Viszlát, Budapesten!

Another day of my trip, and I have to say goodbye to the first city. Budapest has been quite an interesting experience, and I'm glad Amanda and I ventured over to Eastern Europe for a few days. Today we got up early to be able to fit everything in, only to be informed that Hungarians take Halloween and All Saints' Day very seriously. Meaning nothing is open. Well we know from living in Copenhagen that nothing is open on Sundays either, so we've had two days of closed shops. So much for getting up early!


But we did manage to find things to do! First we started by hitting up Starbucks (we are deprived of this in Denmark) and then working our way over to the Central Market Hall. It was so interesting! Food on the first floor, lace doilies and paprika on the second. If you're a tourist in Budapest, going here is a must! It is a great combination of people grocery shopping and tourists looking for souvenirs. Amanda bought a scarf for her mom and I bought something for my mom too! But she reads the blogs so I'll have to keep that a secret!

After the market we tried going to the Holocaust Museum, but it's closed on mondays. Not fun! So instead we went to the train station so I could buy my ticket for my next stop. Note to self: never buy online rail tickets again. They are much cheaper in person, and you will get a seat on the train. Well, ok sometimes it's probably good to buy ahead, but I'm glad I didn't this time. Anyway, the train station literally looked like I was in 1940. No joke. Budapest is a very old city, and I commend them for their ideology of using thing until they are no longer repairable. But this train station... it was what my mom would politely call 'rustic'. Oh and nobody spoke english. Finally we found our way, and thankfully my train departs from a different station, so I don't have to trek back there. But it was fun!

The Hungarian Parliament building - and me!

In the afternoon we grabbed a quick lunch at this great little place we found yesterday where they make a pizza in a cone! We had the Hungarian style one, and it has cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, cheese, and salami with tomato sauce. It goes through this cool machine and toasts! It was so good we had to go again today!

Being as touristy as possible, we also saw the parliament building, Shoes on the Danube (read about it here), we went to a bath, and saw the opera house! It really was a busy day. Now we are packing up for our travels tomorrow, Amanda is going to St. Andrews, Scotland and I am going to... Vienna!

Shoes on the Danube

Honestly Budapest has been a lot of fun, but I'm ready to move on. I am excited to see my friends and see more cities I've never been to before! I honestly can't believe I'm lucky enough to be able to spend two weeks bouncing from city to city in Europe. Yes, I did work all summer to make sure I had the money to do this, but I can't believe I'm lucky enough to be here! More tomorrow, and I'll add pictures of Budapest to the posts!

A traditional spa - it's been open since the 1500's. 

Jó Éjszakát!
Goodnight!

- Devon

First Stop: Budapest!

Yep, I'm here in Budapest, Hungary! This is the first destination on my two week break and so far I am loving it. Ok I've only been here for about ten hours, but it has been fabulous. My friend Amanda is here with me and we saw so much today!

St. Stephen's Basilica

But I'm really tired. Like so tired my hands hurt writing this right now. So tired I could feel the caffeine from my cappuccino wearing off because I was too tired to focus my eyes on the beautiful buildings. And this would be because last night in Copenhagen there was Sensation White. I didn't go to Sensation, but my roommate did. And my roommate's two friends who slept in our room did. Sensation is basically an eight hour techno dance party where everyone has to wear white and you just dance all night long. Not my scene, but almost everyone I know went. So anyway, by the time I was done packing it was about 12:45am, and they came back at 3am, and after that I couldn't sleep. So I didn't. I then had an 8am flight to Budapest, on which I didn't sleep. And then once we got here, Amanda and I searched for lunch and then went sightseeing, only getting back to the hostel a few minutes ago. I am so tired. I almost feel jet lagged, but obviously we didn't fly that far.

 At the top of St. Stephens!

So I am sorry I'm so tired and can't write more, but I wanted to update you on where I am! Today we saw St. Stephen's Basilica, Heroes Square, Castle Hill and went souvenir shopping! We leave in about 40 hours so we're packing everything in! I will write more soon, that's what's up now! Also, our hostel is nice and clean, which makes everything better. More tomorrow!

Heroes Square

Devon

One More Day!

One more day and I am done with class - for two weeks! Many of my friends were finished yesterday, but my core class is on Tuesdays and Fridays in the late afternoon, so my midterm break doesn't start until 5:30 tonight. So in seven and a half hours, I will be the happiest person alive! Don't get me wrong, I love my classes and really enjoy being in Denmark, but I am so excited to travel and see all of my friends from American! There is definitely a difference between friends from home and friends you meet while abroad, and though my friends here are great and I love hanging out with them, my friends from school are amazing.

So on this completely normal day - oh wait, did I mention I was woken up by a fire alarm this morning? Yep, at 9:15 (thankfully only 10 minutes before my alarm was set to go off) the fire alarm in our building went off. And let me just say this: if it had been a real fire, we would have been dead. This is one area that I firmly believe boarding school trained me well in. Ms. Heath, the head of my dorm until senior year, would start a fire drill at all hours of the day. Once I was in the shower, another time I was eating ramen noodles, watching tv in the lounge. You never knew when she was going to start a drill. But because of this, you knew the moment you heard the alarm to put on shoes, grab a jacket, and if it was winter or nighttime, grab a really warm blanket, close your door and walk single-file to the nearest emergency exit. Yeah so today we had some problems with that... basically meaning I was the only one to put on yoga pants and start to leave. Thankfully the alarm turned off after a few minutes (once everyone was awake) and we all went back to our normal routines.

So much for a normal day! I am off to class, and then have to pack for my trip! Wish me luck!

Devon

Green, Purple and Coconut - Quite a Combination

Aaand we're back! Welcome to this week's edition of my Agnes Cupcakes review! On today's list we have (drum roll please...)

Italian Almond, Coconut and Pistachio!

Who will come out on top, which tasted the best, and how many call for a round two!? 

First up is Italian Almond, a combination of vanilla and cherry cake with cherry-infused frosting, coated in almonds! To be perfectly honest, the Agnes website had to be referenced to figure out it was cherry. Not something we're used to having in a cupcake I guess. The almonds were a good way to tone down the sweetness, something we've found to be a problem with most of their fruit-based cupcakes. But it was definitely a solid flavor. I'll give it a 6 out of 10.

Next we have Coconut, a surprise entry by my mom! This cupcake deserves top honors for looks alone! With a tahitian vanilla (thank you Agnes website!) and coconut-flavored cupcake and caramel icing topped with huge coconut shavings, this cupcake is something new! I really liked what the caramel added to the coconut flavor, but the chunks of coconut were a little much to chew on. Overall it's a 6 out of 10 as well.

Pistachio finishes us off today with it's bright green color and interesting taste. Instead of the regular frosting, this cupcake is topped with a whipped frosting (Agnes' website says it's orange flower. What's orange flower?) and based with a pistachio-flavored cake and rolled in crushed pistachios. To be honest I couldn't taste the pistachio. My sister said it was better than the ginger zing though, and I have to take her word for it! I'd give pistachio a 5 out of 10. 

Therefore the winner is..... there's a tie! Well, I did like coconut enough to decide the other coconut flavors were worth sampling, so I will award coconut the title this week! But to be honest, none of these flavors really impressed me. So sad!

Next time I'll review three cupcakes for you all: milk chocolate, red velvet and the Agnes special Halloween cupcake!

Doesn't it look delicious!?

Thanks for reading!

Devon

Shipping out!

I know I said I wasn't going to tell you where I'm going on my trip until I'm there, but I thought I'd give you all some clues as to where I might be headed! 

First, I'll be going to FIVE places! Over the next two weeks I'll take five flights and three trains to get to each place, of which all but one have been booked.

And at my first destination, I'll probably go to one of these....

And I'll also tell you that it was the cheapest flight out of Copenhagen when I was making plans!

More to come soon!

- Devon

Bon Voyage!

Today is Monday, which means yesterday was Sunday, and that was when my mom and sister flew back to the US, which makes me very sad! But we had a great week and I loved having them here. It's hard to explain, but there's something about seeing people you knew before going abroad that makes you really happy. Same goes for whenever I see someone from American at DIS - I get overly excited.

This week my family explored all of Denmark to the point where yesterday we had nothing really to do. This past week (after our trip to Stockholm last weekend) we covered Amalienborg Palace, Christiania, they went on a canal tour, and we spent all of Wednesday in Malmö, right over the bridge in Sweden. Malmö is perfect for a day trip, just the right amount of shopping, great restaurants (that won't break the bank) and a great castle with museums inside! It was just the right amount for one day, and the train tickets were pretty cheap! A side note: I almost lost my camera, but thankfully retraced my steps and found it at the museum. Huge panic moment!

Malmö has an amazing park in the middle - complete with gardens, a castle and this windmill!

We also indulged in far too many Agnes Cupcakes, which I will be posting about soon! Thankfully my sister is an adventurous eater so we got some of the more interesting flavors out of the way. I will do a few more this week and then tell you all about them before I leave for my study break!

Speaking of which, I haven't told you where I'm going yet, have I? Well I think I might just keep it a surprise, something to tempt you with in the coming weeks. I have all my travel documents printed, and only need to book one more hostel and buy a train ticket, and I'm set! I honestly can't believe it's all coming together, I've been planning this trip for months.

But more on that later this week! I'm so happy to hear that my mom and sister got home safely, and am looking forward to this week - only one test and two presentations! How'd I get so lucky!?

Did you catch that bit of sarcasm at the end? Look for cupcakes soon!
Devon

In the Land of Blue and Yellow

If you don't already know, I am in a sorority at American. As a sister of Phi Sigma Sigma, I find special meaning in things like sphinxes, pyramids and the colors king blue and gold. Upon arriving in Stockholm this weekend, I realized my dream had come true. I had found people who also love blue and yellow. So naturally I had to stock up.

But before my mom, sister and I spent our day roaming from one tourist shop to another, we decided to visit some museums. On Saturday we went to the Vasa Museum, which is entirely focused on the ship the Vasa, built for the Swedish navy in the 1600's, only to sink in the harbor on her maiden voyage. Three hundred years later the ship was found on the ocean floor and removed almost fully intact! The museum tells the story of the building, sinking and retrieving of the Vasa as well as side exhibits about specific parts of the story.

Basically the Swedish king wanted the ship built quickly, so it was built incorrectly. It was far too wide for how deep it was, and wasn't weighted down enough. There were also two levels of canons, which lowered the location of the windows. When the ship tipped, water flowed in and before long the Vasa was on the bottom of the harbor, along with many of her men. My favorite exhibit at the museum was where the skeletons they retrieved from the ship in the 1950's were displayed. It explained what could be assumed about the person's life and how they died. I found it really interesting.

Also on Saturday we went to Skansen, an open air museum not unlike Den Gamble By, the museum I visited on my short study tour in Arhus. They had glassblowing, and I purchased a handmade glass orb. The museum had great views of the city as it was on top of a hill (something I have forgotten about here in Denmark)!

Sunday we spent the day as ultimate tourists, walking through the old town going into touristy shops and buying nordic souvenirs. We also visited the royal palace, which was fabulous because you get to see about half of it on the tour! I have to say, the Swedish royal family has very good taste in fashion.

Also on Sunday we went to the Ice Bar! It was so much fun to don ponchos with fur and sit on blocks of ice. Definitely something I haven't done before. We could have stayed for 45 minutes, but we got too cold and left after 30! If you ever have the chance to go to an Ice Bar - go! It was a great experience, the price wasn't bad and the drinks were great!

I was very cold - Robin (on the right) not so much.

My mom and sister now have a greater appreciation for 7/11 after this trip as well. We bought water and food there every single night - they are so convenient! I really am going to miss them when I'm back in the US, they just aren't the same there.

Sweden is definitely the land of blue and yellow, I absolutely loved it. And of course I purchased some blue and yellow decorations! You can never have too many... in fact, we went back to Sweden today to visit Malmo, only a train ride away from Copenhagen. More on that soon!


LITP,
Devon

Today is a Fabulous Day.

According to my fabulous sources, today in the United States (and possibly other great countries) is National Chocolate Cupcake Day. I could not make this up, really. So in celebration of this most magnificent day, I, of course, went to Agnes Cupcakes. But this time, my sister and mother came in tow!

To the flavors:

I knew what I wanted before we arrived. Mint chocolate is only offered on Tuesdays, and I have yet to go on a Tuesday, so this was my calling. I am happy to say that I loved it. Honestly it tasted like mint chip ice cream on a cupcake. Instead of just mint frosting, it had chunks of chocolate mixed in that made it look fabulous and taste just that much better. As I said with the dark chocolate cupcake, the added chocolate pieces really help balance the amount of sugar and intensify the chocolate flavor (which is always a good thing). The chocolate cake was moist and fluffy, with great chocolate flavor that didn't overpower the mint at all. Definitely one of my new favorites!

Dark chocolate was also in the mix today! My mom went for the Agnes staple as she loves chocolate as much as I do. She agreed that the flakes really add something, even though my sister didn't quite understand. She ate it so quickly, I barely had time to take pictures to document it!

Ginger Zing. My first thought when seeing this on the menu was, how in the world am I going to find someone who will eat that flavor for me?! But then I remembered my sister. Like my grandfather, who ate candied ginger throughout his chemotherapy treatments to settle his stomach (and create an excuse to eat candy and ginger at once), my sister is in love with this strange food. So naturally when she came I asked her to sample it for me! I also promised we could come back another day so she could try something else, and then she agreed.

Robin didn't know I was going to take a picture and ate the star on top!

Robin said she liked the ginger, but was sad because it had cream cheese frosting instead of ginger frosting. I tried it, and thought there was a good balance between the cake and the frosting. It was a very distinct ginger flavor. She agreed it had good flavor. I now have high hopes for pistachio and raspberry.

Basically today I created two more Agnes lovers who will spend absurd amounts of money on cupcakes until they leave this Sunday. But we had a great time eating dessert for lunch. More cupcakes later in the week, plus my trip to Stockholm!

Happy National Cupcake Day!
Devon

So Close...

...yet so far away! Here I am in Sweden, in the fabulous city of Stockholm, when it dawns on me that my lovely home state of Maine has a sister city to where I am right now. Maine likes to take names from cities people like and name towns after them to make the state seem more fabulous. Among Norway, Poland and China, there is also a Stockholm! Located in the northern part of my fabulous state, Stockholm appears to be quite a fabulous place, even if it is nothing like the city I am in tonight.

Tomorrow my sister, mom and I are planning to head out into the city and explore the historical sites, and end our evening at Icebar. It should be an interesting experience. But more on that after it happens! For tonight I will leave you with the Wikipedia page for Stockholm, Maine. Enjoy!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stockholm,_Maine

- Devon

Lemon, Mocha, and a Long Study Tour Surprise!

Ladies and Gentleman, the day has come! My mom and sister made it safely to Copenhagen, and with them they brought an entire bag of things I had asked for. In this bag was... a new laptop! I don't really want to go into details (I am very superstitious and don't want to jinx myself and lose another laptop) but I will say it has made my life SO much easier, and I've only had it for about two hours. Because of the new laptop, I can finally download my pictures from late September and October, and get going with these cupcake reviews!

First up: Lemon Meringue!

I am a chocolate person. If my dessert doesn't have chocolate in it, I might as well not eat it because I know I won't be happy. But I decided to branch out and try a new flavor at Agnes, and went with the lemon meringue. Wow. Between the fluffy cake with lemon zest to the actual meringue topping, toasted to perfection, this cupcake was pure heaven. I may have to say the apple cupcake was better, but only because I love apples and it had cream cheese frosting. I would highly recommend this cupcake, but remember a glass of water because it was sweet!

Mocha

This past week after I got back from my long study tour, I spent Sunday catching up on emails and homework at the DIS library (one of my favorite places to go). After, I went over to the Agnes flagship store by Strøget just to see what flavors they had left (it was almost closing time). I noticed milk chocolate and mocha and decided for a little caffeine kick late in the afternoon. It turned out to be ok, I actually ended up eating two (don't ask) and wasn't blown away by either. It was a little depressing. The mocha flavor was there, but I make a caramel mocha cupcake when I'm at home that has way more flavor. It just didn't wow me. But it looked really good.

Amaretto? 

Before I went on my long study tour I knew I would have to do something about the cupcake review for the week. This of course was before my laptop went m.i.a. however I decided to still try and find a cupcakery on my tour. I had absolutely no time in Berlin, but stumbled across this fabulous place while in Poznan, Poland.

My friends and I all went and tried different flavors. I'll just say this: Agnes still reigns supreme. It wasn't that they weren't good, they're cupcakes, I'm pretty sure that's impossible. They just didn't have anything unique to them. Also they had been stored in a refrigerated display case, so they were a bit dry. Nevertheless I enjoyed my amaretto-flavored cupcake and the green frosting. It was a nice adventure between academic visits!

Overall I enjoyed the cupcakes I tasted these past few weeks. I feel like I tried one other one, but can't remember. Next week I will be tasting cupcakes with my family! My sister has unique taste buds, so it should be interesting. I am off to Stockholm for the weekend, and will be sure to blog about that when I return! Also, photos have been added to the long study tour blog, check it out here! 

Poznan, Poland. 

Have a fabulous weekend!

Devon

Pictures, Patients and Peirogies: My Long Study Tour Experience

Hello my wonderful blog readers! Before I explain my entire trip to Berlin and Poland, I want to say hi to whoever is reading my blog in Russia and Sweden! Blogger makes it really easy to track views on your blog, and I was looking at it the other day and noticed there were people reading this from all over the world! Many thanks to my friends abroad for adding to the diversity! But anyway, this blog is about my long study tour with my Medical Practice and Policy core class to Berlin, Germany and Poznan, Poland. I will keep it as short as possible, and promise to add pictures when I can get them off my camera!

My section went to Berlin first, and then traveled to Poland halfway through the trip. We took a bus to Germany, getting there in time for dinner and a tour of the Jewish History Museum in Berlin. The architecture of the building was fabulous! There were so many different meanings behind the shape. If you have a chance, I would highly recommend visiting and taking a tour. We had our first meal at the museum, and it was amazing. DIS always makes sure you are well fed, and this was no exception!

Russian olive trees in the Garden of Exile, Jewish Museum, Berlin

Monday we went to the DDR museum in the morning to learn about communist East Germany. I was amazed to feel the clothes they wore - I am very grateful for cotton pants now! The visit got my friends and me thinking about how strange it must have been to grow up with Germany being two countries. I only know it as one! It's something history classes never really have time to touch on, yet it is a huge part of the 20th century! We learned more about East and West Germany when we went on a great bike tour of Berlin in the afternoon. I am already planning a bike tour in Paris in November, they are a great way to see the city (especially when you've been riding a bike all around Copenhagen for weeks and are highly skilled in your cycling hand signals and stopping quickly). On the tour we saw the TV Tower, Checkpoint Charlie, Brandenberg Gate, Potsdamer Platz, Museum Island, among other spots in the city. It was fabulous!

The third largest existing portion of the Berlin Wall

Tuesday was our first day with academic visits. We visited the German Heart Institute, learned about what they do and then headed into the wards! We saw a man with an artificial heart for both sides, and next to him a man with an artificial heart for the left side. The difference is that one is placed outside the body and one is inside the chest cavity. The men are on the transplant list and can survive with the artificial devices for up to five years, so we hope they get hearts before then! We also visited the intensive care unit (ICU) and saw many patients returning from surgery. The ICU is very expensive, but necessary for all patients coming out of heart surgery. For this reason, the institution spends a lot of time fundraising to support their procedures.

Wednesday, before traveling to Poland, we went to the Center for Anatomy, located at Germany's largest hospital located on the outskirts of Berlin. Here we discussed the importance of cadaver anatomy and continued hands-on learning, and were allowed into a laboratory to examine four cadavers medical students had dissected last semester (in Germany the school year starts in late October). It was so amazing to be given this opportunity, as I have only ever used cats, sheep and pigs in lab. My favorite part was examaning the lungs - they feel like a huge sponge when healthy, but rock hard when damaged by tobacco and pollution. No wonder people who smoke have breathing trouble! After the lab visit, we went to the Medical History Museum also on the hospital campus. Here we had a great tour guide explain important parts of medical history and show us the thousands of specimens that have been donated since the collection began in the early 1700's. Normal and abnormal structures were perfectly preserved in jars, then placed in glass cases in large rooms for viewing. It was amazing.

Wednesday night we discovered the gem of a hotel DIS found in Poland. Complete with a sauna and American-style continental breakfast, we really hit the jackpot. It was so nice to have scrambled eggs and bacon! In Poznan, our main visits were to the gynecology/labor and pediatric wards of the hospital. On Thursday I spoke with a women who had given birth 10 hours before - her baby was adorable and perfectly healthy! Friday we visited children in the pediatric gastrointestinal (GI) ward. Many had genetic disorders of the GI tract, and one adorable five year old was malnourished from an ulcer in her small intestine. She was in too much pain to eat, but since being in the hospital had gained 5 kilos (about 12 pounds)! She was so cute, and luckily was being discharged soon! The visits in Poznan were very interesting, gender roles are not equal at all in Poland, and their medical treatment is behind western Europe and the US. For example, they still regularly use nitrous oxide (laughing gas) as a pain killer during child labor due to the cost of epidurals. I have not once met a women in the US who has recently given birth who was offered nitrous oxide. We mainly use epidurals. That was interesting.

Town square in Poznan

Other than medical visits, we had a walking tour of the city and went to a chocolate house! I loved Poland, it was the perfect size, nothing is expensive, everyone is friendly and the food is amazing. My entire group loved the peirogies, Polish dumplings with potato or meat filling. So good. Poznan also had amazing malls and we spent our free time Thursday shopping until our feet hurt. Which didn't take very long since our hospital visits did not include chairs. Friday evening after an amazing final dinner together, we boarded our bus and drove overnight to Copenhagen. Our ferry from Germany was at six am! Other than the cold ferry and my forgetting to use the bathroom when I could, the ride back wasn't bad! I made sure I had two bus seats to stretch out on and brought a blanket and neck pillow from home just for that purpose! Such a smart decision. Our drive was uneventful and soon we were home again!

Frozen hot chocolate - YUM!

I absolutely loved my long study tour, DIS does a fantastic job organizing the trip and including multiple cultural and academic visits throughout the week. The food was amazing, probably too amazing, as I am going to the gym extra this week to make up for the fabulous meals! Our hostel in Berlin and hotel in Poznan were great and had delicious breakfasts! So much Nutella... I promise to add pictures on this post as soon as I can, I have a ridiculous amount of photos from last week. My mom and sister are arriving in Copenhagen on Thursday (YAY!!!) with my new laptop in tow. Which I will guard with my life. And a laptop lock. We are headed to Stockholm this weekend, so look for a post on that soon! And I will have more posts later this week... think cupcakes. :D

Until then,
Devon.

Guten Tag aus Berlin!

Hallo!

Can you tell my German is limited to those two sayings? Well, it isn't, but it might as well be. I also know some wonderful sayings involing numbers, colors and how to eat, but thankfully have not had to rely on them here in Berlin. I absolutely love this city! It is absolutely huge, with so many train stations, underground stations, bus stations and light rail stops I feel like you could go anywhere without having to walk! The museums are fabulous, and there is so much history from the 20th century, the one you never get to in history class. Yesterday DIS arranged for my group to go on a bike tour of the city. I think I'm going to try going on one in every city I go to. They are inexpensive (€28) compared to other tours and you get some exercise too! DIS has organized some great meals too - potatoes, bread, meat, you can't get much more German than that.

Other than food and biking, we have visited fabulous medical campuses and learned a lot! I don't have time right now to explain everything (I should tell you that I'm blogging from a public pay-per-hour computer in a mall) but promise to keep updating as much as I can this week! I am having a great time, and am excited for tomorrow when we head to Poznan, Poland!

My current blogging location: the mall in Potsdamer Platz. My space bar is semi broken and the keyboard is in German. No big deal.

Hope the weather where you are is as fabulous as it is here!
Devon