First thing's first.. PICTURES FROM VIENNA!!
The drawbridge to the oldest park of Haufberg Palace
Our awesome bike tour!
The City Hall.. way too big by Austrian standards
Dinner our first night!
The oldest functional ferris wheel in the world!
St. Stephen's cathedral
Wienerschnitzel (fake though because I got chicken instead of pork)
One of the many Haufberg museums
The famous torte!
Schobrunn Palace!
So now I am home safe and sound from my wonderful trip to Eastern Europe! Budapest was such an amazing, eye-opening experience in so many ways. The point of the second half of the trip being in Budapest was to see the status of a post-communist country, and contrast it with Denmark and Austria. Even on the train ride across the Hungarian countryside you could see the difference: it looked almost as if I had traveled back a few decades in time. There were loudspeakers and cameras from times of the Cold War and the train stations looked as if they had been around forever. We got into the Pest (yes- the city was actually once Buda and Pest- something I hadn't known to begin with), and it was even evident then. All the public transportation vehicles looked so old, and it was just a completely different appearance.
The metro
Don't get me wrong, Budapest is an awesome city. You can see the huge gorgeous buildings that have been around for years. We arrived and immediately did an academic visit to the cardiac ward of the local medical school. It was here that I finally got a glimpse of the struggle between funding and providing adequate medical treatment. They have, however developed the first pacemaker that works compatible with MRI machines. We got a tour of the huge complex and saw some pretty awesome equipment and procedures. That night, we went on a dinner cruise on the Danube river, which was one of the coolest things: the view is the best because all the major buildings are located along the river and they light them up for everyone to see! That night, the whole class went to the #2 bar in the world. It was located in the old ruins and was two levels and was just a relaxed fun way to hang out with everyone outside of the typical academic setting.
The inside of part of the bar looking out over the lower level
The next day, we went to two very different academic visits: the Spinal Institute of Budapest and Saint Laszlo Hospital. It was this day that really opened my eyes to how much still needs to be done for so many health systems around the world (and Hungary isn't even considered to be in that bad of a position). The first place we went was both a public and private hospital. Basically, 99% of Hungarians get covered with public healthcare, but this healthcare is full of corruption; the patients tip their doctors in order to receive the best treatment and get moved up on waiting lists. If you pay for private insurance however, you get access to amazing treatment and facilities. We then went to the second hospital which is completely public, and the doctor we spoke with treats primarily pediatric patients who receive bone marrow transplants. Here he related to us the frustrations he faces all the time because the government only provides funding for 'x' number of treatments every month, and the patients have to wait until they are able to receive this treatment.
After that visit, we got free time in Budapest, and I met up with my cousin Russell, who's studying there! It was great being able to see him and he definitely gave us the insider tour around the city! We saw Hero's Square, St. Stephen's Basilica, The Citadel, and Buda Castle. We then hung out in a coffee shop for a while and then actually went to sleep early because we had to be up early to present our research and then fly home. my host mom and I then just had dinner and tomorrow my friends and I are making a day trip into Malmo, Sweden!
my class after a visit
Russell!
Buda Castle
Til imorgen!
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