Blogs from Netherlands, Europe - page 343

So this is my third week of school, and I've been here now for 21 days. I'm starting to get used to a lot and also getting to know my housemates better. The conversations get longer and more in depth. Today Chiel, Arjan and I discussed driver's licenses. Man, we're so lucky in the states to get ours so early! Here in the Netherlands, you can't drive until your 18 and even so, most young people don't have their license (including my cousin Agatha) because it costs $2000.00 to go through driving school! There's so many strict rules and of course it is taught with a manual car. Here there are also different types of driver's licenses. You can't just drive any vehicle - you have to be certified for each kind: car with 8 or ... read more

Sooo... Amsterdam. Yup. Pretty much everything you've heard about Amsterdam is true. The sex, the drugs, the tulips, the windmills. We had an authentic taste of Amsterdam and sampled everything the city threw at us. First we checked into our decently nice hotel, had a yummy buffet dinner then headed downtown and took a canal cruise that included free drinks and cheese and crackers. We got a head start at being drunk and then those of us that wanted to go went to a live sex show. The first girl came out and started dancing and then she needed a volunteer and you know me, I always get picked when I raise my hand in theme parks and apparently it works in the red light district as well. So I go up, and let's just say ... read more

Yesterday during the day, Janne and I went to the Saturday market and looked around. Wonderful fresh fruits, veggies, seafood, etc etc. We split the costs for juicy nectarines- 20 for 2 euros! Later, I met up with Kristen and her friend to go swimming. The outdoor pool was closed for the season, so we went to the indoor pool and casually swam laps while chatting. It was a good way to get a bit more exercise in but also get to know them. I don't know if I have already talked about Kristen yet, but she's from Germany and studying Psychology here (70% of psych students here are german). She speaks great English because she spent a year as an au pair in Nashville, TN. I asked her why she chose...such a state and she ... read more

What could possibly be said about Amsterdam that has not been said before? Well, one thing which can be mentioned, on a purely personal note though, is that it currently stands as the only continental European city destination which I have been able to visit on a city break for a full weekend with no necessity for taking time off work either side of the weekend to enable me to do this. At just 9.20am on a Saturday morning, I was walking down the Damrak, and heading for the hotel which was situated somewhere in the labyrinth of the city's infamous Red Light District, but the vibes were good, the hospitality seemed welcoming, and best of all, I still had the entire weekend ahead of me. Walking around the backstreets, canals, and residential areas seemed to ... read more

We left the Clock Tower in Rockford in a downpour, taking the bus to O’Hare Airport. The trip took almost twice as long as expected due to the rain, but we still arrived in time to go through security and get on the plane to Philadelphia on the way to Amsterdam. When we left the ground in Philadelphia, tears came to my eyes - not really tears of sadness, but tears of realization of the big changes we are making. We flew US Airways for both legs of the trip; the overnight flight to Amsterdam included dinner, which was not good at all, and the plane was dirty. I found that I really couldn’t sleep on the plane well and ended up watching a movie, “Inside Job” with Denzel Washington and Jodie Foster. It was actually ... read more