Castle de Haar/Utrecht

Last night Kelly, Danielle (Kelly's roommate), Stefan, and I explored the area around Centraal Station (including the red light district). We stopped by a couple bars, but discovered everything was much pricier downtown. It seems the farther from Centraal you get, the cheaper food and drink gets. At one point we noticed a serious cluster of about 50 swans and at least 75 ducks in a 100 foot stretch of canal. It wasn't very clear why they were all clustered in such a small area. No one seemed to be feeding them, and they kind of just swam around aimlessly in circles. On the walk back to our rooms (buses and trams stop running at midnight even on weekends) we had our first pommfrites with fritsaus, which is essentially french fries with a mayonnaise type dipping sauce. It is a very popular Dutch snack. It is quite good and a great late night snack!

Today we took a bus to the outskirts of Amsterdam and visited a fairly modern castle, Castle de Haar (pictured below).

 It was originally built in the 15th century, but has been destroyed, rebuilt, and renovated many times over the centuries. They are just finishing the most recent renovation which was started 10 years ago. It was one of the first castles in the Netherlands to have electricity and a central steam heating (installed in the 18th century). Its most recent incarnation was designed by the same architect who designed Centraal Station in Amsterdam.

After a brief tour of the castle we headed to Utrecht, one of the Netherlands largest cities, where we got a  Dutch pancake lunch. Dutch pancakes are delicious and huge! They are somewhere between American pancakes and crepes. They are thicker than crepes, but very rich and eggy like crepes. Traditionally they are made with either cheese, bacon, or apples baked into the pancake and eaten with powdered sugar and a delicious syrup that tastes like a mixture of maple syrup and molasses. I got the cheese, which was delicious, but the apple ones also looked very good.

After our pancakes we had sometime to explore the downtown area. One unique thing about Utrecht is it's canal system which is slightly different from most Dutch cities. In most cities the canals are a few feet below the street level. In Utrecht the residents built piers and warfs along the canal at the level of the canal to make unloading goods easier. On top of these piers and wharfs they built warehouses, and on top of the warehouses are the main streets. Many of the old warehouses have now been turned into cafes and restaurants. This creates a very pleasant two tiered walking area along the canal. Kelly and I plan to go back in the spring when there are boats that go through the canals with live musicians and singers serenading the guests at the restaurants and cafes along the canal.

Hello from Amsterdam!

Where to begin....

After meeting Kelly at the Philadelphia Airport, we said goodbye to family and headed to our flight. In the process of checking our bags, we met another guy and his friend who are in the same program as us. It turned out there were more than a half dozen IES participants on our flight.

After a smooth 8 hour, overnight flight we descended into Amsterdam over canals, quaint towns, windmills, and acre upon acre of fields waiting for Spring to arrive.

We found our pre-arranged taxi service and were dropped off at our new home for the next five months, Fuenen Park. (pictured below, photo not taken by me).

While the building is cool, the rooms are nothing special. Two cots that look like they belong in a hospital, white stucco walls, a bathroom, two tables/desks, a couple chairs, and a kitchenette with a sink, mini-fridge, cupboards, and stove top (no oven unfortunately). Thankfully there were some pots, pans, cups, and utensils that were left by the last residents. Below is the view from Stefan's (my roommate) and  my room. The windmill is apparently now a brewery. Definitely planning on checking it out!

We are conveniently about 10 minutes from Centraal Amsterdam via bus, bike, or tram.

After settling in we were given a brief walking tour of our immediate surroundings, then set loose to pick up some basic groceries and necessities. In the evening we regrouped and had our first orientation meeting at the IES headquarters which was followed by a hearty Dutch dinner consisting of various salads, mashed potatoes mixed with vegetables and salmon, and some kind of sausage. It was quite good. After dinner, we headed back to our building and went out to explore our immediate surroundings which included stopping in at a local bar for a couple delicious, but relatively cheap beers. After having been awake for almost 48 hours straight, we decided to call it a night and hit the beds.

On Thursday we had two more orientation sessions, Health and Safety and Practical info, followed by lunch. We were then set loose to get cellphones and bikes. I will post a picture of mine as soon as I get a chance to take a picture of it. Currently my camera is out of batteries and my charger is MIA.

For dinner Kelly, Stefan and myself got dinner at a lovely little restaurant about a 5 minute walk away called Langendijk. Kelly ordered a beer that was described on the menue as "sexy girly beer from red fruit" (pictured below). It was actually quite delicious.

Walking or biking around Amsterdam is no joke. It will take a bit to get used to having to look both ways three times while crossing a street. Once to make sure you aren't about to get nailed by a bike, once across the bike lane (s), a second time to make sure you won't get squashed by a tram, and a third time to make sure no cars are going to plow you over. Biking actually isn't too bad. While there are the occasional maniac bikers, it seems most people on bikes aren't in a huge rush which makes navigating the city a little easier.

Today we had two more orientation meetings followed by a boat tour of the city. Here is some information about the Netherlands and Amsterdam for those of you who aren't very familiar with the country and city:

- The Netherlands is roughly the size of one and a half New Jerseys
- 26% of the land is reclaimed from the sea or lakes
- 18% of the whole area of the country is made up of water
- The city is composed of 90 islands
- There are over 60 miles of canals running through the city

After the boat tour, we did some more shopping for basic things and afterward came back to cook our first meal in our apartments. Now to go explore City Centraal!

Departure

Today I leave for my grand adventure abroad! I will use this blog to keep those who want to know informed of my adventures and travels, as well as a place to jot down my experiences, comments, and opinions. See everyone in a few months!