Cabin Fever

Felt like I should post again, but nothing too exciting has been happening. With exams this week, we've been studying through the whole weekend and missed getting out.

At least on Saturday we went out to a cafe near my apartment for  about an hour for coffee and desert (mmmm poached figs are delicious).

Definitely looking forward to getting out this upcoming weekend!!

Making Juice!

So there is fresh orange juice offered all over Amsterdam (on the street, in cafes and in markets) and it's delicious. So when Justin and I stopped by an appliance store and I saw a juicer for 10 euros, I went for it.

Here is the juicer. It has a motor, so the top spins when you press down on it.

Juicer + orange = . . .

Fresh orange juice!!

Den Hague

Den Hague (The Hague) is a short train ride outside of Amsterdam and the seat of government for the Netherlands. There is a old city square near the Mauritishuis (Royal picture gallery open to the public) where the senate meets and there are rather nice old buildings.

Justin and I went to Den Hague first to meet a friend for dinner where we first discovered the square. Justin went back for a class trip and took the photos.

Entrance to the square.

Coat of Arms.

Fountain under the coat of arms.

Alkmaar Cheese Market

Today I (Justin was in class so couldn't come) went to the Alkmaar cheese market with some people from my program. At the market, cheese is brought out to be tested for moisture and flavor, then carried by men in traditional dress on sleighs.

Unfortunately I never got a photo of them running with the cheese, but how they do it is there is one man in the front and the other in the back with straps on their shoulders holding the sleigh up.

After being tested, the cheese is ran by sleigh over to carts which are then brought to trucks where all the cheese is packed.

There are much smaller wheels of cheese sold off to the side in the market. Some of it is herbed, and some with cumin, garlic, and even walnuts. All of it is quite good and reasonably priced.

There is a cheese museum (which I did not visit) in a lovely old building with nice clock chimes and (supposedly) figurines that come out of the hour.

We also had Dutch Appletaart and a coffee (much stronger here than in the States) on a balcony overlooking a canal for 3 euros. Very good and very cheap. I recommend checking out Department store cafes in Europe if you're looking for good food for very reasonable prices.

European Living

Welcome to my new, nice, but very small studio. I have two big windows that open, however, and I can look out over my neighborhood.

Europeans call restrooms 'water closets' and I think I know why. My bathroom is literally closet-sized (around the corner in the above photo).

All in all, though, the place is very nice and cozy with a few personal touches here and there. Being so close to the train station and in walking distance from grocery stores, I'll be living very efficiently this semester and get plenty of exercise and fresh air.

 

Some of my favorite Dutch grocery selections thus far include ready-made and packaged toast (which tastes pretty good with some jam) and paprika flavored everything, including chips. 

They're actually pretty good. In fact, most of the food I've had thus far here has been pretty tasty, including the shrimp and roast beef salad.

Moved in!

Even though we arrived on Saturday, I just moved into my little studio apartment just outside the city center and just got consistent access to the internet.

Saturday and Sunday Justin and I explored the center of the city - what a beautiful place! We attempted to visit the van Gogh museum and passed by the Anne Frank House and Rijksmuseum, all had very long lines so we'll try again not over the weekend.

Sunday Justin and I ate breakfast at a really nice cafe (it's called Nielsen if you're every visiting, I recommend it!) in the city and chatted with a Dutch couple who ended up buying us a slice of Dutch Appletaart (delicious!). We also went to the famous "I amsterdam" letters in a public square where two very talented gentlemen played a rendition of a Bach piece on two accordians.

I also quite enjoyed seeing this game of chess in the square.

Anyways, we're working on settling into our classes, etc. at the moment. We're hoping to do so more serious exploring this weekend and then start traveling to other cities on the weekend.

I'll write more soon!