As I write this blog, it is Sunday, January 9, and I am sitting on a train bound to Hannover from Copenhagen. This weekend has been a little bit of a disappointment, but I will get to that in a bit.
First comes Friday. We took our leave from Berlin and headed to Duderstadt to visit the Otto Bock headquarters. Talk about exciting. I mentioned in my previous blog that visiting the Otto bock Science Center in Berlin was like being a kid in a candy store. Well, being at the Otto Bock headquarters was like being Charlie in Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. We begin with lunch. That Otto Bock provided. In their lavish lounge. I was starving from my train ride, so Otto Bock clearly gets 5 points for feeding us. Next, we were guided throughout their facilities to learn about the various processes the company conducts. This ranged from the production of prosthetics to the logistic side of the company. However, I think the logistic portion a complete waste of time (no offense to the company, it was still interesting) because I am a biomedical engineer. I want to learn more about their products and research facilities rather than how they ship an artificial leg to a customer. But in the end, we got a quick presentation of the company and several of its popular products before going into the showroom. Here was where we saw all the magic. They had several of their products on display in the showroom. My personal favorite was the artificial arm, which allows for the controlled movement of the device on a patient who arm was completely amputated. This prosthetic utilizes targeted muscle reinnervation, meaning that it uses the nerves in the chest to allow the patient to control the prosthetic in his/her own way. This means the patient can do many of the activities a fully functional arm can do, including raising/lower, wrist rotation, and gripping. It can even go as far as to feel hotness and coldness in the fingers and relate these feelings back to the patients. Really quite extraordinary.
After our time at Otto Bock, we spend the evening exploring the town until we leave for Copenhagen around 10 PM. We had reserved beds on the train and were placed in cart 194 on the train. Now, there were 6 beds per compartment (3 stacked up high on each side), so you can imagine there is not a lot of room. Well we are standing on the platform looking for our cart number and we find that cart 193 and then 195 afterwards – there is no 194. So we ask one of the train attendants about it and he says there was an error, so we are getting upgraded to the two bed compartments for free!! So David and I share one of these compartments, which is really nice because it includes a sink and storage cabinets. I could say this was the best part about our trip to Copenhagen. When we finally arrive, we are leaving the train station and are greeted by 2 over-enthusiastic teenagers who feel it is vital to inform us that they are high. It was annoying, not to mention they seemed like they were trying to pry information from us. Luckily, we are too smart for that game and gave them no such info. We walk around a common market area for the afternoon and eventually check into our hostel to drop off our belongings before heading off for dinner. Okay, so in Copenhagen, everything is overpriced. I was thinking like maybe like 25% more than normal. Try double the price pretty much. I spent way too much money on food and drinks that were alright - nothing too spectacular. This is one of the main reasons I really did not like Copenhagen. Anyways, after dinner, we went to the Library Bar, which is rated one of the best bars in the world. And I can see why; it provides a very soothing environment. As you walk in, you immediately notice the dimmed lights and the books and portraits lining the walls. Picture a library from the 1800s, put some brown, leather furniture in, and throw in a piano and classical music and you have yourself the Library Bar. Then we headed to the hostel to retire for the evening. Soon after falling asleep, our roommate, whom we did not know, comes in at around midnight, turns on all the lights, makes a lot of noise, and finally goes to sleep. I thought to myself “Okay this is not too bad. I can fall back to sleep.” and eventually do. Around 4 in the morning, I am woken up to LOUDEST snoring I have ever heard in my life. A howling gorilla banging on the drums to Rush with firecrackers going off in the background could not have made more noise than this man’s snoring. It kept me up the rest of the night and I was quite pissed. Another reason to add to the list of reasons why I disliked my stay.
Anyways, we got up around 9 AM and spent the rest of the day walking around the city. We even saw the mermaid statue, one of the great icons of the city. Frankly, I thought it was quite small, but hey, art is art. After our city tour, we made our way back to the train station and here I am. In fact, while writing this blog, I had to take a short intermission. You see, Denmark and Germany are partially separated by water, and you must take a ferry to cross it. So we hopped off our train (which was also transported by the ferry), and went to the upper decks for food and drinks. Interesting experience. I think I like going to and from Copenhagen, but not actually being in it. I know I sound a bit pessimistic, but I really just wanted to get my opinion across - it is a blog.
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