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.

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.

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.