A Weekend in Szeged

This past week was full of a lot of bones (duh). We are working through more populations, dating back to the 7th century, and the preservation of these skeletons is impressive. This past population had a lot of juveniles which was sad, and we learned it was likely to do weaning as the child is no longer receiving the nutrient rich milk from their mother. We also have to use different methods to determine how old a juvenile skeleton is. We look at dental eruption (honestly learning more about teeth here than I ever thought I would, which is good for me haha) to see how old a child might be based on which teeth have come in. We can also look at epiphyseal fusions of bones such as the femur. Another method is by measuring the length of long bones and seeing the relative age based on lengths from other populations. I feel like I am really preparing myself for taking anatomy this fall lesssgoooooo!

Over the weekend, we decided to stay in Szeged, as our trip to Vienna was fun but very tiring and expensive. We found this incredible brunch spot where all the bread is gluten free and I had some yummy peanut butter banana toast. I had an acai bowl the first time I went and it was so liquidy it was crazy, but I ate it up don’t worry. I’ve also noticed the lattes here usually don’t have flavored syrup so it is a rare treat when I find a place with some. It’s really been quite the food tour here. I wouldn’t say the food here is much different, but I have been eating a lot of chicken, pork, and gnocchi, and baked goods which I can’t complain about. At our lunch spot there is a sour cherry soup and today a lemon and egg soup but I have not built up the courage to try them. I have also had quite a good amount of aperol spritzes and espresso martinis! Gotta live it up while in Europe!

This weekend I am planning on going to Bratislava in Slovakia! I have no idea what to expect, but I wanted to see another country, so I am excited. This is also our last full week in class and I can’t believe it. For our final project, we are writing up mock research proposals based on what we have seen in the skeletal populations. If you can believe it, mine is probably going to be based on the teeth. 

I really do love Hungary and I have been having such a fun time. I love going out to dinner with my new friends every night and trying something new. Last night we went to a restaurant called Pipi Zero where I had some bacon-cream gnocchi (my third gnocchi dish of the trip and hopefully not the last). I love how walkable everything is too - we are minutes away from the square so we’re always getting our steps in and able to enjoy the city. There was a festival here this past weekend and we saw live music while enjoying drinks at a church-turned-bar.

Also, the walk to class is definitely more than a mile and is super hot (sometimes over 100 degrees!) but I love closing my exercise ring before noon so it’s okay. We also walk over the bridge that goes over the Tisza River so the view helps me ignore the heat stroke I’m about to have. After class I’ve napped for 2 hours straight on multiple occasions because I’m so tired, but it’s a good tired.  Also my luggage came which was honestly one of the best moments of my life. And with that… my next post will probably be after Brataslava! YAYYYYY!!!!!!