posts in
netherlands
#jessabroad ~ Keukenhof and Amsterdam
June 13, 2016
Sunday morning, we woke up, grabbed some toast for breakfast, and made our way to the train station in Leiden to catch the bus to the Keukenhof. This is one of the world's largest flower gardens, and it's open every spring in the Netherlands. We planned to meet up with some of the other members of our German class and, conveniently, we all arrived at exactly the same time!
Together, the seven of us explored the gardens. Now, I've grown up with EPCOT and the Flower and Garden festival for pretty much my entire life, but honestly nothing can compare to the flowers at the Keukenhof.
Throughout the day, we wandered through the rows and rows of flowers, listened to concerts, and explored all the different areas of the garden. We also grabbed some ice cream, and sat around and enjoyed the atmosphere.
After we finished at the gardens, we headed into Amsterdam to explore the city before dinner. We ate at a restaurant called Bulls and Dogs, featuring specialty hot dogs and, best of all, sweet potato fries! Amsterdam was amazing, from the canals to the atmosphere of the city, and I'd love to spend more time there on another trip some day in the future.
We finished our dinner and headed to the Ice Bar. Our tickets included a drink in the regular bar and two drinks in cups of solid ice inside the actual cold bar. The best part--the whole bar was pirate themed, and as anyone who knows me knows, pirates are one of my favorite things ever. After, we parted ways until the next morning and headed back for our last night in Leiden
As an end to our first weekend in Europe and our weekend in the Netherlands, visiting Amsterdam was a great stop. From the quaintness of Leiden, to the beauty of the beach, to the diversity of Amsterdam, everything in the Netherlands was absolutely amazing.
#jessabroad ~ the departure + Leiden!
June 12, 2016
About a month ago, I was in the middle of studying for finals. Stressed, buried in piles and piles of notecards, and murdering more highlighters than I care to admit, I had another challenge: pack everything I need for a month of travel into one 55L backpack. After a semester of planning, late night runs to Taco Bell while debating which museums to visit, and lots and lots of Pinterest tabs, the time was finally here. A day after my last final, I packed up my car, checked out of my dorm, and headed to the airport!
I traveled with a friend and our flight took us through Dublin to Amsterdam. Our first weekend would be spent in Leiden, a college town outside of Amsterdam. We hopped off the plane, caught a train to Leiden, and dropped our bags off at our apartment, ready to explore Leiden. But of course, first things first, food! We biked to the grocery store (side note: biking is absolutely amazing and terrifying at the same time) and prepared to make dinner. After dinner, we headed into downtown Leiden to meet our friends at a local bar. After a few drinks, some nice conversation, and another bike ride, it was the end to our first night in Europe!
The next morning, after some Hagelslag (traditional Dutch breakfast, basically sprinkles on bread) for breakfast, we headed into Leiden to explore the market. The market consisted of tons of little booths lined up along the canals, selling everything from bike locks to strawberries to fresh flowers. This made me feel like I was truly part of the town, because we got to wander the streets, try different foods, and become completely lost in the culture.
Our main goal for the market was to pick up some snacks to take with us to the beach, so after some browsing, we decided on fresh Dutch strawberries, a tomato spread, some bread, and some incredibly salty taffy. We also picked up some gummy sharks from the candy stall, because they're my absolute favorite and I couldn't resist!
My favorite part of the market had to be the fresh Stroopwafel we tried. These are super thin waffles with a layer of caramel syrup in between, and they are an absolute addiction. They also come in pre-packaged bags, and the two bags I brought home as souvenirs barely made it a week past me being home.
Finished with our shopping, we met up with some friends of our host and began the five mile bike ride to the beach. The ride was beautiful, cycling through the Dutch countryside past farms and fields of flowers. Having the opportunity to bike was amazing, because it's such an integral part of Dutch life that it helped us feel like we were part of the lifestyle. For the rest of the day, we played frisbee, walked along the shore, and relaxed in the sun, munching on our snacks from the market and chatting about our expectations for the trip. Since the sun sets so late in the Netherlands, we ended up staying at Katwijk until around 9 pm, and got to watch the sun set over the North Sea. The view was incredible, and it was a great end to a great day!
After our five-mile ride back to Leiden, we grabbed a quick shower before getting ready to visit The Hague for a drink. We took the train, and walked around the Hague before finding a table to relax at after our long day. After a bit, we headed back to Leiden to get some much needed rest. Leiden was one of my favorite cities we visited throughout my month abroad. I loved the pace of the city, from the lifestyle to the food and everything in between, it was the perfect place to start our trip!
#jessabroad ~ an introduction
June 6, 2016
My summer has, so far, been an amazing whirlwind of adventures. This semester, I took part in a study abroad program with the Honors College at USF. The program was comprised of two parts; the first, a regular class during the spring semester, aimed at teaching us about the history of Germany and about current events in German society. The second, a three-week excursion to Germany, visiting Osnabrück, Weimar, Munster, Bremen, Dresden, and Berlin. Additionally, as part of the program, we were encouraged to travel beyond the length of our program, and our plans included backpacking through Munich, London, Amsterdam, and Paris.
So, as I have just returned stateside and to the world of the internet, stay tuned for the #jessabroad series of posts that will share my recent adventures and explorations in Europe!
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