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| Dam Square, Amsterdam. |
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| Cruising through Amsterdam's famous canals. |
I just got back from two magnificent weeks in The Netherlands and Belgium! One great thing about graduate school is the travel it has afforded me - I won an award that covered my flight, conference registration, and accommodations for an International Conference right in the heart of Amsterdam (and of course, extended my trip to explore the surrounding area). The conference was great! Our conference was at the beautiful Beurs Van Berlage center, which was only a 5 minute walk from Amsterdam's Central train station. The center was very accommodating. I think my favorite part was the unlimited espresso throughout the day, and Heineken on tap in the evenings! I also got to meet some international colleagues for the first time, present my research (exploring how monitoring memory can improve memory performance), and discuss ongoing projects with collaborators.
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Presenting my research at the International
Meeting of the Psychonomic Society. |
A few of my colleagues from Kent State also attended, and we rented a small apartment outside of the city. Unfortunately, I came down with a pretty bad cold from the long flight, which meant I couldn't do much exploring with them. Instead, I stuck close to the apartment and explored the neighborhood, which was full of small canals, greenery, and TONS of bicyclists! It ended up being a great way to get a feel for the local culture while I recovered and prepared for the upcoming adventures.
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| Duivendrecht |
Following the conference, I had some time to explore Amsterdam and act like a true tourist! My roommate and I went to the Rijksmuseum to see paintings and beautiful architecture of the the area. We also did a canal cruise (one of three I did while I was there - I definitely enjoyed spending time on the water), wandered through the Red Light District ("De Wallen"), and learned how they make Genever at House of Bols.
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Poffertjes - buttery Dutch mini pancakes.
Delicious! |
Once my colleagues left, I had a couple days on my own to learn more about the local history. I went to the Anne Frank Huis, which was really moving and well worth the visit. Pictures are still hanging on the walls of her room, and you can still hear the church bell that they used to tell time from the Secret Annex. I also visited a hidden church called "Our Lord in the Attic," build in 1663 when Catholics lost their right to worship openly.
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Interior of the house church
Ons' Lieve Heer op Solder |
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| An example of the beautiful architecture in Brussels. |
I then took the train down to Brussels (a beautiful ride through the countryside), where I stayed in an AirBnB 2 minutes from the Grand Palace or "Grote Markt," a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I really enjoyed my time in Belgium. I didn't have a set plan, and ended up just wandering around. There was plenty to see, and the architecture was really stunning. Plus, they had the BEST waffles, fries, and beer (and I'm not even a big beer drinker). And because I was near the main touristy area, I saw lots of fun street performances and watched the gay pride parade.
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| I ate (and drank) well in Brussels! |
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The building on the left contains the Brussels City Museum,
which was a great introduction to the area. |
On my second day in Brussels, I walked to the "Atomium", constructed for the 1958 Brussels World's Fair. The 5 mile walk included quite a few gardens and a stroll passed the E.U. building. I was pretty hungry once I arrived, and ended up eating a very fancy lunch inside at the very top (where the Belgium flag is!)
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| The Atomium represents an iron crystal magnified 165 billion times! |
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| View from the top! Below is a park called MiniEurope. |
My AirBnB host in Brussels was a sweet lady who fled Mexico after the government threatened her family. We had some intense discussions about politics in her home country. She also offered me a discounted train ticket to Bruges, so I took a spontaneous trip there. It was a nice way to spend a rainy morning.
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| Bruges |
For the last few days of my visit, I returned to Amsterdam to meet up with Lorena from Switzerland! We had a great time catching up and wandering the city together.
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Watching Switzerland compete in the Ice Hockey World Championships.
They lost to Sweden, but a great game to watch! |
Overall, what a great vacation! Although I have to admit, I am not a huge city person. One thing I realized on my travels was how much I missed nature, so I will keep that in mind for the future. The highlight of this trip was definitely meeting some wonderful people through AirBnB. My hosts were from all over the world (Mexico, Turkey, Finland, etc.) and were very welcoming. They turned me on to some hidden gems "off the beaten path" (such as
Vondelpark) and provided some enlightening conversations!
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| One of my AirBnB rooms, overlooking the canals of Amsterdam. |
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These two lovely humans cooked homemade vegetarian lasagna
as we watched the Royal Wedding! |
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