Life is like a river

By Gunnlaug

Broken arm in Budapest

Backblip

Yes, now I'm officially old. 
I've had a fall.
I tripped on a tree-root growing upwards across a walking path along the Danube and fell flat on the ground, trying to break the fall with my arms apparently. 

We were lucky to get a taxi driver to take us the short distance back to our cruise boat and after we got help from the staff began the long long wait for an ambulance. The traffic was horrible at this time of day (after 16:00 in the afternoon) and it was an unusually busy and hot day in the city, we were told. 
Then the ambulance arrived at last.... with a flat tire! 
We had to wait again for a replacement ambulance. 
When we were finally on our way to the hospital, the paramedic and driver turned out to be unfamiliar with the transportation system and locations in Budapest, since they had only been called in recently from another part of Hungary to help with this "summer-season crisis" going on right now. Apparently the heat and large numbers of tourists had put a tremendous strain on the health care system. 
So... what would normally have been maybe a 15 minute drive to the nearest emergency room, took us almost an hour! I was in so much pain and had to clench my teeth to avoid screaming sometimes. 
The wait to see a doctor and getting x-rays was another few hours until finally I was wrapped up in some kind of a primitive gauze sling (not the one I have in the photo btw.) and sent on my merry way back to the boat - without any painkillers!!

My holiday was now over...it's a proximal humerus fracture on my left arm and will take at least 8-12 weeks to get better. 

Extra photos added later:  Snapshots from our visit to the Széchenyi Thermal Baths earlier in the day. Yes, the day was great in the beginning... *sigh*

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