What I Love About CPH: Part I

1. The fact that 50 degrees feels so warm. I am so appreciative of the sun now.

Kids (and adults!) playing in the park in Vesterbro

2. Walking into Netto (the grocery store) and only kinda sorta knowing what everything is.

3. Getting creative in the kitchen, and then sitting on the floor to eat. Like a family. Here are a few of our eats

Birthday cake for Kristen's 21st. Or you could call it rice cakes and Nutella with m&m's.

4. The fact that everyone bikes.

Me trying to be Danish. It's actually really fun

5. My PicCell. I do love my Blackberry, but sometimes its nice to have a phone from circa 1998.

Note the military time

6. The airport. Come visit me and you will understand.

The only picture I have, since I am afraid of getting tackled by airport security. 

7. Somersby cider. Digestive crackers. Schwarma, especially at 3am.

Lana & me enjoying said cider. At the bus stop.  

8. Nyhavn.

Lana loves this place too!

9. Paludan Bøger. My favorite place to study. My idea of heaven: a bookstore and cafe all in one.

10. Candles. They are everywhere, including my classrooms and on the sidewalks.

Our lovely windowsill

LONG STUDY TOUR: Helsinki, Finland

I left off on the cruise from Tallinn to Helsinki, and this was definitely the rock star way to travel. Planes are overrated. Good food, dancing with old Finnish men, and gorgeous views. What more could I ask for?


We arrived in Helsinki around 9pm, but that did not stop my friends and I from doing a little bit of exploring. We took a recommendation from the concierge at our hotel (yes we got to stay in an actual hotel, and it was nice!) and went to the Helsinki Cathedral, a beautiful white cathedral that sits on the top of a hill. It was an amazing experience because nobody else was around, and the cathedral is so impressive, especially lit up at night. Kylie and I climbed the icy stairs to the top:

Can you spot us? 

Here is the same cathedral, but in the daylight:

We visited healthcare sites, but honestly nothing stood out to me too much. Lots of powerpoints and lectures but here are a few things I did take away:
1. There is a shortage of doctors in Finland, mainly do to the low medical school admittance during the past few decades. Schools have recently increased their acceptances, and this means that by 2020, there should be no shortage. I guess the Finns will have to stay healthy until then...
2. It can take about 3 weeks to get an appointment with a physician
3. Baby swimming! At Folkhälsan Institute of Public Health, there is a program for babies up to age 2 that allows them to "swim" with their parents and an instructor in the pool. We got to watch a video and they were so so cute. I wish that we had come one day later, though, because then we would have got to see the babies in action.


For dinner one night we went to Finnish-style buffet (we went to way to manny buffets on this trip), and in true Scandinavian style, they offered many different types of fish and meats, the most exotic of which were elk and reindeer. Even though I couldn't get Rudolph out of my head, I probably would have tried the reindeer if it weren't for the fact that it was a Friday during Lent. 


Other highlights include:
1. The ice bar. even though this bar was not overly impressive (especially compared to the one in Copenhagen) it was still a fun experience, since we made friends (not) with the bouncer, bartender, and dj. I think they will be happy to never see us again.

Skål!

2. Suomenlinna Sea Fortress. on our free afternoon many of us took the harbor ferry to this island, which is still in use today by the Finnish navy. It was really fun to "hike" through the bastions and ramparts.

3. The Sauna. we went to a sauna house, a traditional Finnish practice. Basically, we sat in a really hot sauna until we couldn't stand it anymore (only about 10 minutes, and we weren't even in the hottest sauna), and then ran to the lake right outside and jumped in. We must have been a sight to see, about 30 girls all in colorful bikinis running and screaming/squealing to the lake. The locals were a. nude b. walking slowly c. quiet 

A view of the lake

Just chilling outside in our bathing suits. No pun intended, this actually didn't seem cold.

This was definitely one of the highlights of the trip. It was so invigorating and really got your adrenalin rushing, thats for sure. I really did feel healthy and cleansed afterward, which is the intention. 


After a delicious final dinner, we headed to the airport to go home. All in all, the long study tour was a great experience and I loved that every minute was jam-packed. Ill leave you with a picture of some Finnish food we found throughout the trip. You can even buy it in the airport if you didn't get your fill while in Finland. Rudolph beware. 

Reindeer and elk meat

LONG STUDY TOUR: Tallinn, Estonia

One of the perks that drew me to DIS was the opportunity to go on a week long study tour, on which academic visits were combined with cultural activities. From March 9-14 my Healthcare in Northern Europe class traveled to Tallinn, Estonia, and then Helsinki, Finland. As a group of 34 over-eager college students, we definitely took the cities by storm.

Tallinn is the capital city of Estonia, a country that has only had its independence from the Soviet Union since 1991. We spent our time in the Old City, a walled-in Medieval style town with cobblestone streets and lots of charm. 

Highlights of the trip:

1. Medieval Style dinner at Olde Hansa. This restaurant spares no details in its recreation of the Medieval dinner, from the completely candle lit restaurant to the large bowls of mysterious and meaty dishes. 

2. Humor. Our tour guide was one of the best I have had. She was very sarcastic and delivered all of here jokes with a straight face. According to her, the world's best hot chocolate is served at Josephine's, a  bohemian-influenced cafe. Of course we had to try. Verdict: darn good hot chocolate.

3. Ice Skating. A few of my friends and I went ice skating at dusk right next to this beautiful old church. Best use of €5. It was so much fun to get back on the ice, its been a really long time!

4. The views. Copenhagen is very flat, and it was nice to go to a city that had hills (even though they were small) to better enjoy the views. The snow was beautiful and it was kind of fun to be climbing over snowbanks and on ice (I might have been the only one to think that...)

5. The "cruise" from Tallinn to Helsinki. I say "cruise" because the boat was technically a cruise ship, but we were only aboard for 2.5 hours. Still, the views were amazing, we plowed through ice, and watched many old people get their groove on (ok we did too, embarrassingly). 

View of the ship from the harbor, before the beautiful sunset

My friend Kylie and I on the ship's deck

The academic part of this trip honestly was not that memorable, we sat through a few power points regarding health education, statistics, and research, but I'm not going bore you (or myself) with those details.


Other random facts about Estonia: karaoke is really big in Europe, even on Sunday nights. Estonians do not mess around with their karaoke either: Miley Cyrus ballads, people. Maternity leave is 18 months, and women can return to their job and receive full pay after 3 years of staying home. One of the oldest continuously operated pharmacies is located in the town square, having been open since about 1422.  It is perfectly acceptable to eat fish and cucumber for breakfast. Just don;t try the mustard, it's spicier than wasabi and you will be forced to spit it out. Trust me.


Up next: Helsinki, Finland...

Fish and Chips and the Royal Family: London

Less than one week after I returned from Prague, I unpacked, packed, and headed back to the airport. This time I was going to visit Aunt Anita and Jen. A bag of peanut m & m's from the duty free shop and several chapters later in Nefertiti, and I was there. I took the Gatwick Express (aka Hogwarts Express) into London Victoria, and from there Aunt Anita picked me up. It was so nice to see her and Paul, and to sleep in a comfy bed and take a real shower. 
The next day we explored King's Street, a really nice area with tons of shops and restaurants. I loved the warm weather, sunshine, and shoes. 

A billboard I spotted while in the tube station. This looks like my kind of musical.

After a lovely day, Aunt Anita dropped me off at Jen's apartment in Chelsea, which ended up being down the street from Aunt Anita's old flat (who knew?). We made dinner and then headed out for the night. We didn't last too long, but it was a fun time and we got to hang out with more Vandy people. 

The next day we went to the Camden Lock Market, a really funky market composed of hundred of booth selling everything from scarves to Indian food to handmade piggy banks. First we stopped at a cafe so I could get my much anticipated fish and chips. So. Good.

After exploring for awhile, we took the tube to the London Eye, which is a huge enclosed ferris wheel that offers amazing views of the city. It is located right by Big Ben, Parliament, and the Westminster Abbey. It is such a beautiful area, and the London Eye offered even better views. Here I also bought my William and Kate postcard, sadly the closest I will get to the wedding.

That night we headed back to Chelsea and went to see No Stings Attached, Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman's new movie. It was great, I would definitely recommend it.

The next morning we went to church at St. Paul's Cathedral, which was definitely a highlight of my trip. It was a beautiful service, and the choir was amazing. Unfortunately I was not allowed to take pictures inside, but here is one I found online:

Then it was time to take the Gatwick Express back to the airport, and I was back in Copenhagen that night. It was a really great trip that I am so glad I booked (on a whim!). Thanks for hosting me Aunt Anita and Jen!

Now I'm off to go explore Estonia and Finland!

fitness.dk

Yesterday, I bit the bullet and joined the local gym, fitness.dk. I had several reasons for delaying my membership: One, I thought I could stay in shape by running. Two, I did not want to pay the outrageous startup fee. Third, why would I spend my time on a machine when I could be out exploring? I am abroad after-all. But after three runs outside in below freezing temperatures, I could no longer bribe myself to run outside, and I missed the endorphins. So I joined. Just as I was starting to feel more like a local, being able to use the bus system and no longer requiring a map everywhere I went, I was reminded that I am still definitely an American living in a foreign city:


Point 1: All of the classes, sign in computers, instructions are in Danish. I had to ask how to work the lockers and swipe my card.


Point 2: I know that moms leave their babies in prams outside of stores, but leaving their babies in prams next to the elliptical machine?? Normal.


Point 3: The mens locker room is not the women's locker room. My friend Kayleigh and I were chatting away while unloading out heavy coats into a locker, when a man came up to us and asked (in English, since we obviously were not Danish) "You know this is the men's locker room, right?". Um, no. 


Despite the few hiccups, I am happy to report that I like the gym, and its another adventure to conquer, thats for sure.

PRAHA

The weekend of February 17-February 20, my friends and I went to Prague, Czech Republic. I was excited to go because there were rumors of cheap food, beer, and fun pub crawls. All turned out to be true.

It was a truly beautiful city; all of the buildings were ornate and the architecture was breathtaking. 

On Thursday we went out to dinner and then a bar was located under ground and consisted of a network of catacombs. It was really cool to see but we were all so tired we went to bed relatively early and woke up the next morning ready to take on sightseeing. 

We took advantage of the free walking tour, which was especially helpful because while he city itself is not large, the roads are very windy, short, and misleading, making it easy to get lost. I was the designated map person for the trip, and I definitely spend most of my time with a map of to my face trying to decipher Czech words and the maze that they call a town. 

Old Town Square

Astrological Clock

Týn Cathedral 

We stayed at St. Christopher's Mosaic House, a really nice hostel located near the Charles Bridge. We (naively) did not realize that there would be one other person sharing our room, and we definitely had interesting experiences. The first lady had been in Prague longer than expected and was waiting for her brother who was being withheld in Bulgaria (?!). She wasn't the friendliest and after we came back from being out on Thursday night we were a little too loud and she told on us. We jumped into bed at the sound of a knock on the door, pretending to be asleep. Real mature, I know. The second and third night out roommate turned out to be a"he" and we were all a little shocked, including him, who walked in on five girls eagerly planning the day and night ahead. He was from Brazil and was traveling around by himself, and he ended up being nice. Just not what we expected.

Other highlights include:

Drinks at the Dancing house: you pay for a drink and are then granted access to the rooftop, which has amazing views of the city.

John Lennon Wall. Shout out to the paparazzi: Louisa, Jenna, Kristin, and Kayleigh.

At the Lourve Cafe

CHEAP FOOD


And finally...the pub crawl. Five girl, four pubs, and one very fun night hopping around Prague.
It was a really fun weekend and we reluctantly left with tired legs, happy bellys, and only slightly depleted bank accounts.