Poland- read with a hot chocolate in your hand!

I know, I know. I'm so far behind on my blogs, it's just not funy anymore. I'm going to reach the one month marker before posting about some trips that I went on. But seriously, when you consider that I went to 8 cities in a 5 week time span, throw in some homework and tests and papers and preparing for a certain family to come over to Denmark, you can come to understand why my blog has taken the backseat. And I really even shouldn't be posting a blog now, but what's the harm in a little break from reading?

So I guess I'm on to Poland from my short expose on Berlin. We took a fun little bus ride to the city of Poznan, complete with a stop at a McDonalds with flags stating "ich liebe es" as opposed to "I'm lovin it" outside.

Then checked into one of the most fabulous hotels in the small city of Poznan; not a surprise, really, considering how small and inexpensive this little place was.

Our view:

We all went out to dinner that night together too, a traditional Polish dinner of some kind of meat, some kind of potatoes, soup, and coffee/tea and dessert following. Yum-o! We also found out, in the course of dinner and needing to go to the bathroom, that the Poles only put a circle on one door and an upside-down triangle on the other. translation? Go into both bathrooms and see which one has the urinals in it.

After dinner a few girls and I started exploring the city. I was so afraid of pickpockets tat I actuall yput my purse inside my jacket. Hence the pregnant picture. People thought I looked a little, well, abnormal. but that's not too unusual for me I guess. :)

Then next morning we woke up bright and early for a delicious breakfast (after having bread and jam for breakfast the past forever, it was nice to get some hot food in there!) and went off on a trolley car to the hospital to follow around a pediatrician (refer to previous blog). On our way back, though, we ran into a little jam. The problem with cable cars is that if one breaks down, the others can't pass it. So we waited for a stupidly long time before realizing that no, our car was not going to come. Better book it back to the hotel to make it in time for our walking tour! While some proceeded to walk, four of us hailed a taxi to make sure we'd get back. I was a little nervous at first--i didnt want to pay an arm and a leg to get back. It ended up, though, that our taxi fare per person was equivalent to US $2! Crazy, huh??

Following the walking tour was one of m favorite moments in Poland. We were frozen stiff after wandering around the city in the cold, so once the tour guide ended his talk, four of us scooted over to a little cafe that my friend Charlotte and I had found the night before. We walked in and were greeted by the sweet smell of flowers, warmth enough to be able to take off our coats, and decorations (including lit candles everywhere!) that made us feel very hygge (a Danish word that kindof means cozy). I got the biggest salad int he world, only because Denmark does not believe in salads, and then a huge cup of steaming almond-flavored coffee. It was jsut perfect to be able to sit there with friends and casually eat, drink, and talk while watching the people rush by outside.

Can you find me in this picture above??

Then we unfortunately had to get up and run back to he hotel to change for that night's Polish Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir Concert. I had flashbacks of getting ready for formal events in highschool as we all got dressed up to go. Though the next time you are in Poland, please take my advice and do NOT wear heels on the cobblestone streets. I almost wiped out more than once.

We found out upon arrival at the cathedral that having a ticket to this thing did not guarantee seating. Aka we were squished into the church like sardines in a can. I'm not kidding. I didn't even have room to sit in a ball on the floor. I could either stand or take half an hour to try to shove my way back out of the church. So we stood. For the two hour concert. Another good reason NOT to wear heels in Poland.

the church where the concert was

But all was remedied with the most amazing cup of hot chocolate EVER after the concert. It was liquid chocolate pretty much. Just delicious, and exactly what we all needed after being deprived of our personal space for two hours.

Next day entailed watching an autopsy (yuck-o!) and learning about cell pathology, followed by time to just wander. And eat pastries. And pierogies. And wonder why exactly Poznan is such an awesome city.

And lastly, before our 12 hour bus ride back to our home in Copenhagen, we ate dinner at a small microbrewery. Following a serioes of somewhat embarrassing (although fortunate) events, a few of my friends and I started talking to a German man in lederhosen that we tried to sneak a picture of. Turns out he was from Munich, in Poland for a friend's wedding, and wearing the lederhosen in honor of the wedding. Such a nice guy, even gave us a map of Munich and told us what to go see if we ever found ourselves there! Which so far I haven't. Maybe someday...

And that was our short but sweet trip into Poland. Great country. Awesome hot chocolate. Altogether a very cozy, home-y feel. I really loved that city and was sad to go so soon, especially when leaving meant a long long bus ride through the night where I had to climb over nad under peoiple's legs to try to get to the bathroom without waking up. An unforgettable experience, to say the least.

Jinkuyeh! (I think I spelled that wrong)

Berlin in a nutshell

I am just so overwhelmed with story after story, I couldn't possibly tell them all on this blog. Or on a thousand blogs. I just got back from three weeks of travelling all over Europe. I went to Berlin, Poland, Barcelona, Madrid, and the Czech Republic. I know, some of those places are odd choices, but you'd fall in love with the little Polish town of Poznan and the countryside of the Czech if you were there, too. And Prague was beyond-words breathtaking. trust me.

But I'm going to go country to country, splitting up my blogs so I don't get too overwhelmed. Well, I already am, especially because it is almost 2 in the morning and I should be sleeping, but I promised myself I would write a blog before Monday. So here goes...

Berlin and Poznan were part of my acdemic study tour with my Medical Practice and Policy Program. From the last blog, you have an idea of the academic activities we did, so I'll focus on the cultural ones:

On our way to Berlin, we stopped at a concentration camp. It wasn't a big-name one, I'd never heard of it. But it was incredible to see. All of our stomachs just dropped and we all fell silent through the hour or so that we were there. It was an experience I'll never forget, especially the moment I willingly walked through the entrance of the camp that so many people were dragged through. I still can't possibly conceive of all that happened there, could you?

Then, on a lighter note, our first dinner in Berlin was at a blind restaurant. Yes, you read that right. Every server at the restaurant was blind, and to top that off, we sat in a completely dark room, as if we were blind ourselves. Luckily, that also meant that noone could see me eat with my hands and accidentally get food all over my face. I dont know how that happened. Honestly, every sense is thrown off a bit when you can't see, including the hand-to-mouth sense.

The next day we took a city-wide bus tour of Berlin with a great tour guide. What struck me the most about this city was that it was so easy to see all that these people had been through. They didn't try to hide their past, but instead acknowledged and accepted it. And we could tell the difference between East and West Berlin, mostly in the architecture. it was incredible. Moment number two that I will remember forever: walking from East Berlin over the two-brick-wide line where the wall used to be to West Berlin, then through the Brandenborg Gate. Something that East Berliners used to only dream about. Bonus- there was a Starbucks on the other side!

That day we also went to the Berlin Dom, this amazingly beautiful cathedral in the middle of the city. We even climbed up what seemed like neverending stairs to the base of the dome to see the entire city of Berlin! Stunning!

We also saw the Berlin Olympic Stadium, which hosted the Olympics in 1936, one year before the Holocaust exploded. Huge, magnificent stadium. Interesting fact- since the germans wanted no memory to Hitler, they cut off the part of the balcony where he used to sit and watch the games. It is now two feet shorter.

At night, a few of my friends and I would wander through the city, finding little parks and buildings, cafes and brautwurst. the lights in the city were so colorful and truly dazzling, in preparation for the Festival of Lights starting in a few weeks. And nothing beats walking through colorful fall leaves on a crisp but not too chilly night in Berlin.

We also visited KaDeWe, Berlin's equivalent to the New York Macy's. Their displays had already been infiltrated by Christmas decorations, which made me all the more excited for the holiday season.

And in a nutshell, that was my trip to Berlin. I think it will always remain one of my favorite cities. The history was incredible, the people amazing, the architecture breathtaking. It was just beautiful. I could never explain that feeling of walking in the footsteps of so much history, turmoil, tears, heartbreak, and death. But that city had taken leaps and bounds since then, never forgetting where they came from, always commemorating those who died.