Week 2 Adventures

It is pretty crazy to think that another week has gone by on my study abroad journey. This past weekend, I had the opportunity to travel to the unique and beautiful city of Amsterdam. My eyes thanked me for the sights that I was able to see, but my feet were not so happy after painting the town with my feet and walking over 25 miles. It was all worth it though because I got to experience so many new things. To start we ate lunch at a cute restaurant near the water, and then continued to take pictures of the architecture, canals, and flowers! 

This is one of my favorite pictures I took!

Later that day we walked around Albert Cuyp Market where I tried a fresh strawberry smoothie, as well as The Original Stroopwaffel (which might possibly be the most tasty treat that I have ever consumed in my life). After this we walked through the famous flower market where I was amazed by the vast amount of colors and floral arrangements.

We also found a peaceful park where the weeping willows surrounded the banks of the canals and provided some shade to sit in during the heat of the day. That night we went to a pub called Bar Bitterballen, where we tried an Amsterdam specialty, bitterballen. We ordered 5 different kinds of these meatball-like snacks and they were more than delicious. The next morning, we went to the A’dam lookout which is a place where you can go and see the entire city of Amsterdam. Being up so high in the sky with the breeze blowing really makes it feel like you are flying up there! After this, I got to walk through the Vincent Van Gogh museum where I received an insight of this artists life. It was incredible to see the progression of his dimmer breathtaking works to his more color pieces like Sunflowers and Almond Blossoms. This experience was chilling and definitely an excellent way to end my time in this city. On our way home, we seemed to encountered a small trial in the road of "my hero’s journey", for one of our trains got cancelled. Nevertheless, we made it home, and I was ready to start the next week of my journey.

Along with the adventures that I have had on my own time, the ones we had in class this week were just as thrilling. On Monday, we received a lecture on acoustics and how different materials and designs in theaters can influence sound which can in turn change the perception of the audience. We went back stage of the Koblenz opera house which truly made me appreciate how much work needs to be put in to successfully manage a performance. Our next stop was Cologne. When we first got off of the train, I was not expecting the magnitude in size and beauty of the cathedral as I walked out of the train station. With the gothic style and rich history, it was an honor to see such an influential place for pilgrimage in Europe.  

After our enormous lunch, where a groups of us shared a meat platter for 4, we received a tour of the town from the most energetic and fun tour guide. One of my favorite sights to see was a fountain called “Die Kölner Frauen im Wandel der Zeiten” which means Cologne women through the change of times and offers some empowerment to women.

To add to the influence of women over the ages, I enjoyed discussing Hildegard in class as well. Although women at the time had very little power, it was refreshing to hear that she held herself with extreme confidence and was able to make a huge impact in the scientific community with her insight and healing powers based on humoral medicine and various herbal remedies.