That night, we took an amazing dinner cruise on the Danube River, which separated the city of Budapest into the 'buda' and the 'pest' side. We were welcomed aboard with a glass of champagne and bottle of wine for each table. It was a buffet style dinner with delicious Hungarian food, and yummy dessert! While eating, we enjoyed the gorgeous views of the city while listening to a violin trio aboard the boat. None of us could believe we were actually in Budapest, cruising along the Danube, eating a gourmet meal, and looking just out the window to see some of the most beautiful sights we had ever seen. It was unreal Here are a few pictures!
The next morning, we left the hotel reallly early for our first academic visit to the National Center for Spinal Disorders. The first day was pretty packed with stuff to do. Right when we left the Center, we made our way to the Szent Laszlo Hospital and learned about the many forms of pediatric care offered in Budapest. Both tours were 3 and a half hours so it was a longggg day, we were all dead on trip back to the hotel but had to rally for a 2 hour walking tour around the city. Our guide brought us to some pretty cool spots, including the 2nd largest synagogue in the world and the roman catholic church.
After a long day of walking and touring, we decided it was necessary to experience one of the main attractions of Budapest. At 7:30, we made our way to szechenyl spa! It is a huge facility with 5 outdoor heated pools in the center courtyard of a beautiful building. People from all over the world come here to swim and enjoy an incredibly relaxing experience. Words simply don't do it anyyy justice, check out the pictures below. It was AMAZING.
We returned to the hotel around 10, still having not eaten dinner.. Starving, a group of us walked to an Italian restaurant and enjoyed another delicious meal at 1030 at night.. We had such a fun time together. And the night still wasn't over, we had to go out and see what the night life was like! Although it was a Monday night, we found a club that was INSANE, it was even better than a Saturday night in Copenhagen. There were 9 different themed rooms, with a ton of dancing and even some karaoke, and of course we had to sing a few songs :)
Woke up tuesday, yet another early morning, and made our way to the hospital for cardiology in Budapest. We put on some white coats and booties and got to walk into the room where an open heart surgery was going on... And I didn't even pass out! It was a really cool visit.
We had a few hours after that to explore the city on our own. After some sightseeing, souvenir shopping, and a quick lunch, it was time to get back to the hotel and board the train to Vienna! Budapest was absolutely amazing. From cruising on the Danube to swimming in the world famous baths, it was by far one of the coolest I've ever been. Definitely worth coming back someday.
The next morning, we got on the train to vienna and slept for the entire 3 hour ride. We arrived at the hotel, ate dinner, and slept.. Not a very eventful first night in Austria. Finally feeling refreshed and rested in the morning, we made our way to the Leopold museum, known for its Viennese art. Not a huge fan of museums/art but we saw some cool paintings and were followed around by a pretty hilarious guard who took her job waaay too seriously.
After that, we grabbed a sandwich in the main square and sat in a park while enjoying the beautiful weather. It was soo nice out! Made it kind of hard to sit through two academic visits at hospitals later on. AmberMed provided healthcare for the uninsured and FirstLove specialized in family planning. It was really interesting to compare the healthcare and insurance options to what we have in the US. After the visits, we went out all together for a delicious dinner and a night out in Vienna.
Thursday was another early morning for our last academic visit to a sleep research facility. We hung out in Vienna for the day and after dinner, we headed to the Vienna Symphony Orchestra in the city center. It was such a pretty building and an amazing performance. We all ended up staying together after the show and went out to a bar close by. I also met up with my friend Jim who graduated from Gettysburg a couple years ago and is now working in Vienna. It was a really fun night!
Friday was our last day in Vienna. We had to do group presentations in the morning presenting our research questions that relate to the study tour. In the afternoon, we went to Schonbrunn Palace, a former summer residence that is one of the most important cultural monuments in the country. After walking around the gardens and taking lots of pictures, we went on a guided audio tour through the palace. Lunch was delicious, again, it was just like chicken parm so I was happy! I miss american food.. And for dessert, we went to an apple show and watched the whole process of how to make apple strudel! They gave us the recipe so I'm going to try to make it for my host dad when we get back.
And that's my trip to Budapest and Vienna! Now the Lang family takes on Denmark, should be a fun week ahead :)
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