So, many of you already know the story, but for those who don't, this past weekend I broke my leg in Uppsala. I was visiting Stockholm and Uppsala over Easter weekend because I wanted to get out of the village for a while. I've been to both places quite a bit now and am checking museum after museum off my list. Some Id recommend and others....well, unless you are REALLY into the subject, you should totally avoid.
Me and Mari-Caroline (french) and Melanie (German) heading to the big city on Thursday after work. I had just traveled the weekend before to Stockholm to visit the Tax rep person (who was a total ass and complete waste of my time), so I felt very confident and was kinda familiar with "central" Stockholm. But, the girls and I actually caught a ride to Uppsala and then we took the train down to Stockholm. Now, if you are under the age of 26 OR have proof that you are a student (Thank you U of A for not putting an expiration date on student ID cards) then you can get tickets in Sweden for the same price as Old people. Even cheaper if you are under 12. I didn't know this until after 2 train ticket purchases dang it! The train from Uppsala to Stockholm is ~45 min. During this car/train ride I come to find out that Caroline or MC (pronounced "em-ka") REALLY REALLY REALLY likes Burger King. She had never had it before 2 weeks ago and was now obsessed. I had not eaten anything since lunch and we didn't get into Stockholm till 7ish. Over the entire weekend I think we ate Burger King 4 times however, it seemed like we were eating it for every meal. Sad to say, that if you want "cheap" food then the ONLY option is fast food or sandwhiches at cafes. It is actually a toss up if you make a meal for yourself at a hostel vs. eating at fast food place as to what would be more expensive. At least your home made meal would be healthy and you could potentially save some for later. The girls had picked out a hostel that they felt was very cheap and clean. Which it was clean(ish) and cheap I guess (I elected not to care cuz I didn't want to take the time to find something else). it was however, totally PACKED. It was a 10 minute walk from the station and holy crap was it full with LOADS of beds...so, there really wasn't a lot of free space to eat and always a line in the bathrooms.
But before getting to the hostel, I was at a very very very low blood sugar level and needed food. Unfortunately for MC we didn't get to BK as Max the Swedish version of McDonalds/Burger King came first on our walk to the hostel. 15kr for a Jr. Burger isn't too bad...except that the burger is about the size of a coffee mug in diameter and its just bun meat bun. So, a $2.40 burger and a 35kr ($5.40) small milkshake was what I had for dinner. The milkshake tasted off and it was ~8oz. Max is considered "expensive" for Swedish fast food. But I can't say by much, considering BK has their 25kr ($3.86) menu so the burger of the day is one of 7 which aren't all "smalls" or "jr" burgers - but they aren't the Premium burger either. If you want to make a meal of the burger of the day and sm fries sm drink then its 55kr ($8.50).
It started out as a Grand weekend. MC had a school mate who is studying in Copenhagen come up to meet us for the weekend. His name is pronounced like Boonwa, but Ive no idea how to spell it and he's french so beh! When he was in Canada they called him Ben. So, Ben, MC, Mel and I toured around Stockholm for an afternoon till Mel left for Germany. Again, me exploiting the student rate, we went into the Museum in the Castle, the Royal Apartments, and the Royal Treasury (~70kr). Not bad, but - eeh. That evening was so much cooler. We did a free walking tour of old Stockholm. It was way way way interesting. The guide did a great job being clear and understandable in her english. it was a very large group too. I totally recommend it.
The next day Ben, MC and I went to this lookout thing which you could walk up to the top or pay to ride up to the top...we walked.
We went back to Old town to watch the changing of the guards. Which is always fun. Byron, Bryan and I did that the last time we were in Stockholm in 2007. It hasn't changed.
We then went to the Biological museum - A museum I actually feel pity for. It was 40kr to get in if you were a student (90 if you weren't) and HOLY CRAP - it was just 2 floors but 1 large room that you walked a circle in and around the periphery is this glass window that just has stuffed taxidermy animals behind it.
Yet it is soooooooo old that most things are totally faded in color or were so poorly stuffed in the first place that the animal doesn't look real. It would be fun to go in and quiz myself if I were learning birds again - but really??? The second floor was just so you could see the tops of the trees and look down on the other birds from above.
The Aquarium was just around the corner and we thought - yeah! live fishes...lets go check it out! That was 90kr to get in no matter who you were - and it was worse than the Biological museum!!!! OK, at least the stuff was alive, but the displays were so pitiful, and Ive never actually felt sorry for a fish till now. At least the tanks looked clean....So, we took the ferry back to Old town, ate some Ice Cream (its 28F out or -2C) and decided to head to Uppsala.
In Uppsala we meet another french person. I can't remember her name. Its something like Mona? Monica? but trendy and rather English sounding, probably why I can't remember it. Too normal for a french person. She didn't seem to be too happy to see me. She was the stereo-typical french person of all three, she was the worst. We were staying at her place which was a shock to me. (not that we were staying with her, but what her place looked like). In Sweden housing is a HUGE problem. Student housing is even worse. So, they have dorms - which is what we were in, only they have anywhere from 5-15 rooms that all share 1 kitchen and 1 living room (you only have a living room if >10 rooms). She was in a 5 room flat. I think what threw me was they kept referring to an apartment. This is not an apartment. The kitchen is about 6ft wide and maybe 12ft long? We could squeeze 4 of us around this tiny table and then there was space for the oven and sink. That evening was an event at another students place (they had 15 rooms). Tiny is all I can say. The event is a completely different story not really worth telling except MC should have broken bones more than I with the times she fell trying to get home with a bike drunk in the dark.
The next day after a LOoooooong slow morning we headed out into town. We went to a really great Museum that I totally recommend in Uppsala. Right across from the main church, on Saturdays and Sundays they do 1 free tour for English speaking people. It was perfect timing. So, got to see the history of Uppsala university, some viking stuff and some neat stuff about human Dissections back in the 1800s. It was way interesting. I want to go back - so someone has to come visit me so Ive an excuse!
After consuming BK we headed to the castle. Id been there before, and Uppsala castle is no where as cool as Stockholm...and its not really open to the public.
I ate dinner in the castle in 2007 for the conference banquet. Well, wandering around Uppsala in the cold blowing air with lots of snow and ice ice ice made me very bored. I just wanted to go somewhere - like Old Uppsala. But MC wanted to go to Linnaeus's house...so we tried to find a way down from the castle. Linnaeus for those of you who do not know is like the father of taxinomic nomenclature. He basically gave us the system of latin names of Genis and Species like a grizzly bear is Ursus arctos or swift fox is Vulpes velox. Linnaeus was a botnist but dabbled everywhere in naming things. Hes from Uppsala. So, we were trying to find a faster path down the hill covered in icy snow. We were walking so tentatively and carefully. I then saw a break in the snow with a long patch of ground that was covered in long dead grass. Remember it was a steep hill, when I hit this dry land I stepped too confidently and slid on the grass. My shoes had no traction and the grass was icy and smooth. I fell twisting and landing directly on my left leg. I heard some popping noises that sounded like cartilage popping in rapid succession.
All I could think was - what do they do/say in the movies???? If you can put weight on it then its not broken right???? So, I stepped on it....and I didn't crumple directly in pain. I could put some weight on it and not be in pain like they are in the movies....so it must be OK right? Like what - I twisted my ankle right? OK...so I half scooted, stumbled, and limped my way down the rest of the hill. Getting to the bottom of the hill MC called her friend asking how far it was to her house from the castle (about 10 min walk)....There was no way I could do that. For the first time in my life I didn't think about being a poor student and that I needed to toughen up and walk - I thought - Hey! I can get a bus....NO wait!! I can afford a Taxi!!! So, I walked about 200 m to the road - yes, whimpering the entire way. At the road my heart sank cuz there were no cars. I thought - shit, Im gonna have to walk back into town to catch a car/bus out of town...dang it! I also recall thinking - Im so lucky to have a smart phone so I can look up taxi services in Uppsala on the internet. My travel companions were completely lost and had no clue what to do. Looking back it was rather funny at how they fell apart at knowing how to help someone. Lucky for me, within about 3 minutes (seemed like 10) a taxi came by and MC waved it down. Back at the 3rd floor apartment, I b-lined it for the room where I promptly put leg up on some pillows and blankets. No one helped me, none of them checked in on me, none offered to help get water or food. If I wanted/needed anything I had to get it myself. So, they were all eating dinner when I hobbled out to the kitchen to find food. I then hobbled back to the room without offering to clean up. I decided it was bull that I was sticking around Uppsala in an atmosphere of unwelcomness and being injured and so I got online to re-book my train ticket for the next day to leave bright and early. I called and booked a taxi pick up but was ready to go 1 hour before I originally intended. So, I called the taxi earlier and left the house to wait at the bus stop for my bus to Enkopping. I then took 2 other trains to make it to Lindesberg by 12:00 on Sunday.
I know you are asking why didn't I go to the hospital in the big city of Uppsala....I really thought it was just a bad sprain, and didn't go to the hospital in Uppsala because I had hoped the swelling and pain would go down during the night. When I awoke I just wanted out of there and to be back "home" and again maybe I just needed more time to heal and I had already purchased 2 tickets to travel back home, why purchase another? While traveling, the pain didn't go down nor away and so I started thinking maybe I ripped a muscle or ligament. So, I started googling it (again thankful for a smart phone). It was 2 things that finally convinced me I should go to the hospital:
Getting between bus stop, train station, and 2nd train station and on and off these vehicles was a pain, but when I got to Lindesberg I was starving....sort of. There was a Subway open on Easter Sunday 1 block away from the train station...so I walked there and got me a sub...then walked back to the train station to take a taxi to the hospital. The taxi driver was quite confused as to my behavior cuz he could see me the entire trek across the lawn to subway and back again.
At the hospital they had me walking everywhere until they saw the x-rays....I don't know why these are upside down, but they are.
.tif)
But before getting to the hostel, I was at a very very very low blood sugar level and needed food. Unfortunately for MC we didn't get to BK as Max the Swedish version of McDonalds/Burger King came first on our walk to the hostel. 15kr for a Jr. Burger isn't too bad...except that the burger is about the size of a coffee mug in diameter and its just bun meat bun. So, a $2.40 burger and a 35kr ($5.40) small milkshake was what I had for dinner. The milkshake tasted off and it was ~8oz. Max is considered "expensive" for Swedish fast food. But I can't say by much, considering BK has their 25kr ($3.86) menu so the burger of the day is one of 7 which aren't all "smalls" or "jr" burgers - but they aren't the Premium burger either. If you want to make a meal of the burger of the day and sm fries sm drink then its 55kr ($8.50).
 |
| Ben and MC are 1 row behind the Free part of the FreeTour sign. The guy's head is in Ben's stomach and MC is to Ben's right. Im just above the free tour sign with the orange scarf, 2 rows back just off Ben's left shoulder. |
The next day Ben, MC and I went to this lookout thing which you could walk up to the top or pay to ride up to the top...we walked.
We went back to Old town to watch the changing of the guards. Which is always fun. Byron, Bryan and I did that the last time we were in Stockholm in 2007. It hasn't changed. 
We then went to the Biological museum - A museum I actually feel pity for. It was 40kr to get in if you were a student (90 if you weren't) and HOLY CRAP - it was just 2 floors but 1 large room that you walked a circle in and around the periphery is this glass window that just has stuffed taxidermy animals behind it. Yet it is soooooooo old that most things are totally faded in color or were so poorly stuffed in the first place that the animal doesn't look real. It would be fun to go in and quiz myself if I were learning birds again - but really??? The second floor was just so you could see the tops of the trees and look down on the other birds from above.
In Uppsala we meet another french person. I can't remember her name. Its something like Mona? Monica? but trendy and rather English sounding, probably why I can't remember it. Too normal for a french person. She didn't seem to be too happy to see me. She was the stereo-typical french person of all three, she was the worst. We were staying at her place which was a shock to me. (not that we were staying with her, but what her place looked like). In Sweden housing is a HUGE problem. Student housing is even worse. So, they have dorms - which is what we were in, only they have anywhere from 5-15 rooms that all share 1 kitchen and 1 living room (you only have a living room if >10 rooms). She was in a 5 room flat. I think what threw me was they kept referring to an apartment. This is not an apartment. The kitchen is about 6ft wide and maybe 12ft long? We could squeeze 4 of us around this tiny table and then there was space for the oven and sink. That evening was an event at another students place (they had 15 rooms). Tiny is all I can say. The event is a completely different story not really worth telling except MC should have broken bones more than I with the times she fell trying to get home with a bike drunk in the dark.
 |
| Plaster casts of the 8 people they dissected in the university |
 |
| The autopsy theater |
After consuming BK we headed to the castle. Id been there before, and Uppsala castle is no where as cool as Stockholm...and its not really open to the public.
I ate dinner in the castle in 2007 for the conference banquet. Well, wandering around Uppsala in the cold blowing air with lots of snow and ice ice ice made me very bored. I just wanted to go somewhere - like Old Uppsala. But MC wanted to go to Linnaeus's house...so we tried to find a way down from the castle. Linnaeus for those of you who do not know is like the father of taxinomic nomenclature. He basically gave us the system of latin names of Genis and Species like a grizzly bear is Ursus arctos or swift fox is Vulpes velox. Linnaeus was a botnist but dabbled everywhere in naming things. Hes from Uppsala. So, we were trying to find a faster path down the hill covered in icy snow. We were walking so tentatively and carefully. I then saw a break in the snow with a long patch of ground that was covered in long dead grass. Remember it was a steep hill, when I hit this dry land I stepped too confidently and slid on the grass. My shoes had no traction and the grass was icy and smooth. I fell twisting and landing directly on my left leg. I heard some popping noises that sounded like cartilage popping in rapid succession.
All I could think was - what do they do/say in the movies???? If you can put weight on it then its not broken right???? So, I stepped on it....and I didn't crumple directly in pain. I could put some weight on it and not be in pain like they are in the movies....so it must be OK right? Like what - I twisted my ankle right? OK...so I half scooted, stumbled, and limped my way down the rest of the hill. Getting to the bottom of the hill MC called her friend asking how far it was to her house from the castle (about 10 min walk)....There was no way I could do that. For the first time in my life I didn't think about being a poor student and that I needed to toughen up and walk - I thought - Hey! I can get a bus....NO wait!! I can afford a Taxi!!! So, I walked about 200 m to the road - yes, whimpering the entire way. At the road my heart sank cuz there were no cars. I thought - shit, Im gonna have to walk back into town to catch a car/bus out of town...dang it! I also recall thinking - Im so lucky to have a smart phone so I can look up taxi services in Uppsala on the internet. My travel companions were completely lost and had no clue what to do. Looking back it was rather funny at how they fell apart at knowing how to help someone. Lucky for me, within about 3 minutes (seemed like 10) a taxi came by and MC waved it down. Back at the 3rd floor apartment, I b-lined it for the room where I promptly put leg up on some pillows and blankets. No one helped me, none of them checked in on me, none offered to help get water or food. If I wanted/needed anything I had to get it myself. So, they were all eating dinner when I hobbled out to the kitchen to find food. I then hobbled back to the room without offering to clean up. I decided it was bull that I was sticking around Uppsala in an atmosphere of unwelcomness and being injured and so I got online to re-book my train ticket for the next day to leave bright and early. I called and booked a taxi pick up but was ready to go 1 hour before I originally intended. So, I called the taxi earlier and left the house to wait at the bus stop for my bus to Enkopping. I then took 2 other trains to make it to Lindesberg by 12:00 on Sunday.
I know you are asking why didn't I go to the hospital in the big city of Uppsala....I really thought it was just a bad sprain, and didn't go to the hospital in Uppsala because I had hoped the swelling and pain would go down during the night. When I awoke I just wanted out of there and to be back "home" and again maybe I just needed more time to heal and I had already purchased 2 tickets to travel back home, why purchase another? While traveling, the pain didn't go down nor away and so I started thinking maybe I ripped a muscle or ligament. So, I started googling it (again thankful for a smart phone). It was 2 things that finally convinced me I should go to the hospital:
- the webMD.com site said how to diagnose a ligament tear - had one bullet point that said, "if you heard any popping during the accident you should get it checked out"...I heard popping.
- while my foot was propped up on a chair on the bus, this guy's bag just ever so gently grazed my foot sending shooting pains up my leg making me cry out and startle the other passengers.....so maybe it was worse than I thought.
Getting between bus stop, train station, and 2nd train station and on and off these vehicles was a pain, but when I got to Lindesberg I was starving....sort of. There was a Subway open on Easter Sunday 1 block away from the train station...so I walked there and got me a sub...then walked back to the train station to take a taxi to the hospital. The taxi driver was quite confused as to my behavior cuz he could see me the entire trek across the lawn to subway and back again.
At the hospital they had me walking everywhere until they saw the x-rays....I don't know why these are upside down, but they are.
.tif) |
| The fracture is up near my knee. |
