Mijn Avonturen

A little over 1 month here in the Netherlands!!  During that one month, I have started practing my dutch language skills, mastered riding my bike with groceries on the back, and I have found the quickest ways around the cobblestone streets.  Time surely does fly when you are having fun!!!

Since my last post, I have been going to class (of course) and exploring The Netherlands and Germany. 

Here is a brief recap of the past three weekends:

September 9th, 10th, 11th

Aachen, Germany

After my Friday class, a group of friends and I took a quick hour train to Aachen, Germany where we explored the world famous spa baths, indulged in amazing German food, and took in some of the fun nightlife.  The spa reminded me a lot of Glenwood Hot Springs in Colorado, but fortunately the sulfur smell was nonexistent.  The weather was exceptional, so we got to take in the last bit of sun before the cold of autumn set in. 

A wonderful sunset welcomed us to Aachen, Germany.

German Bakery...So tempting!

We had read somewhere that the spot where Germany, Belgium, and The Netherlands intersect is near the town of Aachen, so we decided to make an adventure out of finding it!  The walk to the spot was a bit daring...everyone we asked on the street surprisingly asked us in return us, "You're WALKING there?!"  Since some of us had rolling suitcases and weren't feeling like walking aimlessly any more, we split up the travel group.  Me and 2 other friends walked through the German backwoods and after a nice hour of hiking, we stumbled upon the main attraction.  It was a lot like 4 corners in the United States:  tourists, awkward photos, and overpriced souvenirs, but a good time overall.  I was just so happy that we came upon the site while getting a nice nature hike in at the same time!

German cows don't understand our English.

3 countries at the same time!!

A little rain didn't upset me!  I was stoked to be in the forest!!

September 18th and 19th

Zandvoort, Netherlands

A rainy start and an uneasy weather forecast didn't stop 3 friends and I from heading up to Zandvoort, a beach town in Noord Holland (North Holland).  The typhoon that was predicted thankfully held off and the weather turned out to be quite pleasant!  I was very excited to see the ocean, as I always am!  The beach town looked a little sad since the season had just ended, but it was reassuring to see surfers still braving the cold waves. 

Holland's coast.

Just a little sea breeze!

Later that night, we went to the Bloomingdale Beach Club for their end of season party.  It gave me a feel of a real European club where the men and the women are dressed to the nines.  Once the night progressed, the music got better and everyone loosened up.  It was definitely an event I had to experience at least once while living in Europe to really get a taste of their social life. 

September 24th, 25th, and 26th.

Heidelberg, Germany

This past weekend, I truly realized how nice the European train system is and how amazing it is that I can be practically in Southern Germany and back in Maastricht in 4 hours.  I can't wait for the day when America adapts the rail system Europe has!  I took a weekend by myself to go visit a friend in Heidelberg, Germany.  After my train issue from Brussels to Maastricht (when I first arrived), I was ready to tackle the trains and give it another try.  This time, everything went exceptionally smooth and I didn't encounter any problems!  I even got to try a 'Frankfurter' sausage in Frankfurt, Germany!

Heidelberg is a gorgeous city!!  The town is nestled in a lush valley with the Neckar River running through and the Heidelberg Castle overlooking the entire city.   The castle was built around 1300 and was the residence of Prince Elector Ruprecht III.  Lightning has struck the castle countless times, causing fires and other damages to the structure, but still it looks so regal and powerful atop the hillside.

The Neckar River running under the bridge finished in 1788.

The Castle!  Clearly a lot of reconstruction going on to protect it!

Stunning sunset on the Neckar.

We went climbing, and this was the lookout at the bouldering spot.

It still baffles me that I have already been here 1 month! Traveling around to these amazing towns makes me realize how fortunate I am.   I still wake up in the mornings, finding it so hard to believe that I am a Dutch Resident, living and studying in the middle of Europe.  I've been here for one month, and I can already feel that Maastricht is my second home. 

Tot Ziens!  (See you soon!)

STUDYING abroad

School is in session!

The greatly anticipated start of my semester at Maastricht University has finally begun!  Maastricht University schedules it's classes in the block form, where I have 2 classes every 8 weeks.  The block schedule caters to students who are traveling because I only have class three days a week!!  I have 3 classes on Tuesday, 1 on Thursday, and 2 on Friday.  I have a three day weekend, and a nice break in the middle of the week.  This schedule may sound easier than class in the United States, but we got a firm lecture from the dean of the University saying that they take great pride in academics and that it should not be taken lightly. 

I am taking Dutch Language and Culture as well as a European History class.  It is very interesting to be in a classroom with students from around the world and to hear their opinions and thoughts on subjects.  Speaking of class and international students, my European History class is packed to the brim with 400 students.  Only one of that 400 is American.  And yes, it is me!  The majority of the students are from Germany, Holland (obviously), Australia, and other parts of Europe.  I love being in the international setting, and it is awesome for my major to get the experience.

The lecture halls here are tremendous.  Not just a crammed room with uncomfortable seats and annoying lighting.  Some are built into old churches and interesting old buildings, but the interiors are so modern.

One of my classroom buildings in town.

Now that school has started, there is a bike rush hour.  I read that there are more than 16 million bikes in the Netherlands, that means more than 1 bike per person.  It is always a challenge to find a good spot to park it and lock it up.  I am still mastering riding in the rain...I commented today that I could use some ski goggles.  I am still very interested to see how I will do riding in the snow and ice.

Enough about class already!  Our last weekend in Maastricht was fantastic.  Amazing weather gave us one last weekend with an overall relaxed feel.  Me and some girlfriends rode our bikes to a local park where we had heard about a very...'unique' piece of art.  As we bombarded the park in our matching cruisers, we approached the one of the oddest things I have ever seen. 

Artsy?

It is life size and looks like the cages for animals in the zoo, moat and everything.  In the middle, as you can see, is a dead giraffe and a girl crying over it.  As I took a closer look, there are other animals at the bottom of the moat all looking up at you.  It was very frightening, but also very touching to see such conviction in a piece of art.  I just wouldn't want to come across this at night. 

The herd.

Maastricht is becoming to feel more like home after being here for 3 weeks.  I have found a grocery store that has good food for fair prices and I am getting a feel for the University.  The only difficult part is riding into town to be at the university buildings.  I have to leave about twenty minutes before my class, unlike DU where we all leave with 5 or 10 minutes before class starts.  I will no longer complain about the 5 minute walk to a class again!  There are many differences I am noticing after living in the Netherlands for 3 weeks.  It may be annoying to pay for water, pay to use the bathrooms, and to bag your own groceries, but it is certainly an eye opening experience.  I'm sure I will adjust to some differences, but also notice new phenomenons. 

Godenavond!

The Travel Club

Home sweet home!  After 5 days of traveling throughout Belgium and France it is very nice to be back in Maastricht, but the experiences I had on our trip were irreplaceable. 

A surprisingly comfortable travel bus picked up my European Study Abroad group of 52 on Friday at 6:45 am and we swiftly crossed the border into Belgium.  Since we don't go through a physical border when we cross into Belgium, the only way to tell that we have entered a new country is to look at the license plates on the cars and listen to the languages.
Our first stop was the city of Brussels to visit the European Parliament.  The entire area around the EU office is so official looking and everyone seems like they are on an important task.  In our business casual dress, we shuffled around the big buildings and learned more about the European Parliament.  We got to spend some time in the EU Commission room where discussions are held with the commissioners as well as with the public.   It was very interesting to see the screens where the discussions are translated into all languages and projected for all to read.

Welcome to the European Union

Flags of every country in the European Union

A pleasant city tour gave us time to see the infamous statue, 'Mannekan Pis' and sample some authentic Belgian chocolate and Belgian Frites (fries).  The Grand Court of Belgium is so spectacular and encompasses the entire main square with towering buildings with incredible architecture.  The architecture of the buildings is like nothing I have ever seen and definitely adds to my list of favorite places in Europe.  Later on, we made our way to the epic Delirium Cafe...where they boast having over 2000 types of beer.  I indulged in a Floris Peach beer as well as a raspberry beer and a classic Delirium brew, but my favorite of the night was the peach beer.  So different than anything I have tasted before!  The bar was decorated in all the beer names and had a merry Belgian drinking vibe.  I will definitely be making my way back to Brussels soon, especially since it is only about 45 minutes away from Maastricht!

 

 

The Main Court.  Picture this covering the entire main square.

 

 

 

 

 

Cheeky Mannekan Pis.

 

 

Brussels!!

The infamous Delirium Cafe. 

Onward to Brugges Belgium!  On our way out of Brussels we passed the grand Atonium structure, which was built for the 1958 World Expo.  The rain began to pour as we walked around Brugges, but it added to the quaint feel of the small town.  On our city tour we passed a countless churches, hospitals, and enjoyed the mazes of canals that flow throughout the town.  Brugges definitely proved to us why it keeps the name 'Venice of the North'!  We also enjoyed a tour of a local brewery and got to see how Belgian beer has been made for over 100 years. 

The Atonium.

The canals are everywhere!

On our canal tour

Our reward for walking all day :)

On the roof of the brewery, overlooking the town.

Paris, Paris, Paris.
This city of love and lights never ceases to amaze me.  I was fortunate enough to have been to Paris once before with my mom and dad and this trip, I was able to see different parts of the city and of course, revisit my favorite sights!  The first day in France, we traveled out to the Chateau of Versailles.  The palace of King Louis XIV was originally built in the French countryside as a hunting lodge, but today the 2000 acre property is enjoyed by tourists like me!  I have never seen anything so large and so grand in my life.  The tour of the palace showed us countless grand rooms lined with gold, crystal, paintings, and tapestries.  I couldn't help but wonder how much more of the palace there was that the tourists never get to see...

The Hall of Mirrors

The Palace

We ventured outside into the Gardens of Versailles which were equally as grand as the palace.  There are roughly 230 acres of gardens on the chateau property and every inch is groomed to perfection.  We walked out far into the gardens to find a smaller palace where the Kings' mistresses would reside as well as Marie Antionettes fairytale home where she would escape the drama of the royals.  Walking through the gardens made me feel like royalty especially since the fountains were running and classical music was softly filling the hedges.   The Palace of Versailles is definitely one of the most grand structures in the world and still leaves me speechless when I think about it.

Molly, Jillian, and I enjoying the gardens.

There are many happy bees in these gardens.

There is something new around every corner in the gardens!

After a long day of walking in Versailles, we traveled back to the city where we got to see the Eiffel Tower from a unique perspective.  The Eiffel Tower seems to have something magic about it that never makes it seem redundant, no matter how many times you see it.  Our hotel was in a rough part of the city and we were all a bit nervous about using the metro late at night, so we decided to do something a little different.  Our Maastricht University tour guide brought us to the Sacre Coeur Basilica, also known as the Sacred Heart Church to enjoy a unique night overlooking the city.  The church is located high on a hill that overlooks the entire city and gives a great view of Notre Dame at night.  The steps in front of the church were filled with locals sipping on wine and beer, casually enjoying the night.  We bought some cheap wine (the 'cheap' wine in France is much better than what we are used to in the United States) and watched the city of lights come alive. 

The Travel Club

J'adore Paris

Sacre Coeur overlooking the city.

 

Paris Day 2!!  I began the day with a lovely, but brisk walk through the Lourve.  I really enjoyed the museum for the first time, but I prefer to really take the time to appreciate a piece of art, and with all the people ushered into the Lourve, it is difficult to spend more than a minute at the work.  On the other hand, I can now proudly say that I have seen the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, and the Tomb of Ramses III.  I got a little lost trying to find Vermeer's piece 'The Lace Maker', but had an overall breezy tour of the largest museum in the world.  Midday, I ventured along the Seine toward The Pompidou, Paris's modern art museum.  The most interesting part of this museum, is that it is constructed in an exoskeleton form, where the piping and structure of the building is on the outside.  Being the Dutch residents that we are, we got in free to the museum, and enjoyed the view from the top.  A few metro stops later, and I found myself in the Gardens of Luxembourg.  They were very beautiful and had a true Parisian elegance to them.  To end my last day in Paris, we went on a boat tour of the Seine River at night.  It was exceptional to see the Eiffel Tower at night and to view the sights of the city from a different perspective.  At ten o'clock exactly, our faces light up with the epic light show upon the Eiffel Tower...a fabulous end to a day in Paris.

An attempted self portrait at the Lourve.

The unique Pomidou Modern Art Museum.

Resting our feet in the Gardens of Luxembourg.

Ten O'clock.  Sharp.

A stunning view of Paris.  Notice the Eiffel Tower in the distance!

Notre Dame from the Seine.

If I can handle the DU light rail, I can handle the Paris Metro.

An early morning bus ride brought us to the town of Reims, France, the champagne region of the world.  Here, we took a tour of the Pommery Champagne house and I learned that no where else in the world can boast the name Champagne, unless it is in the Reims region.  If the drink is made somewhere else, it should be called 'sparkling wine'.  At 10:30 am, we were welcomed to the town with a bubbly toast of Pommery Champagne.  In the center of town, we looked around the Notre Dame Cathedral of Reims, which is extremely grand and equally as breathtaking as the Cathedral in Paris.  The stained glass was glistening as the sun streamed through the tall windows, and I was able to enjoy the church without all of the tourists. 

Backside of the Notre Dame Cathedral, Reims.

Simply breathtaking.

I love that there are no tourists in this church!

My study trip came to a quick end, but I am glad to be back in Maastricht.  I have been exploring more on my bike and becoming more familiar with the local customs.  I start class on Tuesday and am so anxious to see what classes will be like in the Netherlands!  Wish me luck on my first day of class!!