokumenter/
pdf/pjecer/engelsk/patientsentitlement.pdf

I'll do my best to try to summarize the information. First, the patient compensation is looked at as a patient's right, therefore all patients are covered by this "insurance" in pretty much all cases, except for dental care. The compensation scheme applies to injuries caused by both examination and treatment. But there are limits, as you cannot obtain compensation for an injury caused by the illness or accident for which you were treated, nor can you obtain compensation for treatment not leading to the recovery you expected. Compensation can be paid if the injury was in all probability caused in one of the following ways: if the injury could have been avoided by better treatment; if the injury is due to the malfunction or failure of technical apparatus and instruments, etc.; if the injury could have been avoided using another treatment technique or method of equal efficacy; if the injury is very unusual and serious in relation to the disease you were treated for and therefore goes beyond what you should reasonably have to endure. Compensation itself is fixed in accordance with the provisions of the Danish Liability for Damages Act. Compensation can be paid for loss of earnings, loss of ability to work, permanent damage, and pain and suffering. Compensation can also be paid for recovery costs resulting from the treatment. In the case of pain and suffering there is a cap set at 150 DKK per day, or about $30 per day A board consisting of doctors and governmental workers determine if claims are appropriate and deserve compensation.

This system creates equality amongst all patients, and also acknowledges that doctors are human and can make mistakes and should not have to be punished to provide compensation for the patient. If the doctor has made a grievous error than there is a board that can provide appropriate punishment. What this allows, though, is for doctors to practice medicine in a non-defensive posture, as they do not have to constantly protect themselves. All in all, a much better system than what the states makes use of. Again, the hangup with implementing a system like this in America would be the issue of where the government would get the funds to provide compensation as it would probably require more taxes, which are never popular with the American public. Nonetheless, in my opinion, this is a great system that would make medicine better for all involved.

Where am I again?

Forgive me if I seem uncertain where I am at certain times in my life. I blame my professors at both Carleton and DIS for this. Upon my return from traveling a common theme in my classes has been to spend the first few minutes and name the cities where people went. In my Human Health & Disease course this included both of my professors as well. It turns out that they spent a week in the United States at a DIS seminar, which happened to be taking place in Minneapolis, Minnesota where DIS is headquartered. This also meant that they took an hour drive south and spent a day at Carleton. It's kind of odd to think that my Danish professors have been to Carleton more recently than me. Henriette had two impressions of her trip worth sharing. First, she couldn't believe the minuscule size of our dorm rooms. She has no idea how we can live in such a place. Maybe Carleton should take notice of this. Second, the rural areas south of the twin cities reminded her a lot of southern Sweden, so if any of you were contemplating a trip to southern Sweden save your money and visit me instead!

Then to add to my confusion I received an e-mail yesterday from Herr Paas, who is the head of the German department at Carleton, and was my professor for German 204 last fall. It turns out that he and a couple of Carleton administrators are going to be coming to Copenhagen for a seminar or something, and they want to take some Carls (Carleton students) out for dinner. This will then be my second encounter with a Carleton professor at DIS.

For the recap. DIS professors going to Carleton. Carleton professors going to DIS. So this begs the question, where am I again?

Final Travel Thoughts

Whew! Three straight weeks of traveling is a lot. Still, it was a great experience that I wouldn't have changed at all. Just in case you haven't already read, below are posts about a lot of the places I visited and some of the things I saw and took part in. Also, all of my pictures are now posted on Webshots for your perusal. But now for my concluding thoughts.

First, it was insane the different kinds of transportation I made use of. Automobile. Charter bus. Ferry. Streetcar. Metro. Local Train. Regional Train. National Train. Night Train. Airplane. Public bus. I pretty much did it all. Shows how well Europe is connected.

Second, I have come to the conclusion that everyone -- Americans that is -- should do Europe twice. Once as a student. There are just certain experiences people get traveling on the cheap that they would never get if they had money, such as staying at hostels and meeting the people there or eating at cafeterias. It's just a different and enjoyable way to travel. With that said, I also feel that people should go back to Europe when they have more money to truly enjoy some of the more expensive luxuries Europe affords such as great food. This is definitely a blueprint I plan on following.

Along some of those same lines the people I met, especially in Florence were great. It was also interesting to note the differences in ages and what that made the trip be for each person. For example, I met two college aged students that were taking some time off from school and just enjoying Europe. But then I also met two people that were 30+ who almost seemed to be escaping from certain aspects of their life by traveling to Europe. I found this dichotomy to be quite intriguing, and really nothing more.

So it was a great trip, but I am definitely not looking forward to going back to school. DIS doesn't do any favors as I have an exam on Friday and a presentation due in a week. But still, less than 2 months of classes, and then I'm done. Time has really been flying.

The last two months aren't just classes, though. I still have plenty of excitement to look forward to. First, my parents and brother will be here in less than two weeks to spend a week in Copenhagen and celebrate Thanksgiving with me and my family. Then a week later I will be taking a weekend trip to Vienna to experience that amazing city in the winter. Then finally, once classes are done I'll be spending a couple days in London before heading home. So I definitely have things besides classes to keep me occupied.

Prague: A City of Serendipity

The arrival into Prague was uneventful. It was also the only portion of the trip that would retain that designation. Pretty much every event/thing/item that followed getting off the bus in the city had some unique twist to it. First, upon arrival a group of us attempted to find our hostel with no real directions or true sense of where we were. About 20 minutes and a lot of steps later we finally found the place. Once we became settled, we then headed towards to Old Town square. There we found the Old Town Hall and the Astronomical Clock. Prior to continuing, we decided that some lunch was in order, and quite randomly stumbled upon a great little pub that had traditional Czech food, so we ended up all ordering the same meal – the goulash – which was splendid to say the least.

After lunch, we explored a bit of the Jewish quarter and then continued on to one of the lesser-known bridges crossing the Vltava River. It afforded some great views of the more famous Charles Bridge, which nicely allowed for a different perspective. Once we crossed the river, we headed up to Prague Castle. Simply unbelievable. Prague Castle contains the Old Royal Palace, but more importantly it also encloses the St. Vilius church. I’m not exactly sure what to say about this church. It was breathtaking. I'm pretty sure neither my words nor my pictures could fully do it justice. We took our time and walked around the church, as well as climbing its 279 steps to the top of one of the towers (the exact number is known because we were warned about it before beginning). From the top of the tower we had an amazing view of all of Prague. The only negative was the lousy weather wasn’t conducive to having a clear view.

We then walked down from the castle and briefly walked around New Town, before crossing the ever-famous Charles Bridge into Old Town. From all of this walking around I came to two conclusions. First, Prague is incredibly touristy. There were tourists everywhere you were. It reminded me of New York City in some ways with just the incredibly large number of people milling about. And this is in the end of October – definitely not high tourist season. Second, if you are British you were visiting Prague. Obviously, that is an overstatement, but I heard so many British accents everywhere that at times I thought I was in London. The Brits are probably just being smart and taking advantage of the 40 Czech Kroner that every 1 British Pound is worth.

That night our serendipitous decisions continued, as we decided to see a black light theater show called “Rock Therapy,” which was based off of Beatles music. It was an experience to say the least, or I guess a bit better one could say a trip. There was no dialogue, just Beatles music and some odd compilations done by the troupe putting on the show. I think to truly enjoy the show a person needs to take the song “Lucy in the sky with diamonds” a bit more literally. The show did remind me of home, as it was definitely a show for the Geibs.

After the show, we left the theater and were walking down the street when we were suddenly greeted by fireworks. It turned out that there was a huge mall opening that night very close by and a party was being thrown which included bands and fireworks. Once the show was done we of course had to check out the new mall. It was pretty high class in terms of the stores inside but also its architecture and design. A definite change from places like the Mall of America or the mall back home.

The next day was a slower day, which was needed after the constant going, going, going of the previous couple days. I woke up and went to the train station to purchase my ticket for that night to Budapest. I had researched the train I wanted before hand, but did not purchase the ticket, as I thought it would be cheaper to buy it in person than online through a ticket broker. Unfortunately, and quite surprisingly, I was wrong, as I paid about $20 more in Prague. I then decided to it was necessary to see St. Wenceslas Square. However, somewhere along the lines I lost my map, so that became a 2-hour adventure of walking around Prague. Eventually, I found a tourist information booth, purchased a new map, and found the square. It reminded me a bit of Unter den Linden strasse in Berlin, which leads up to the Brandenburg Gate. In both cases you have a wide, tree-lined street, lots of people, shops on either side of the road, and the street ending in a national monument.

I then met up with my friends from DIS, had a late lunch, and then headed out to see the actual Mucha museum. Even after seeing most of his work the previous week it was still quite interesting. My favorites are “The Four Seasons” and “Four Precious Stones”.

We ate dinner that night at some random restaurant in the basement of a building that we stumbled upon in the Old Town area. It was really good, and probably one of my last cheap meals for the rest of my travels.

I hung out with my friends for the last time on the trip for a couple hours back at the hostel before I had to head to the train station. Luckily, the train station was only a metro stop away from the hostel, and the metro stop itself was only 50m away from the hostel. So around midnight – my train didn’t leave until 1 am – I gathered my bags, said my goodbyes, and headed towards the metro station. This is when the fun began. First, after I got down to the station I realized I was at the wrong line. This required 5 minutes more of walking up and down stairs to get to the correct line. Once I did that I then heard an announcement saying that the train I needed was no longer running for the night, even though on the schedule it was supposed to run three more times. So I then walked another five minutes back up to the street level to try to find another way to the station. I stumbled upon two taxis, and asked them if they were in service. I received a gruff shaking of the head to indicate no. At this point, I was beginning to worry a bit, and started to walk towards the station. About 10 minutes later I found a taxi that was in service, but he didn't take credit cards for payment, and my Czech Kroner supplies were running low, which meant we had to stop at an ATM, where I needed to withdraw about 200 Kroner. Of course, the ATM the taxi took me to only allowed withdrawals in 500 CZK increments. This meant that I was going to have some extra money at the end of the trip. Nonetheless, I managed to get to the station on time, and went and boarded the train. The train had to be from the 1970’s, as it was dirty and worn down. Luckily, I had an entire compartment to myself to sleep in for the 9-hour ride to Budapest. It was also a good thing that I was alone, because by the end of the night I needed to strip down to almost no clothes due to the overactive heater, which constantly spewed incredibly hot air even though I had it set as cold as possible. The fun continued though, as I woke up around 9:00 am to find that we weren’t moving. Figuring it was just a scheduled stop I milled around my compartment putting things away, etc. Half an hour passed and we still weren’t moving. Finally, I questioned a German passenger what was going on and it turned out the train had some troubles in the evening. We were three hours behind schedule and in Bratislava, Slovakia. This means that I lost 3 quite valuable hours in Budapest – I was only supposed to be there four about 24 hours as it was – along with having to occupy myself quite a bit longer on the train. Such is the life of a young traveler.

Shaky Legs

This day started like all the rest on the trip: shower, breakfast, and gearing up for another day of challenges. We experienced a slight change in location, as we took a 30-minute bus ride to Mala Skala, which is another rock formation close to where we were staying. My group’s first event was rock climbing and rappelling. This was my first attempting to climb a real rock, and my first time since 4^th grade at climbing anything. A lot has changed since then, and I made it up the first face methodically, but absolutely fine. I figured out I have issues when it comes to knowing where to go once I’m on the rock. Indecision regarding the path wrecks any rhythm to my climbing. It also wrecked my chance on the second face, which was a bit more difficult. About half way through I was stuck and didn’t know where to go, so my attempt was called. Nevertheless, I made progress and even have proof as you can see below:

Rappelling, on the other hand, went a lot more smoothly after just the little bit of prior experience I had now accumulated. I found it much easier to trust the thought that I was well supported and safe, and that I could in fact simply let myself fall off the face of the cliff. The rappel was really fun and allowed for some great views. The rock also started to curve in a bit towards the end, so for the last 1/3 of my descent I was in mock Navy Seal mode, as I was more ziplining down a rope rather than rappelling.

We then walked to lunch in the nearby town where we had another typical Czech meal: soup, meat (fried), and potatoes. Post lunch my group headed in a new direction towards some caves. At the caves another scavenger hunt of sorts was set up that involved us climbing up and down rocks, ladders, walking on nets, and of course exploring a few caves, most of which required us to be lying in the prone position just to be able to move. It was so much fun. This was what I always dreamed of doing when I was little. It was like my own Goonies movie.

That event brought to an end my “adventure” aspect of the trip, as the next morning we will be leaving for Prague, where I’ll be spending 2 days/1 night.

Epi Shot

There is nothing better than the knowledge that you are going to wake up to a nice, hot shower and a good breakfast. Unfortunately, I did not have that knowledge this morning. First, I woke up to our door wide open – I think it was that way all night. Our room had a slight problem. The last guests must have locked themselves out or in – either is oddly possible – and broke the doorframe to get in or out. This has not been fixed, which means that our room does not fully lock itself. It has made hiding valuables quite the game, though. Second, the showers here are pretty bad. Plain and simple. No hot water and no water pressure. Not the best conditions to wake up to.

Breakfast was the typical European breakfast, but it was accentuated with something special, massive doses of epinephrine – adrenaline. This was due to this morning’s activities. Rappelling down a 150-foot sheer cliff, taking a zipline across a gorge, and then walking back across on a rope bridge. These things get you going, no doubt. Impressively – especially for me – I was able to complete all of these awesome pursuits. Rappelling was definitely the most fun, and difficult, at least initially. I had problems with placing myself perpendicular to rock wall, especially at the beginning, where there was enough of a slope that you felt like you could stand. Once I was able to pass that aspect it was smooth sailing – or falling all dependent on your outlook. Rappelling is definitely something I want to try again, as I feel like it will be a lot more enjoyable with some experience under my belt. The zipline was fun, but nothing great. It was a zipline across the gorge. Nothing too spectacular. The rope bridge, on the other hand, was the most intense activity – hands down. Walking across this thin rope, with everything swaying in the wind and with your body weight, causes an intense and constant adrenaline rush. I was so happy to have both feet on firm ground afterwards.

After another typical Czech lunch of vegetable soup with meat and potatoes the group of us that went rappelling, etc. in the morning were now embarking on a hike through the woods surrounding the castle. It was beautiful. The trees and soil remind me, once again, of northern Michigan as white pine, paper birch, and sand is ever present. It gave me a brief feeling of home, even though I am halfway across the world.

And the wheels on the bus go round and round...

One of man’s greatest abilities is our capacity to invent new things. It is what has propelled the human race to where we our today. However, we have failed miserably when it comes to inventing a good form of bus transportation conducive to 26 hours on a bus over a 72-hour period. I just hate buses. Sunday afternoon was the beginning of another 15-hour bus ride, this time to Cesky Raj in the Czech Republic. It was not a pleasant experience to say the least. Not to mention the crazy feelings of déjà vu that ensued, primarily due to the fact that I was on the same ferryboat from Gedser, Denmark, to Rostock, Germany, for the third time in a week.

In another moment of déjà vu, the first stop the group made was at a former Nazi concentration camp. This time we visited Theresientstadt, which is notorious for being the camp that Nazi officials would show off to foreign dignitaries and Red Cross workers to demonstrate the high level of facilities and care provided to the detainees. If the Nazis were good at one thing it was propaganda. We were able to watch one of their “movies/documentaries” that “showed” the true conditions of the Jews and the camp. It was unbelievable how well they were able to pull a veil over the real events that were taking place. For this reason, though, the camp had a very different feel than Sachsenhausen, as there were many more trees and well kept buildings. It seemed entirely out of place. The other interesting aspect was the focus of the museum on Czech issues. The plight of the Jews was definitely mentioned, but at times it took a secondary seat to the plight of Czech citizens unduly imprisoned and murdered. Some people might complain about this fact and how they are ignoring the largest population that was murdered during the Nazi atrocities; however, it seems to make sense to me. If the Czechs do not put an emphasis on themselves and what they went through, who will? Undoubtedly, it is human nature to focus on the group that you most closely associate with, but the troubles of all peoples needs to be recognized, even if it is only a tenth in scale.

Following the concentration camp, we arrived at Hruba Skala, our castle accommodations. “Wow” is the only word I could utter as we arrived. It was absolutely gorgeous. The rocks. The castle. The trees. The sky. It was picturesque. It was also exactly what I wanted – being out in the middle of nowhere with the ability to run around and enjoy nature’s beauty. After getting checked in, settled, and experiencing the loads of fun that icebreakers always are, we had an hour and half before dinner, so a group of us went down in the valley/gorge area and explored. We were climbing all over the place – up hills, up trees, up rocks – all resulting in spectacular views. The only thing missing was Craig, as he would have been eating all of this up.

The rest of the evening was spent socializing with other people on the trip, as there is not a whole lot of nightlife in the area – none to be exact. It was a fun night nonetheless, and it really got me excited for the rest of the trip.

And Phase Two Is Commencing

It has been odd being back in Copenhagen for 36 hours. It was great sharing meals with my host family again, and to have their good cooking, but it just feels so weird to be packing so soon after unpacking. Anyways last night I watched my last Indians game for the season, which they unfortunately were demolished in by the Red Sox. Even if Cleveland wins game 7 tonight, I'll be missing the World Series while I travel. Nonetheless, it's been a really fun season to watch. Hopefully next year they'll be just as successful, if not more.

Still, in under an hour I will be off on another bus adventure. This time a trip of about 15 hours awaits me as I head for Cesky Raj in the Czech Republic. This is the beginning of my 2 straight weeks of travel. It will be a crazy time transversing Europe from Copenhagen, to Cesky Raj, to Prague, to Budapest, to Milan, to Genoa, to Florence, to Siena, back to Milan, and finally back to Copenhagen. I'm excited and nervous, and cannot wait to get started. And of course I will share all the lovely details I experience and all the impressions I am left with. And in case you haven't already read, posted below are my thoughts on the first week of study break. They are in reverse order in a sense, so the most recent day is on top. Time to finish packing.

The Final Day

The last day of the study tour and my time spent in Poznan was a great way to culminate the first week of my travels. It started off with being able to sleep in for the first time all week, which was definitely appreciated. I then spent the morning at Poznan’s Pediatric Hospital and Outpatient Clinic. There, I shadowed three different pediatricians in both the clinic and hospital settings. I was able to see some interesting things, mostly focused on the GI system, which included an endoscopy searching for a swallowed pen cap. Perhaps the most interesting aspect was one the attending physicians is the head of Poland’s cystic fibrosis organization and he was being interviewed for a spot on the Polish national news regarding decreasing reimbursement rates for various types of care. I guess that’s not a problem limited in scope to the United States.

After the hospital visit lunch was on our own again, and again I had a doener. I won’t be having another one for quite a while if I can help it. We then as a group saw an exhibit of the Czech artist Alfonso Mucha. He was considered a master of art nouveau. I really enjoyed his pieces. There was something very abstract and fanciful in a sense, but still very concrete as well. It wasn’t typical abstract art where there is simply colors and shapes thrown on the medium. This was of people and nature, and they were just exquisite, especially his charcoal drawings. Unfortunately, pictures weren’t allowed so I can’t share any of his work.

We then had a couple hours to burn prior to dinner so a group of us made some purchases at a famous gingerbread store in town and then spent an hour or two at a café where we indulged in amazing hot chocolate. This was no Nestle or Swiss Miss hot chocoloate. This was actually melted chocolate that you drank. I had the “Mexican” version which had some cinnamon and spice added to it. It was delectable.

Dinner that night was covered by DIS and we ate at Poznan’s trendy microbrewery. DIS purchased each of us two beers so there was a lot of exchanging going on so that we could taste all of the varieties. I had a Pilsner, and then parts of a very good dark beer and their honey beer. Unfortunately, their hot, spiced honey beer was not available. That would have been interesting.

Post dinner was spent loading the bus for our 12-hour trip back to Copenhagen. Bus is not my favorite form of transportation. No doubt about that. I don’t think I ever anticipated a flat surface as much as I did the floor of the ferry on the last leg our trip. It was so nice to spread out and just be able to actually sleep. Everyone took full advantage of that situation. Then it was back in Copenhagen for a day, and time to start packing for the next trip.

Videos Suck

Today was supposed to be the exciting day for our travel break in terms of academic visits. I was scheduled to visit a Polish pathologist and see an autopsy first hand. Sadly – if that’s even the appropriate word – no one died the previous day and we weren’t able to actually experience an autopsy. Instead we were able to see it via video, which was nothing special. That’s something I can do on You Tube. The remainder of the day involved lunch on our own, which happened to be my second doener in two days – I see an unfortunate pattern developing here – and a guided walking tour throughout Poznan.

This was incredibly interesting. And it extended much beyond just being able to see all the sights and take pictures. It was more interesting to hear the Polish tour guide’s opinion on various sujects, particularly the Russians and Germans. Let’s just say she’s not a big fan of either, and with a fair amount of good reason based on how both countries have treated Poland in the past.

Berlin nach Poznan

The next day we were off to Poznan, but not until noon. This meant I had a little more time to sightsee. I took full advantage of this and got up early that morning for breakfast and to head over to the Jewish Holocaust Memorial. This memorial was/is quite controversial among the Berlin populace as there were issues regarding if the Jews should have their own memorial in Berlin versus all of the victims of the Holocaust, and why this memorial needed to be in Berlin. The early morning was a nice time to go there and reflect, nonetheless.

Afterwards we were planning to visit the inside of the Reichstag which is the German parliament, but, unfortunately, the dome on top and the parliament were closed for cleaning. We still had too much time to head back to the hotel so we took a trip out to the western suburbs of the city and visited the Olympic Stadion. That was really cool. I was filled with feelings of awe at the building itself and a sense of history and pride when I saw the track and imagined Jesse Owens beating everyone else in 1936. It was a definite odd juxtaposition of feelings.

Then in my last act in Berlin I ran around the area by the hotel for a good 20 minutes trying in desperation to find a doener. I finally succeeded and enjoyed every last bite of my Turkish/Berlin delicacy. The next 6 hours were spent on a bus heading to Poznan in Poland. The highlight of the trip was the hour spent at the border having our passports and bus checked.

The Polish countryside was quite a shock in comparison to Berlin. Much more rural, and much more rundown. When we first entered the Poznan city limits comments were being made left and right regarding the dilapidated state of the city. However, as we headed further into the center of town and closer to our hotel the better things appeared. After getting settled into our hotel we headed for our first Polish dinner, which was nothing to rave about, but not horrible either. Then it was just a chill night as people tried to catch up on their lack of sleep.

2nd day in Berlin

The second day in Berlin was full of ups and downs, with the day starting off pretty bad and steadily improving. We began with a visit to the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, where we were given 2 different seminars. One was about identifying genetic diseases via humans and the other was about technology in molecular genetics. Neither were that interesting, or informative for that matter. It was pretty much a wasted morning. This was definitely the low point of the day.

Things greatly improved afterwards when we were on our own. I and a couple friends visited the New Synagogue on Oranienburger Tor, which was right by where I had classes with IES. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to take any pictures of the synagogue or of the views from the dome. We then headed over to Museum Island where we visited the Pergamon and Altes Museums. The Pergamon was amazing. Nothing more needs to be said. It was a collection of actual and replica pieces of art and architecture from the Greeks, the Babylonians, the Syrians, and various Islamic cultures. It was stunning. The Altes Musuem was a quick visit mostly for the chance to see Nefrititi, whose bust is on display.

My friends then wanted to see the Berliner Dom; however they were having services so we waited out on the steps for half an hour and just chatted. It was actually quite relaxing. Post services we checked out the interior of the church (which I saw last time I was in Berlin), where I met a friend – a cute, little mouse hanging out in the prayer chapel.

The true highlight of the night was when we came out of the cathedral. That night Berlin was having a festival – “The Festival of Lights” – which had nothing to do with Hannukkah – if you were curious. What it did involve was lighting up various landmarks throughout Berlin, which included the Berliner Dom and Brandenburg Gate. You can see how beautiful these two buildings looked below:


The evening also involved a fireworks and laser light show at Alexanderplatz. It was all pretty cool and a fun evening. And I was able to have a Berliner Weisses Rot, which took care of that urge.

My former home

Talk about a crazy sense of déjà vu. Today we toured around Berlin and it caused such an eerie feeling and memories of two summers ago to flood back (along these lines I did not take that many picutes seeing as I have already once before. If you are very interested in Berlin pictures I suggest you look at my older Webshots album from two summers ago.). Looking back at that time there are definite parallels that I am currently experiencing with DIS, but there also also – and perhaps more profoundly – definite distinct differences. It overall just makes for interesting thoughts – none of which have much coherence or logical flow.

To further add to my feelings of déjà vu we also toured the Jewish Museum, with this being my third visit. It was still incredibly interesting, and it was even more fascinating to hear the museum explained by a different tour guide with a new perspective. Still, not much has changed since I was last there.

Afterwards I explored an interesting special exhibit about the work by Charlotte Salomon entitled “Life? Or Theater?". The background is that this 21 year old German Jew was fleeing from the Nazis and staying with her grandparents in the south of France. She also had experienced a tumultuous childhood, and her main method of coping was painting. In the end, she painted over 1,300 different watercolor panels, and added text and music to accompany them, which all together has turned into this play. It was quiet interesting and provided a different perspective on things.

We then walked around various parts of the city without much aim, just trying to experience Berlin. I then had a unique experience as we visited KaDeWe – Kaufhas des Westens (Department store of the West) – with a focus on their 6^th floor gourmet items. It was ridiculous the amount and vaired kinds of food they had for sale. You could also go and eat there if that suited you as well.

We were on our own for dinner tonight and a group of us decided to try a restaurant in the bottom of a mall called “Bavarium,” which is a German restaurant focusing on dishes from Bavaria. It was good. Lots of meat and potatoes. It definitely brought back memories of my family vacation to southern Germany. We met a group of middle age+ American businessmen that were also eating at the restaurant. Impressively, they knew exactly where Carleton is – and how good of a school it is.

The rest of the evening was spent with friends, walking, talking, and hanging out. On a surprising note bars/restaurants/clubs are not open that late here, at least in comparison to Copenhagen. Tomorrow is our last day in Berlin and I still have two things I need to accomplish: one, eating a doener; two, having a Berliner Weisse Rot. Hopefully both of those happen tomorrow.

A Concentration Camp and Berlin

Today was the beginning of the long study tour, and it was quite the start. First, I was operating on 1 hour of sleep, as I stayed up the entire night watching the Indians beat the Red Sox (minus the 1-hour nap I took during the uneventful 7^th, 8^th, and 9^th innings). It was awesome seeing them put seven runs on the board in the top of the 11^th. Pretty much 2 minutes after the game ended Michael and I were in the car heading to Frue Plads, where he dropped me off to catch the bus. Unfortunately, bus seats aren’t that conducive to good sleeping so I wasn’t able to catch up on my sleep. We then spent 2 hours on a ferry to go from Denmark to Germany, which was followed by another 3 hours in the bus.

Our first stop was at Sachsenhausen, outside of Berlin, which was a Nazi concentration camp, and then a Soviet camp. This was the second concentration camp I’ve visited, as I went to Dachau during my family vacation to Germany two summers ago. **Unfortunately my immediate thoughts were lost, so this will now include my thoughts 3 weeks later.** In comparison to Dachau, Sachsenhausen seemed to have a greater effect on me personally. I'm not exactly sure why, but it just seemed to be a more emotionally draining experience. That might have to do with my state of mind, the weather conditions, or perhaps just the people I experienced it with. Whatever it was, it really brought out feelings that coincide with my personal connection associated with my own Jewish heritage, cultural upbringing, and familial ties.

We then drove for another hour or so into Berlin. Initially, when I found out my tour was going to Berlin I was less than thrilled, mostly because I spent two months there two summers ago, and would have much rather seen another European city. However, with that said, once we were there I was so excited to be back in Berlin. It is unbelievable what a factor familiarity plays in a person’s outlook on a place. It was great to know where we were, to be able to point out places of interest to other people on the bus, and to be able to navigate the city’s public transportation.

The highlight of the evening by far was dinner. We ate a restaurant called Unsichtsbar, which has a rough literal translation of the unable to have sight bar. This was a dark restaurant. That means that the eating area is pitch black and all the waiters/waitresses are blind. It was an unbelievable experience. Not being able to use your eyes while eating adds such a different dynamic to a meal. You end up focusing more on the smell and taste of the food, as well as its texture. Then, the darkness also makes you focus more on other people’s words and not on their physicalness. The food was good too, as an added bonus.

This restaurant was also awesome because it was in a neighborhood that my friends and I loved to hang out in (when I was in Berlin previously). This allowed me to show my DIS friends our favorite hangout and I was also able to get a beer that I had been craving since arriving in Denmark, but that can apparently only be bought in Berlin. It’s nice to be on vacation. I think that is the theme for the next 3 weeks. two summers ago), but it was still quite the emotionally draining experience. We were provided with audio guides and set off on our own to explore the exhibits and buildings. I spent most of the time with another girl (who is also Jewish, and spent some of her summer on a birthright trip to Poland (seeing all the Polish concentration camps) and Israel) discussing the impact of the Holocaust on our outlook on life being of Jewish descent. For whatever reason this camp seemed to be a little more emotional draining than Dachau, but I’m not quite sure why.

The Study Tour Recap

So I've just returned from my week long trip to Berlin and Poznan. And of course I want to share how those adventures progressed. I'm going to do this slightly differently than how I gave a recap on my previous trips. Each day will be its own post, and will be posted after this one. I think this will let people scan around quicker if they so choose. Also, just for your frame of reference, most of these posts were written the night of the day they are referring to. Enjoy!

Pre-game thoughts...and a lot more

T-minus 20 minutes until game 1 of the ALCS. I'm sucking it up and planning on staying up tonight to watch the game. Granted, this is the farthest the Indians have made it in 10 years so I feel like sacrificing some sleep is worth it. The whole situation gives me a feeling of deja vu from this spring when the Cavs were in the NBA playoffs. They were viewed as the underdog a large way through the playoffs, but still managed to make it to the finals. Hopefully, the Indians can emulate that run.

Besides that point I have a lot of other thoughts to share. Part of the reason for this "outburst" is the fact that I'm half way done with my time in Denmark. Hard to imagine, but I only have 5-6 more weeks in Denmark itself. This is because starting Sunday for the next 3 weeks I'll be traveling around Europe on a mini, well I guess much more than a mini, vacation. I'll definitely be sharing my thoughts on my travels during and after the trip (all dependent on when I can get internet access), but I'll at least let you know where I'll be going. The first stop is back to my stomping grounds two summers ago as we spend a couple days in Berlin, Germany. After that I'll be heading further east to spend a couple days in Poznan, Poland. I'll be going to both of these cities with other DIS students from the Medical Practice & Policy program as part of our long study tour. Following a night back in Copenhagen I'll be back on the road with other DIS students heading to the Czech country side and Prague. Post Prague will involve a train ride to Budapest and a day spent there. Next will be a flight to Milan, immediately followed by a train to Genoa, where I'll be spending a couple days. I'll then move eastward to Florence and then to Siena for the next couple days. Finally, it will be wrapped up with a train to Milan and a flight back to Copenhagen. It's a crazy schedule and I couldn't be more excited!

Now on to my other random thoughts.

First, there was quite a stir amongst DIS students two or so weeks ago as former President Bill Clinton was in Copenhagen. Apparently he was giving a speech somewhere in the city, with tickets running close to 1000 DKK or about $200. However, he was also signing copies of his new book at bookstore right by the DIS center, which a fair number of people managed to get in line for. In fact, one of my friends from Carleton went to see him and they ended up in conversation about how great Carleton is (Clinton gave the commencement speech in 2000). I would never dream to meet a former or current US President in the states, but then when I go to study abroad in Denmark I find a President. What are the odds?

Indians update: 1-0 Tribe, heading into the bottom of the 1st.

On another political note, I have begun to notice my own increased interest in the current political climate back in the states, especially in regards to the potential presidential candidates. My only explanation for this is that the primary elections to be held in March will be my first foray into voting in a presidential election and I want to be informed when making a decision Just an interesting observation on my part.

Do you know that if it wasn't for polio you might have health insurance provided by the government? Let me explain. In Health Care in Scandinavia we just read a text discussing different kinds of welfare states. When he was explaining the social democrat model, which includes almost all of Scandinavia (Side tangent: interestingly enough, my professor highlighted that one of the main keys to the Danish welfare system is homogeneity -- of culture, race, ethnicity, and goals. Without it he doesn't imagine it could succeed. This is perhaps an indication that a welfare state could not work in the US.), he states that this was the path the United States was on under FDR's New Deal programs. I wonder what would have happened if his 4th term wasn't cut short by polio, maybe health insurance?

Indians update: 1-1, heading into the top of the 2nd.

I'm having quite the unique experience in my Impact of Epidemic Disease course. The main text that the course is based on, Plagues and Peoples (1998) by William H. McNeil, is consistently contradicted by my professor. It's just so odd to do the reading before class only to have the professor completely rip it to shreds in class the next day. An interesting dynamic to say the least.

After being in Denmark for 7 weeks now, I think I have finally found a couple things that I miss. Granted there have been a ton of things that I have had moments of longing for, but none of those longings have been consistent over my entire time here. The two exceptions relate directly with Carleton. The first is fall colors. I want nothing more than to be able to see a line of sugar maples completely golden, glimmering in the sun. I miss how beautiful Carleton is in the fall. The second thing I am missing is the stars in the Minnesotan sky. Typically, when walking back from the libe or from somewhere on campus I entertain myself by looking up in the sky at the stars shining down on me. I just cannot replicate these things in Denmark.

Finally, I had an interesting night tonight. Once a year almost all of the cultural locations in Copenhagen are open for a one time fee. It's called Copenhagen's Night of Culture. There are literally over 100 different locations that have various programs for the public to enjoy. My host family offered to take me, and I gladly accepted. We started off the evening with dinner at a cafe much like the community restaurant I described a few weeks ago. We then headed to our first cultural event which was taking a look at Black Diamond, which is the University of Copenhagen's newest branch of the Royal Library. It is an absolutely gorgeous building and it was cool to finally see. We then walked around the ground of the Parliament a little bit, which included a quick stop at the Danish Armament Museum. Then for the true experience of the night we drove over to the zoo! It was completely open, and completely dark. It was definitely a different way to experience the zoo, and while interesting, I'm not sure I'd recommend it. Animals sleeping is only so exciting. Regardless, it was still a great evening and a unique way to see Copenhagen, and especially appropriate as I'll be leaving this town (my 3rd/4th home) for the next 3 weeks.

Alright, C.C. doesn't have his stuff tonight -- again. He's throwing too hard and letting the playoffs get to him. It's so frustrating because I, and all the other Indians fans, know how good of a pitcher he can be if he just stays under control. Top of the 4th, Cleveland 1, Boston 5.

A Library Labyrinth

Carleton's library is great. I know exactly where it is on campus. I know exactly how to check out books. I know exactly how to do research. And I know exactly who to turn to when I have questions. There is one problem, though. I'm not at Carleton anymore.

This problem has reared its ugly head quite a few times recently, as I have been assigned 4 different papers. Obviously, for these papers I'm having to do some independent research. Luckily, for almost all of them I have been able to make use of the Carleton online resources and ILLIAD (inter library requests), which have made my life a whole lot easier. I've also been able to contact Carleton reference librarians by e-mail to ask questions about where to look for certain information, and they have been incredibly helpful, as always.

Where my real adventure has come is with one paper that has required me to check out books from the Danish Royal Library. This is the library associated with the University of Copenhagen. They have a great website that lets you search their entire collection online, and then request the books -- if they are available -- to be held at one of the branches. This is all in English mind you, too. So I find the books I'm looking for online, and request them to be held at the Amager branch. No problem. A couple days later, after I've been e-mailed and told the books are ready to be picked up, I head over towards the campus after class.

Unusually, on Amager there is an actual University of Copenhagen campus that has a cluster of academic buildings. As I got off the Metro and consulted a map nearby I had a general gestalt of where I was heading. Clearly, as I'm walking I can tell that the University is on my right hand side, but I have no idea where the library is. Eventually, I find an outdoor map, which says the library should be straight ahead. Awesome! I start walking, and then begin to notice that the building straight ahead is under construction (actually being built), and when I get close enough I realize that it is the new library. This, however, does me little good. Being the good man that I am, I refused to ask for directions and continued to wander quite aimlessly around the campus. Eventually, I have a brief recollection of the number 80, in terms of the library's address. I also find a sign that directs me to this address. I feel like its destiny.

Once I reach the entrance of the building, which oddly enough is right by where I started, I am lost again. I'm now in the building that houses the library, but I have no idea where the library is. I look at the directory and map, but no mention of the library. Then I noticed that directly in front of me, through the glass wall, is the library. Great! But how do you get in? I was left with the choice of left or right in terms of which direction to go. For whatever reason I chose right, and wandered down the halls, always turning to keep the library next to me. Eventually I found the entrance, and I was in.

But now what? At first, I was waiting in line to talk to the woman at the information desk, but then realized that they had reserved books stacked alphabetically against the wall. Sure enough, once I found the "L's" I found my stack. So I was now in possession of my books, but had no idea what to do. Were they already checked out? Do I need to check them out? I had no idea. My initial intention was to just leave, but decided that wasn't a correct decision. I then realized that they had self-service checkout kiosks, much like at the grocery store. So I head over to one to check out my books, but have no idea how to use it, even though its in English. I stood there, dumbfounded for a moment, until I gave up and headed back to the information desk, where the woman helped me get squared away.

I have my books, so I'm set right? Wrong. I need to get home, and luckily there's a bus stop that would take me all the way home right outside the entrance. I wait for about 10 minutes for the bus to come, and when I see it off in the distance I head right to the curb to signal I want on. So what happens? The bus drives right by me of course. This led to a 20 minute walk only so that I could take 2 more buses and make my way home. This entire event turned out to be a 2 hour adventure, when it should have really taken 1/2 an hour. At least I know where the Carleton library is.

Smoke Inhalation

In my complexity of cancer course we are currently learning about various forms of chemotherapy. The text associated with the lectures was pretty intense in terms of level, and I really only gained generalities from it, such as chemotherapy sucks in terms of the toxicities. It sounded brutal, and this was a scientific article! It really makes me not want to have cancer. The other thing I picked up from the article was that radiation therapy can act as a carcinogen, which typically results in neoplasia 10 years down the line. If that is true for other carcinogens, and I end up with lung cancer 10 years from now, I know who to blame: FC Copenhagen and Broendby IF football fans.

This weekend my host family and one of their friends went to see the match between these two bitter, Copenhagen rivals. It was an entertaining game, which FC Copenhagen ended up winning 1-0, but the game itself wasn't the only excitement. The fans decided they would provide some "atmosphere" to the 24,000 person stadium, by lighting flares (some of which were thrown on the field) and smoke bombs, as well as by setting a chair on fire. Couple that with all the Danes that smoke while watching soccer, and I inhaled enough smoke to last me a life time. Nevertheless, it was a pretty good atmosphere for a soccer match. I've tried to capture it in my photos on webshots, but I've also added a new dimension. I recorded some video with my digital camera trying to capture the fans singing and cheering. Take a look and see what Danish soccer is really like (in terms of the fans, at least).

Living in a Hurricane

I'm back from my three day whirlwind trip, and at times it really felt like I was living in a hurricane, either with the weather or the schedule. I'm going to give a recap of all the events and my thoughts on them, which means this will be a lengthy post, so I'm planning on splitting it up with subheadings to make jumping around a little easier. Also, all the pictures assosciated with this trip have already been posted on webshots, so check those out, too. Alright, here you go.

The First Bus Ride
Everyone in my group had to meet at Frue Plads at 8:00 AM Thursday morning for our departure. My host dad was heading into town anyways so he gave me a lift, which was appreciated, as that meant I could avoid walking around with my little suitcase. We started things off excitingly with a lovely 6 hour bus ride from Copenhagen to Aarhus. I filled this time with a little studying, a fair amount of sleeping, and seeing a pretty cool film -- Dirty Pretty Things -- about black market organ donation.

ARoS (Aarhus Art Museun)
Our first stop was at ARoS, which is a relatively new art museum in Aarhus (Denmark's second largest city -- 300,000). Their collection focuses on modern art, but with a slight twist. It's the modern art of different time periods, all the way back to 19th and 18th centuries. The more modern pieces were really cool, and I enjoyed walking around -- and taking a few illegal photographs. I also too a few legal photographs of the piece called "Boy". If you haven't looked at those pictures yet, I highly suggest you do. When I was loading the pictures onto my computer, and the pictures of "Boy" popped up, I was actually startled at first. If you look, you'll see what I mean.

Den Gamle By
The next visit in Aarhus was to the Old Town -- Den Gamle By. This "town" is a collection of hundreds of buildings from across Denmark from the 15th-19th centuries that have all been moved to this central location. The point is to try and give a representation of what life in Denmark used to be, so they have people "working" in period dress doing things that would be normal in the time period. It was much like a Danish equivalent of Hale Farm and Village. A group of us wandered around for the hour or so we were there, poking our heads into the buildings, etc. It wasn't anything too exciting, but it was still nice to just be able to walk around.

Hostel in Aalborg
After another hour and a half on the bus we arrived in Aalborg, which is where our accommodations were located. Once we were off the bus we were told to divide ourselves up in groups of 4 for the rooms, but I wasn't paying very close attention and missed this instruction, which left me scrambling for a room as people were heading off. The rooms weren't actually rooms, but instead these little shacks (I of course have pictures if you want to see), with room to sleep 7, and a little table as well. My room had 5 people so there was in reality a fair amount of room. These shacks were positioned right on the water next to a marina, so we had a great view of whatever body of water it was. I do know that it led into the ocean. We were served dinner that night in the hostel, which was quite decent in reality, and then afterwards people headed back to their rooms to get ready for the evening.

A Night Out on Jomfru Ane Gade
The name of this street translates to Virgin Anne's street, but it is not a street for virgins. In fact, this street is known all around Scandinavia and Northern Europe for being the party street, as its entire length has bars and restaurants on both side of the street. Unfortunately/fortunately (all depends on one's outlook), we arrived around 9:00pm to Jomfru Ane Gade, and the typical Danish nightlife doesn't begin until 12:00am. A group of us walked around the "downtown" area for a little bit, and then went to some bars. However, we were tired and done by 12:00am and decided to walk back to the hostel. This meant we missed out on the real craziness of the street, but I think we were all fine with that.

Center for Sensory-Motor Interaction (SMI)
The next morning our academic visits began. Our first stop was at the Center for Sensory-Motor Interaction (SMI) at Aalborg University. Here they study human sensory-motor interaction at multiple levels looking for ways to improve life. Unfortunately, I wasn't quite as attentive as I wished I was, as all the presentations were quite interesting. The researchers there were doing a lot of different things with stimulating nerves to see how it affects the person in general and their brains. For example, one researcher is creating an implantable device that can be clamped around a nerve that will stimulate that nerve automatically in an effort to prevent people from having an overactive bladder. Another researcher is looking to see what reflex nerves are stimulated in response to a painful stimuli, as well as walking, in an attempt to see if electrical/painful stimulation of nerves can help people recover motor function after a stroke. It was really interesting to see this level of neurorehabilitation.

Boernehaven Oesterladen (Danish Kindergarten)
We ate our lunches at a Danish Kindergarten, which was quite the experience. Pretty much everyone on the bus was grumbling about this stop, but I think almost everyone enjoyed themselves at this stop. First, we ate our lunches in their little lunch room -- and at their little tables and chairs, too -- and then spent half an hour or so playing with the kids. A couple things to note about this situation. First, Danish children don't begin learning English until 3rd grade, and all these children were 3-6 years old. Second, most of us knew no Danish or very, very little. Third, Danish kindergarten is nothing like its US counterpart. This was 30 or so kids running around a yard doing whatever they want with very little direct supervision. There was no monitor walking around making sure everyone was behaving. Granted, there are qualified teachers (you have to get a 4 year degree from a university), but they play a hands-off role. They allow the kids to work things out themselves. This results in a little bit of chaos, although not really. The kids were really excited to have visitors, especially such strange ones from Germany (supposedly what they thought via translation), so they made sure to show off. There were kids climbing and trees, playing swords with sticks, swinging, running around, and of course, jumping in mud puddles. There is something comical about a platinum blonde haired boy with blue eyes, being completely brown due to being covered in mud.

Gandrup Laegehus (General Practitioner)
Our academic visits continued with a visit to a small town general practitioner (GP). We actually met with two GP's from the area and they filled us in on their work and the Danish healthcare system. Obviously, the Danish healthcare system is quite different than the American system as there is universal coverage for all citizens, but it also differs in how they practice medicine. This will be an issue I'm sure I'll go into more detail about later, but for now, here's a quick rundown as it applies to GP's. All Danish citizens need to see their GP before they can see any other doctor. The GP acts as a gatekeeper and handles all the primary care. If the GP thinks the issue is more serious, then they refer their patient out to a specialist. The Danish GP's love this system, and think it works. Surprisingly, with this set-up and such a high level of importance placed on the GP's, the state does not require people to have yearly check-ups. Some of the other interesting tidbits that the GP shared with us were that even though the government regulates all people's work weeks to be no more than 37.5 hours, GP's put in closer to 60 hours a week, which is still far less than their American counterparts. They also griped a little about the amount of money they get paid, but I feel like that is everyone. GP's are highly regulated by the government, and in fact, that's who pays them based on a capitation and fee for service setup, but GP's are still required to pay their staff, their equipment, and their facility fees (heating, electric, building additions, etc.). I thought, naively probably, that all of this would have also been covered by the government. The last interesting point I want to share is in regards to the medical malpractice system. This is something that I have no doubt the US should emulate. First, all doctors are required to pay a nominal (we weren't given hard numbers so its kind of hard to do a direct comparison, but I was repeatedly assured it wasn't much) insurance premium to a private insurer. This insurer has a contract with all the GP's and also provides their home, life, etc. insurance as well. More importantly, for patients that are unhappy with the level of care they have received they have two independent avenues for retribution. First, they can file a complaint with the government about the doctor. This is investigated, and if the complaint is valid the doctor can be reprimanded by the government at the level they deem appropriate. Second, they can file a complaint with another governmental agency that independently determines if patient had undo suffering. If this is the case, then the patient is reimbursed an amount that this commission decides, which is paid by the government -- not the doctors. A portion of all Dane's tax money goes into this pot. A lot of times patients receive funds from this agency and the government finds that the doctor did nothing wrong. It seems like a win-win situation. Doctor's aren't being unduly harassed by lawsuits, and patients can still receive compensation when things go wrong -- even if the doctor isn't to blame. Granted, in the states, there would be major controversy as where that money would come from, but as a general concept, I think this is the way to go.

A Danish Beach & Restaurant Raalingen
After the visit with the GP's we were done for the day, and headed for what one of our Danish trip leaders called the prettiest beach in Denmark. After spending 20 minutes or so there watching the waves and the rainbows (the weather was a little rough -- rain and wind), we walked for about 10 minutes to the restaurant where we ate dinner.

The restaurant was a really cool place. It is the oldest privately held estate, as it went into private hands in 1552, and its original construction dates back even earlier than that. We had an absolutely amazing meal there, made even better by the fact that DIS paid for it. We were also greatly helped by the fact that one of our trip leaders, Lars, grew up in this town and knows the owner. First, we were served the restaurant's signature microbrew, which was really good. Then we were left sitting, wondering if food would ever come as we were never given a menu. As an answer to our question grills soon came out to each of the 8 tables, and we were informed that we were going to be cooking our own food. Next, a dish of scalloped potatoes came, and stayed warm underneath the table grill. The first two courses of meat were wild pig and calf, which were excellent, although I think I preferred the calf. We then headed off for the salad bar to hold us over to the next courses. Before more meat could arrive though, Lars decided to order each table a bottle of wine either from his DIS money or himself -- we remain uncertain. The next two courses of meat, which were accompanied by more potatoes, were venison and antelope! Antelope is surprisingly tender and quite tasty, as it has a wild game flavor to it, much like venison. Needless to say, all of us pigged out that night, and had an absolutely unbelievable meal. By the time we got back to the hostel none of us wanted to go out, so we got together in one of shacks and played cards for the night. That night, though, was when the real hurricane conditions set it. It was incredibly windy the entire night. So much so, that a very audible howling could be heard throughout the night as the wind whistled through the masts of the ships in the nearby marina.

Skagen Art Museum
The next day we headed to our second art museum, this time in Skagen, which is at the northern tip of Jutland. Compared to the museum in Aarhus, this was nothing great, as it was all the same kind of paintings from painters all at the same time. I guess Skagen was quite the artists's colony in the late 19th century. Afterwards our leaders treated us again, this time to ice cream, and then it was off to get bikes.

Grenen
The bikes were for a short bike ride to Grenen, which is the actual tip of Jutland. What we came to was the meeting of the North Sea with the Baltic Sea, which was quite a sight. I took a ton of pictures of this, because I just couldn't get over how cool the waves crashing together was. It was also interesting because as we were walking out to the actual point the tide was coming in, and it slowly enveloped the point, and most of our legs. Surprisingly, at least to me, the general landscpare reminded me a lot of the landscape along Lake Michigan by the sand dunes, because, that's pretty much what they had, sand dunes. Anyways, this was an absolutely amazing sight to see, and I suggest looking at my pictures, although I'm sure they don't do it justice.

The Ride Home
Grenen was the last stop on the study tour, so were now heading back to Copenhagen. Of course, this couldn't go smoothly, that just wouldn't make sense. The high winds that I mentioned we experienced the night before continued all day, and there was a decent concern that the ferry we were supposed to take, and the bridge that was the alternative route, would be both closed down. Luckily, the winds died down as we headed south and the day progressed, giving us safe passage, although the ferry did rock quite a bit. The highlight of the trip back though was my first experience with the Danish cinema. We were shown the movie "After the Wedding", which was very good. I suggest renting it and watching with the English subtitles. It was a good thing that we made it back without too much trouble though, as people were ready to go home. A few of us were commenting how already Copenhagen seems like home after only 3 weeks, and laughed at this revelation.
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Overall, it was a great trip, and from what I've heard from other people, better than others. So for that I'm happy. It was great to see a part of Denmark that most tourists never see, and for whatever reason made me feel like this is now my second home away from home (after Carleton, of course).

In other news, Marta is now at home. I've uploaded some pictures my Mom took of the new addition. From what I understand, Misty is slowly adjusting to life with a new puppy, but she is coping rather well. But man, Marta is cute! Now for the parting thought: who would have thought after getting ramshackled 34-7 by Pittsburgh last week, and trading away their starting quarterback for a 6th round pick, that the Browns would respond with a 51-45 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals?

The excitement!

It has been an exciting last couple of days here and back home (and these are in no particular order). First, my parents have officially bought their retirement home, which is in a great location if you ask me: on Grand Traverse Bay on Lake Michigan! We're going up there for Christmas, and I'm really excited to see it. Second, the last piece of art my parents bought at the Ann Arbor Art Fair this summer finally came, and it looks great. My help was definitely needed on those purchases. Third, I have a good sense of all the extra traveling that I'll be doing while across the pond. It looks like I'll get a chance to go to Berlin (again), Poznan in Poland, Prague and the Czech countryside, Northern Italy and Tuscany, and Vienna. And best yet, some of this gets to be done with Liza. Fourth, classes were done on Tuesday for this week, as we leave today for Jutland. Here's a map of where I'll be going:


Finally, my mom and brother are driving down to the greater Columbus area to pick up Marta, the family's new yellow lab puppy. She's quite cute: