And they said we couldn't do it...

Going to school in the Netherlands is so much different than going to classes at Loyola. The hardest thing I’ll have to get used to is not calling my teachers Professor. I wrote one of my teachers an email with a greeting as ‘Hi Professor’ and he wrote back ‘thanks for the promotion’. It was a little embarrassing! Another huge difference is taking the metro to school. I have to leave at least 45 minuets before my classes start to give myself enough time to get to school. It reminds me of when I had to drive 30 minuets everyday to school back when I was in high school.

Mara and I munching on the fries

But on a more adventurous note, Friday afternoon Jaclyn, Mara, Victoria, and I got on our second-hand kid bikes and started our bike trip through Holland to the north country side to see the windmills. From Central Station the route was around 30 miles there and back. Earlier, the bike storeowner told us we wouldn’t make it, and when we asked the information desk at Central Station what ferry to get on they said we couldn’t get there. But we were determined. So we hopped on the first ferry we saw, bikes included, and 1 minuet later we were on the other side of the harbor. From there we pulled out our map and started pedaling towards Zaanstad. Not even 10 minuets in, we passed a market and of course had to check it out. In the market there was a snack stand and I decided to try the famous European French fries (without mayonnaise), and I have to say they were delicious!

After our snack we hit the road, well bike path and the ride there was well worth it. At times we were a little confused were to go, but after riding through cute neighborhoods, next to highways, and through the straight up country side we made it! Here are a few photos I took on the way there:

Oh hey guys!

We got a little lost...

Breathtaking view

The Dutch windmills were incredible. There was one after another overlooking the water and built around them was a reconstruction of a Dutch village. The houses, which actual people live in today, were charming and in-between beautiful streams. I couldn’t have been happier that day. And the locals said we couldn’t do it! HA! As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, so see for yourself!

The windmills overlooking the water

Wooden clogs from the wood shop

The trip wouldn't have been complete without a tourist shot

Me, Victoria, Mara, and Jaclyn...we made it! 

On Saturday Jaclyn, Victoria, and I made our way into the city for some shopping and exploring the markets. There was no way we were biking there because of how sore our butts were, so we took the tram! The markets were awesome; I even gave in and bought a beautiful embroidered skirt. I still can’t believe I’m actually LIVING in Amsterdam, it still feels so surreal.