Energy!

This week flew by and I am not completely sure why it went so fast. Maybe it was the anticipation for Saturday night's expedition to Energy-The Network in Utrecht. On Tuesday, Kelly, Stefan and I attempted to make our own Dutch pancakes (from a mix), but the results were not nearly as good as in the restaurants. We determined we needed a pan that had lower sides in order to make flipping the pancakes easier. We also probably put too much mix into the pan at one time. On Thursday our Dutch teacher arranged for our class to get guided tours at the Rijksmuseum. While the historical context of the art was interesting, the art itself didn't do much for me. Thursday night Kelly, Danielle and I tried to find a shop we had come by a few weeks ago where they sold freshly made Stroopwafels. Unfortunately, after wandering around the windy streets in the Red Light District for an hour or so we gave up.

Friday night we took it easy in oder to save our energy for Energy. We again headed out to hunt for fresh Stroopwafel and this time were successful. While the fresh Stroopwafels are nice and warm, I must say I prefer the packaged ones in the store because of the chewiness and even distribution of caramel. We got a few scoops of amazingly delicious gelatto to wash down our Stroopwafels at the same store before calling it a night. I plan to go back as they have an amazing array of chocolate concoctions. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring my camera.

 Kelly and I spent Saturday preparing for Energy, which mainly meant going shopping for glowsticks (a must have at this type of event) and lounging around our rooms. In the evening we carbed up on a delicious pasta dinner before meeting up with the other 20 or so people from our program who were going as well.

Before I go any further I should probably explain what exactly Energy-The Network is, which it not very easy to do. It is part concert, and part festival. This particular event featured some of the most well-respected techno DJ's of our time; including Tiesto, Wolfgang Gartner, and Tacodisco, among others. 30,000 people from around the world, yes you read that right, 30,000 people under one roof, came together to celebrate friendship, love, and happiness through music and dance. It is truly an amazingly incredible experience that is difficult to put in words, but I will try.

After meeting up with our fellow friends we headed to the train station to catch a train to Utrecht. Upon arriving in Utrecht we joined the hoards headed to the convention center where the event was held. Surprisingly it was quick and easy to get a locker and get through security. Once inside, the party started.   This kind of event is very different than your standard rockshow. Alcohol was being served, but nobody seemed belligerent and almost everyone seemed to be having an amazing time.

There was also a very strong sense of unity and friendliness. Yes, there were 30,000 people doing their own thing, but we were still all connected by the DJ's beats and rhythms. I never really understood why people like this particular style of music, but now experiencing it (and yes experiencing it really is the only way to describe it, as all of your senses are heightened and in tune with what is going on)  in the environment it was designed to be experienced in, I understand. You could talk to the stranger next to you as if they were your friend, or bump into somebody and instead of getting an angry glare you would get a smile and a "Sorry". I have never been in an atmosphere quite like it, and I will certainly never forget it.  It reminded me that as much hate as there may be in this world, there are still lots of genuinely nice people out there. Didn't get as many pictures as I would have liked since I got too caught up in the festivities, but some are below.

Here a couple short videos as well. Sound quality is terrible, but it might give a better sense of the atmosphere.

When the event ended at 7am, it was as if a magic bubble had been burst. No one really talked to each other as we dragged our tired, sweat drenched bodies back to the train station. The relative silence was almost overwhelming. All that could be heard was the crunch and popping of thousands of people stepping on empty cups and bottles as we made our way out of the building.

Walking outside into the rising sun with the slightest amount of frozen condensation falling to the ground was very surreal. Once we left the area immediately surrounding the convention center the frozen condensation stopped, which leads me to think it was the result of all the humidity that had been trapped in the building being released into the air. It was a night that I will NEVER forget and something I hope to experience again at some point in the future.