Week three of my stay in Ireland has begun and we are coming across a few obstacles already. The students scuffled through classes during the week and then a few of us booked a trip to Belgium and Amsterdam. The excitement started to rush through me once we boarded our plane to enter Brussels, Belgium. This was our first time really being out on our own and it felt exhilarating! When we initially arrived in Brussels, I had found directions from the station to our hostel so I assumed we would have no trouble and would be able to see some interesting places on our journey there. However, this proved to be extremely difficult. We first realized our directions weren’t correct and had to ask some locals for help. During this trip, the language barrier become a problem. The two main languages in this area are Dutch and French. We ran across a few people who spoke a little English and did manage to find our way around, it just simply took a little bit longer than expected. I advise others to use information desks at airports, bus stops, etc. and to ask people at businesses such as restaurants or stores. This will give you a better chance of finding someone who speaks English and by all means, find yourself a map! During our first night in Brussels, we entered the last restaurant that still had their grill open and ended up meeting some pretty great people. The bartender and the waiter spoke great English and it turns out, our waiter who was originally from France, went to college at UNL as a graduate student to help a professor teach French. What a small world we live in?! We ended up hanging out with them all night and they gave us a little guide of the places to go in Brussels.
The next day we had to take a bus from Brussels to Amsterdam. The bus ride was supposed to be 2-3 hours but ended being four because of a rowdy London bunch. Eventually we arrived at our destination, a hostel in Amsterdam, set up much like a college dorm. The crowd was within our age group and the hostel had a bar and club below for guests. After a long day of traveling, we decided to stay in and enjoy the amenities at the hostel bar. The next day we scoured Amsterdam to find the Anne Frank House. We ended up waiting in line for two hours; however, I didn’t mind much because we spent the whole time chatting. This experience was very interesting. The Annex that the family stayed in was much larger than I had originally thought that it would be. It is odd to think that Anne Frank and her family were found in hiding in only 1944, which is really not that long ago! It is also haunting to realize that you are walking the same halls and rooms that these people once lived in fear in. After the Anne Frank exhibit, we ate lunch and walked throughout the city. It was also Valentine’s Day so the city was filled with couples strolling hand-in-hand and love locks along the fences. I’m not sure if was because of the holiday, but the city was quite romantic and charming. As far as beauty goes, Amsterdam has been the most beautiful city so far!
A challenge is a perfect way for me to describe this trip to everyone, although we were all exhausted at the end of it, we all gained a little more insight into what traveling Europe can entail. Now, we are even better equipped for our next adventure and I say, bring it on!
*Below-Pictures from the streets of Amsterdam
The next day we had to take a bus from Brussels to Amsterdam. The bus ride was supposed to be 2-3 hours but ended being four because of a rowdy London bunch. Eventually we arrived at our destination, a hostel in Amsterdam, set up much like a college dorm. The crowd was within our age group and the hostel had a bar and club below for guests. After a long day of traveling, we decided to stay in and enjoy the amenities at the hostel bar. The next day we scoured Amsterdam to find the Anne Frank House. We ended up waiting in line for two hours; however, I didn’t mind much because we spent the whole time chatting. This experience was very interesting. The Annex that the family stayed in was much larger than I had originally thought that it would be. It is odd to think that Anne Frank and her family were found in hiding in only 1944, which is really not that long ago! It is also haunting to realize that you are walking the same halls and rooms that these people once lived in fear in. After the Anne Frank exhibit, we ate lunch and walked throughout the city. It was also Valentine’s Day so the city was filled with couples strolling hand-in-hand and love locks along the fences. I’m not sure if was because of the holiday, but the city was quite romantic and charming. As far as beauty goes, Amsterdam has been the most beautiful city so far!
A challenge is a perfect way for me to describe this trip to everyone, although we were all exhausted at the end of it, we all gained a little more insight into what traveling Europe can entail. Now, we are even better equipped for our next adventure and I say, bring it on!
*Below-Pictures from the streets of Amsterdam