Århus and Odense

Just a warning, this post is really long and filled with an overload of pictures. This past week at DIS was Core Course Week which means that each core class takes a three day trip to somewhere closer to Denmark and then has two days in Copenhagen for lectures. For my psychopharmacology class, we went to Århus and Odense in western Denmark. After waking up at 4:45am to get to the train station on time and then waiting for our bus for over an hour, we were finally on the way. Our first stop in Århus was a talk about clinical psychopharmacology and how patients are treated in Denmark. The lecture was really interesting, but it was hard to pay attention because we were all tired and hungry. Next, we stopped for lunch and then headed to Århus Universitetshospital Risskov which was founded in 1852, is the oldest psychiatric hospital in Denmark and is still working today. We toured the museum which talks about the history of the hospital and then had a guided tour through the Ovartaci Museum. Named after a schizophrenic patient who lived at the hospital for over 50 years, the museum houses his expansive art collection and art from other patients.

 It was really interesting to see another side of the psychiatric disorders that we will learn so much about this semester. Typically, the disorders are only learned about from a biological and clinical perspective so it was unique to see the patient's perspective. After the museum, we checked into our hostel in downtown Århus and had some time to walk around before dinner. For the second biggest city in Denmark, I was surprised at how much smaller it was than Copenhagen. We went to the nicest place for dinner, where they gave us bread, beef tenderloin, and a brownie with ice cream for desert! It was delicious. After dinner, we all walked around the town and sat by the canal to drink some wine and hang out before turning in early because we were all so tired and had to be up early the next morning.

Tuesday morning we headed back to Risskov for two more lectures at the University of Århus about behavior research being done on rats with schizophrenia, depression and bipolar disorder and brain stereology with the brain bank. They lectures were really interesting and it was cool to hear about research currently being done on these disorders. After, we were able to go to the ARoS Museum of Modern Art. The museum is most famous for its rainbow panorama which signifies the difference between heaven and hell. It was such a fun way to look at the city and we took full advantage of taking fun pictures including a nice collection of awkward solo shots! After ARoS, we walked around the town before heading to Odense!

After a two hour bus ride, we finally made it to Odense! We checked into the hostel and had some more time before dinner. I was a little nervous about staying in a hostel but I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the rooms and the breakfasts at both places. I roomed with the same two girls at both places. It turned out that I had mutual friends with both from Richmond and Mount Vernon! I am constantly amazed at how small the world really is especially within the college community. For dinner, we went to a local brewery and had a delicious burger and after we walked around the town and went to an Irish Pub to hang out. We were able to stay out a little later and keep getting to know each other which was really fun!

Yesterday morning we had a delicious breakfast at the hostel and then headed to the University of Southern Denmark for a talk on research being done on possible genes involved with schizophrenia. It was really cool to hear about genetic research, something that I am extremely interested in. Odense is famous for being the hometown of Hans Christian Anderson, the man who wrote the Princess and the Pea, the Ugly Duckling, and the Little Mermaid just to name a few. After a delicious traditional danish buffet lunch at a restaurant called the Ugly Duckling, we went through his house and the museum. It was really interesting to learn about his life and what inspired his writings. The town is absolutely adorable! It looks like one right out of a fairytale. I'm so happy we were able to travel to western Denmark because it was such a contrast between the big city of Copenhagen and somewhere that I probably wouldn't be able to go on my own. 

I absolutely loved getting to know my class better this past week and can't wait for our next week long adventure in Munich! Congratulations if you made it all the way to the end of this post. 

Love,