Our Final Day: Amsterdam

June 13 2017

Our Final day:

To truly begin my own experience on our final day in Amsterdam, we have to start early, around 12am to be precise. Whilst most peoples days begin with a beautiful golden ray of light showering on their face, or even the sweet aroma of your mothers homemade pancakes, flooding the room (and surrounding areas) with sweetness and delight. Mine began with an unhealthy amount of Jaffa cakes, pizza, and a Whoopi Goldberg movie from the 80s. Dubbed in the easy to understand Dutch language, and all the while I was laying in a pile of crumbs, chocolate, and a healthy amount of self loathing. Despite all these wonderful things at around 12:30am, of one of the most wonderful mornings of my life I decided to give in to sleeps wonderful clutches. The same morning at 6:30am I awoke to the sound of my alarm buzzing into the depths of my ear canal. After about five minutes of the most intense test of will I have ever experienced, I mustered the courage, got up, and turned it off, and went back to sleep. At which point the alarm of my roommate went off and I walked to the bathroom, to proceed with doing what most normal people do with acquiesce on a typical morning at around 6:35. At 7 in the morning I made my way down to the hotel eating area and ate a wonderful breakfast of bread and ham, as I sat there munching on my sandwich I thought "perhaps this is why I never heard about famous Dutch breakfast food prior to my  travels" An interesting thought indeed. After my breakfast bread and ham we all filed on to the bus for another delightful drive around the city of Amsterdam. Our destination; the docks for another tour, but this time on a boat (It should be made clear that the last portion of that sentence should be said in the tone of someone who's really really trying to sell the experience) The boat tour itself wasn't bad, as in truth everyone was either, listening to music or asleep, and in some cases both at the same time. It was really quite impressive - That being when I myself wasn't asleep- Afterwords we went to yet another national museum although, the artifacts were varying and at times quite interesting, I found myself too infatuated with the fun museum tasks that Phoebe had created for us. So whilst everyone was admiring a beautiful piece of Flemish art I was running around like a madman looking for a statue that mildly resembled me. That isn't even to mention the lovely interactions I had with the local children, who I believe were trying to interact with us by use of hand signals, shame that the only signals they New was the middle finger and gang signs, but I suppose any interaction with locals is good interaction. Promptly afterwords, we were treated to a lovely 10 minute lunch free for all in a local grocery shop. This little experience consisted of several happy campers distraught about the fact that this Grocery chain didn't accept Visa or MasterCard, myself and all the confused local Dutch people were delighted to watch the chaos that ensued. However it wasn't entirely good for me as my final 5 euros bought a delicious local dish, that I believe is called "Two soggy frozen hot dogs" We all got to enjoy our local delicacies in a nice park. To continue, after my delicious local meal we ventured to the Van Gogh museum. I'm sure it was lovely, the reason I say that was because I was much too focused on writing this little epic of mine. After the Van Gogh museum we hopped back on the bus, and it became immediately clear to me; the youth of today might seriously have an addiction to phones, as despite being in a city of extremely impressive architecture and beautiful canal ways with a myriad of boats and people, despite that, I was still writing on my phone. After this short bus ride we had dinner in an Australian place, and what we had to actually eat. Was Curry (I know it shocked me too) strangely though, this Australian curry -Did I mention we were in the Netherlands- Was not spicy, and was actually quite sweet. After this initial shock I ate all of it in about 2 mins, one reason being out of all the Dutch food we had this wasn't the worst in my opinion. Another reason was that they had really good music and I wished to finish my food before the end of "Don't Stop Me Now" By Queen to ensure I can have maximum jam time with the song, obviously my priorities were in order. After our pretty good sweet curry we ventured to a little street to spend a little less than an hour milling about looking for something to waste our parents money on. Before we were set free one of our chaperones told us not to cross the road at the end of the street, due to the fact that it was dangerous, I however assumed it was because the red light district was just over the road (It was not). Upon walking around it became apparent the only thing open were just shops that sold souvenirs. To continue after we left the area we headed back to the hotel, whilst sitting upon my bed I lay thinking. Not about the strange people and strange things that I saw, but I thought about my experience overall the journey I took with my friends to Europe. How I got to show them where I was

From, my country, and my home. Even places I'd never been before. Despite the rough times when we were just sick of each other, and tired of walking around, at the end of the day it was worth it, and I wouldn't trade the memories made with my friends for the world.

-Cameron 

A Day of Dutch Tradition

Today the group ventured outside of Amsterdam, heading north to see Dutch culture preserved in Volendam and Zaanse Schans.  We met numerous people making clogs, cheese, and woodwork in the same methods of the 17th century Dutch Golden Age (using windmills!).  Here are a few photo highlights of our day.

Today, our group woke up at 7:00, ready for a second day in Amsterdam. Personally, I enjoyed a hearty breakfast of some cereal, a couple ham and cheese sandwiches, and some glasses of juice. Feeling refreshed after such a “normal” breakfast after our past couple experiences of waking up to some slightly mushy Scottish Haggis, we started our coach ride to Zaanse Schans, a traditional Dutch fishing village with preserved 18th century life. When we arrived, we were amazed by an astonishing live performance of a carpenter carving out a brand new pair of Clogs (traditional Dutch wooden shoes) within minutes. After this, we eagerly explored the village, excitedly observing the multitudes of farm animals casually grazing the grass while staring in awe at the massive wooden windmills that were so common in this village. To finish off our excursion of the village, we visited the inside of a different carpenter’s windmill, learning about the intricacies in the design and functions of the mill, and understanding how life for traditional villagers in the 18th century really was. Next, we visited the Volendam museum, a recollective imitation of the traditional life within the small rural borough of peasant-fisherman in Volendam. There, we were exposed to many models of life within the households of traditional Dutch fishermen, artists, and merchants. The ending exhibit was a quite breathtaking collection of mosaics composed entirely of 11 million cigar bands, as at the time, smoking was something the prosperous Dutch would have eagerly partaken in. Next, we grabbed lunch in a dockside village, and I tried out some smoked eel along with a classic dish of fish and chips, which I ate near a beach with a view of the seemingly endless blue of the North Sea. After our brief break, we started our coach ride to meet a genuine Dutch cheese farmer on his farm. There, we learned about the secrets of making true Dutch cheese and were even able to taste some of his finest homemade cheeses. A thoroughly comedic and intelligent man, he walked us through the entire process of making cheese and how he keeps them fresh for so long while speaking and joking in 7 different languages! After this, we ended with a dinner that included some very delicious ice cream, and concluded our day with a brief stroll through the park and massive games of ‘capture the flag’ and ‘sharks and minnows’, leaving us utterly exhausted yet unquestionably excited for our next and final day of our euro trip.

Yours truly, Alex Guo

After an exhausting day yesterday, the majority of us slept through our alarms but nonetheless we woke up to eat breakfast. We headed out on the coach bus to go to the town Zaanse Schans. As we looked out the windows we saw windmills and 17th-18th century looking houses and buildings. Once the coach had dropped us off in the town, we made our way to the clog museum where we learned some history on clogs and got to experience clog making. We continued our journey in the small town on Zaanse Schans, visiting cheese making shops, cacao labs, and multiple windmills. Visiting a windmill that powered a saw to cut tree trunks and making them into useful beams in construction was absolutely shocking and educational. We bid goodbye to this historical town and headed off to Volendam, a small town North Sea. Given free time in this town, we got to visit shops, go to museums, and eat the wonderful selection of seafood. We hopped onto the coach bus and headed to a farm run by a crazy farmer. Although the farmer was a bit wacko, he showed us how his family makes cheese and clogs. After tasting samples of the cheese, we all bought a cheese wheel (or two) to share with our families. As we said our goodbyes to the stinky cows, we headed back into busy Amsterdam. We stopped at Mama's to eat nachos and went for a stroll afterwards. We spent our free time playing games in a park, such as Chain tag and Capture the flag. Afterwards, we made our way back to the hotel to get a goodnights sleep.

- Kim

We've Arrived in Amsterdam!

"I woke up at 3:15 AM today to catch the flight from London Heathrow to Amsterdam. To me, getting to the airport at 5 AM for an 8:30 flight is ludicrous, but it's something that my mother's gotten me used to by now. At least I got to watch the sun rise from behind our coach. The flight was only an hour, and so we got in to Amsterdam, waited a bit, and then met our coach to drive us to our first stop for the day, lunch on the canal. 

Walking around the cities we've visited so far, one gets the sense that they are living in history. When you walk into Westminster Abbey, or Edinburgh Castle, or York Minster, you suddenly are within history. You feel as though you are not only a witness to the marvels that you're seeing; you're a part of them. Walking through the Anne Frank House today was another one of these experiences; it let you get close to the subject, to feel how they felt, to live how they lived. You were a part of history. I love these kinds of things; I love being absolutely immersed in the history of this place or another, just taking it all in. And I think this speaks to a very archaic but popular view of why exactly history is; specifically, one that shows history as an unchanging Thing, which we can only read about but never truly experience. And before taking AP Euro this year, some part of me shared that view of history as something to be read, but not experienced. But Amsterdam, and Edinburgh, and York, and London, are all really something to take in yourself."

- Braeden

Sunday, June 11
Today, everybody woke up at around 3:30 AM for an early flight from London to Amsterdam with hotel prepared boxed lunches. We arrived at around 11:00 AM in Amsterdam to be immediately shuttled into the city for a picnic lunch sitting on the edge of one of the many beautiful canals that Amsterdam has. This experience was particularly enjoyable due to the sunny and clear skies, which created a pleasant temperature of around 70 degrees Fahrenheit. After lunch, we walked to the Anne Frank house/museum to listen and read about the history of the family and what events occurred in the house. The experience was incredibly interesting, as it gave further insight into a person who we had studied and read about many times before when talking about the Holocaust. After looking through the house, we were shuttled around Amsterdam, and given a tour of the city from our bus with the guidance of our experienced tour guide. We saw the entirety of the city, but many of us took the opportunity to take a short, much needed, nap. Finally, we walked to "Haesje Claes" for dinner. The choices consisted of a a wiener dish, as well as a vegetable dish for vegetarians. But, both options were delicious. Lastly, we took our bus back to the  "IBIS Amsterdam City South" hotel for some much needed rest.

John Koskela

Day 2 in London

Today's london trip was jam packed with historical sights and involved lots and lots of walking. We started off by taking the tube to Westminster, where we took a guided tour of Westminster Abbey and saw the tombs of past kings and queens. We also gained insight on the events that take place there, such as weddings, funerals, and coronations. After the tour we went to Tesco's, a small grocery store to get some lunch that we enjoyed while lounging in St. James Park. Once our lunch was over, we went to the Churchill War Rooms where we walked through the underground bunkers of his cabinet and staff rooms during his time as Prime Minister and Minister of Defense during WW2. After a long amount of time looking through the war rooms and Churchill Museum, we walked through Trafalgar Square and took some photos at Nelsons Column before having some time to see some of the paintings at the National Gallery. Following the National Gallery, we once again began to trek through london to end up in Soho for dinner. Given sometime to go shopping, we explored the shops in london before retiring to Mother Mash for a dinner of chicken pot pie and mashed potatoes. Once dinner was over, we filtered into the tube once more to go to Waitrose, another grocery store to pick up some snack for our flight and journey to Amsterdam. Finally left the city of london behind as we entered the rooms of our hotel awaiting the early rise of tomorrow. 

yours truly, Sasha

After waking up to eat breakfast here at the hotel, our group took the famous London underground subway to Westminster. Once there, we took a tour of Westminster Abbey. We saw the resting places of many famous people such as Isaac Newton, Charles Dickens, and Queen Elizabeth I. They abbey was awe-inspiring and the tour guide gave very detailed explanations concerning the history and the resting places of the  place. We then walked to a park to have a picnic lunch.

     Following lunch, our group had the pleasure of seeing the Churchill WW2 War Rooms on a self-guided tour. We then walked to Trafalgar Square, visited the National Gallery to enjoy the art. Afterwards, we walked to Soho for some shopping and dinner. 

- Jeremy

Today we started out with a really nice breakfast which included almost anything you think of. We then took the subway to the Westminster which we then visited the Westminster Abbey, the place was really interesting since the Abbey buried a lot of famous English historical figures. The church was really large and the gothic style of architecture made the the place really breathtaking, although we weren't allowed to take pictures inside the church i don't think I could ever forget the scenery of the Westminster abbey. After our visit inside the Church we then headed to the war rooms of Winston Churchill. The war room museum gave a very good insight onto what it was like to direct the war from the underground. I also thought that the museum gave a good insight to Churchill's personalities and his preferences on certain things like his favorite food which apparently was Beef Wellington. Right after that we headed straight for the National Gallery which contained some of the most famous paintings from all across Europe and we even tried to reenact some of the pictures. Although the trip forces us to walk a lot I still feel that this trip's experience had helped me learn more about the British culture and was still a fun experience, and i am very excited to go to Amsterdam tomorrow.

-Jack 

Day 1 in London

Today, we took numerous tours of London and familiarized ourselves with this awesome city! We had breakfast at our hotel and afterwards, we went on a coach bus and took a tour of London and it's architecture with our super rad and cool tour guide, Barry. Not only did Barry show us the diverse sites of London, like Buckingham palace, he educated us on a variety of topical subjects, like how the exquisite (adjective given by Ms. Gerber) Panderson has great Anglo-Saxon legs, how me must roll our R's, and that Paris Hilton is a sloane ranger. Afterwards, we went to the supermarket and picked up some sandwiches for lunch. We had a lovely picnic by the River Thames where a lot of pigeons joined us, and then went on a boat tour of the city and saw many bridges. When we got off the boat, we went to the Tower of London. My group got to see the Crown Jewels of England (they were super shiny) and many varied torture devices used in the prisons. Afterwards, we went and got Japanese food! Once dinner was over, we took a tour of Old London, where our nice tour guide Fiona told us about the London fire and diseases like the Plague. When we were done, we took the Tube back to our hotel and enjoyed a nice ride while we chatted with one another! All in all, it was a great day, and I can't wait to see what tomorrow in London brings!
-Maya

After waking up and eating a delicious breakfast we went on a guided tour on a bus with an amazing tour guide named Barry. Barry was full of jokes. We bought a lunch 
to eat later and proceeded to Buckingham Palace. Afterwards we took a boat tour of the River Thames and got off at the Tower of London. My group went to see the Crown Jewels, Royal Beasts, and torture devices. After dinner at Wagomama's we ended our day on another fascinating tour of London surrounding themes of plague, fire and blitz.
-Julie

Today was a swell day in the tumultuous town of London, England. First we ate breakfast at the Millenium Hotel. Then we went on a bustling bus tour  with Barry, our terrific tour guide. We picked up lunch at a grocery store Barry mentioned, then stopped by Buckingham Palace to take pictures. After that, we were swept off our feet by a breathtaking boat tour. Kim almost cried when a pigeon landed on deck and started waddling towards her. We also bonded with a few great lads who shared our love for fidget spinners. Then, the boat dropped us off at the Tower of London. There were different displays, such as the Crown Jewels and the Royal Animal Exhibit, but Maya and my's favorite were the torture devices. Finally, we went to dinner at Wagamaamam and shortly after, went on a walking tour around London with our new tour guide, Fiona! We also bonded with a few great lads who shared our love for hardcore parkour. All in all, it was a dank, dope day in lovely, luscious London!

-Miranda

Oxford, Abingdon, & London

The group arrives in London!

Today we left York in the morning to see Oxford. We saw many university buildings that were very old and pretty. Then we departed to see Josh R's grandfathers museum. His grandfather discovered his store was built on old roman and English houses. When he had tried to renovate his store he found traces of these houses, so he kept digging. He found all sorts of old artifacts that suggested that this was a house for English merchants due to the loads of jars. The depth of where the artifacts were found suggested that people had been living there for around 2500 years. After that visit we went to London and walked the Hyde park. To get to dinner we took a double decker bus to a fish and chips shop. We saw a lot of cool stuff today. 

-Payton

The group tours Oxford University 

Having fun in Hyde Park

Ice cream after a fish and chips dinner.

A Day in York

Winston and Eric will be sharing their experiences in sunny York!  We are having a bit of trouble with wifi at the hotel at the moment, so check back for the full post a bit later!

The morning of June seventh marked the end of our stay in Edinburgh and the beginning of our road trip to London, supplemented by an excursion to the city of York. We began the day waking slightly earlier than yesterday in order to have ample time to eat our breakfast, pack our luggage, check out of the Haymarket Hub hotel and mount our bus to leave Scotland. Through a combination of chatting and various means of entertainment, three hours quickly passed and we then made a quick stop at a local plaza to eat lunch. My group made our way to the nearby store named "Greggs" after hearing good things about it from others, and I think it truly did live up to its reputation with its savory baked goods such as their calzones and steak bakes. With full stomachs, we once again got on the coach to continue our journey. Soon after, we arrived at the outskirts of York, where we were dropped off and followed Phoebe for nice walk through one of the few remaining walled cities in the world. After leading us into a large cathedral glowing with the blues and yellows of beautiful stained glass, we had some free time and then once again came together to eat a dinner of roasted chicken with soup. Finally, we met with another tour guide who showed us around the sites of various gruesome happenings such as beheadings and crushings, after which we yet again sat down in our coach and drove off to a hotel, concluding yet another great yet tiring day in the United Kingdom.

-Winston 

The Scottish Highlands

Our journey north to the Highlands may have been rainy, but it only added to the charm and beauty of the green hills and castles.  Read more about the northbound adventures from Sanjana, Gabby, and Michael!

Today, June 6, we started off the day with a lovely breakfast at our hotel where Miranda tried haggis and black pudding. Our coach bus was slightly delayed so we hung out and chatted in the hotel lobby. When George, our driver, arrived we took a scenic route to Inveraray Castle. We spent about two and a half hours driving through the hills. At the castle, we ate lunch at the cafe and went to the gallery with Scottish art. Then we drove another hour to Loch Lomond. We took an hour walk in the forest and although it was rainy 

it was a lot of fun. Then we stopped at a corner shop to get hot drinks and warm up. Lastly, we drove back and ate a delicious dinner.  We played cards and hung out at the restaurant before heading back to the hotel for the night. Overall, it was a really fun day!

Thanks,

Sanjana

Today, we all had to wake up very early in the morning because we were supposed to leave at 8 for the Scottish Highland. My roommate and I woke up extra early so that we would have a little wait for our Scottish breakfast. Our coach was late so we were delayed going to the highlands, but we did eventually get there at around 12. We drove around the highlands for about 30 minutes before we went to the historic Castle called the  Inveraray. It was beautiful castle that had a loads of art work on the wall. After the Castle, we went over to the village called Luss and went for an hour long walk. It had very beautiful scenery. We all took a lot of pictures because the landscape was very green and had a lot of waterfalls. After Luss we went to this very amazingly stupendously extravagant restaurant that was a Cavalry. I ate this very delicious vegetarian sausage meal with mash and cauliflower. We then went back to the hotel to rest up for our early morning.

-Gabby

Today was our third and final day in Edinburgh. We started off the rainy morning with breakfast in our hotel, which included blood pudding and haggis. Our tour bus was about an hour late which gave us a chance to to talk and get to know each other better. When our bus finally came, we left right away for the Scottish Highlands. Despite the incredible scenery outside the windows, most people took the opportunity to catch up on lost sleep. We finally arrived at our first stop the incredible Invararay Castle. We toured the castle which included a magnificent collection of antique art and weapons. After a quick lunch at tea shop on the castle grounds we left to go to Lock Lomond. Despite the rain we got to together and went on a scenic walk of the woods surrounding the lock and the farms around the lock. After our walk it was time to head back to Edinburgh where we had a quick dinner and then headed back to the hotel to rest up for tomorrow's trip to York. - Michael

Our Day in Edinburgh

Castles, hikes, golf courses, and ghost tours...a little of everything today in Edinburgh!  Read up on the adventures from Josh K., Jacob, and Aziz below!

The whole group in front of Edinburgh Castle.

Through castles and haunted slum tourers, Edinburgh has it all! The beautiful city is filled with so much culture and excitement, it is hard to think we fit it all into one day. On our second day, we truly were at the heart of the city, as we went inside the castle of Edinburgh. The castle was made out of a beautiful stone and sat on top of a giant rock. Inside the castle, which in its day was primarily used for soldiers was a series of smaller buildings of which were converted into museums and one, a tea room. The tea room was stunning, overlooking the city with dramatic views and offering typical Scottish meals, such as Eggs Benedict and porridge. 

Later at night, we went into a haunted slum, in which the homeless of the medieval times would sleep, and rather live, as homelessness in Scotland was illegal and to multiple offenders, punishable by death. The place was rather spooky and haunted, as many perceive it to be one of the most haunted places in all of Europe. Hopefully I can sleep tonight! Anyhow, the city is beautiful and I am really enjoying the stay!!

- Josh K.

The group gathers around our guide, Anya, as she takes us through the castle.

 After a long relieved rest of being awake, we started are day off with a traditional Scottish breakfast. It is both similar in some ways and different from the typical American breakfast, in that while both contain eggs and toast. However the unexpected items were haggis, beans and black pudding. Following this we traveled to Edinburgh Castle, which we walked to yesterday. The castle is very beautiful and historic as it serves significant role in the royal and military history of Scotland. It contains the Crown Jewels, a few crowns, swords and jewelry, which are very ornate.

More so, we spilt into groups having the option to hike or stay around the city, and see some of the sights in town. I chose the city. We visited the royal college of surgeons in Edinburgh museum which displays some innovations of medical history over time as well as preservedbones,organs, and other body parts related to the body. Interestingly, many of the items here are relevant to Scottish history of war involvement and famous Scottish doctors. After having some more time. In the city center and eating dinner at a golf club, we finished the night off at a ghost tour. They took us underneath a bridge where the tour guide explained stories of potential sightings. Though not totally believable, it was cool seeing the type of environment where poor residents squatted and hid during the 18th century, as not only are these spaces dark, small, slippery but they are wet and muddy. So looking for the fun in store tomorrow!

- Jacob

Some of the group visited the museum of surgeons.

I woke up late this morning due to jet lag. I missed the Scottish Breakfast so I couldn't try the breakfast food. Instead I got a croissant  and tea which tasted alright. We ventured off onto the bus and Fred drove us through the city to pick up our tour guide. We took a tour and learned about the city's history. We went to the residential palace of where the royal family stays when they are in a Scotland for official business. Then we set out to the Edinburgh Palace and explored the grounds with my group. We set out to lunch and me and my friends went to a restaurant called Tang's and ate some great Japanese food. Then we split up to groups and one group went through the city and the other went hiking up the hill. I went up the hill and got to view the city and take some cool pictures. We walked down and went to dinner at a posh golf course and ate meat pie. Went on an underground tour Then came back to the hotel.

- Aziz

We've Arrived in Edinburgh!

Early this morning we arrived safe and sound in beautiful Edinburgh.  The weather was incredible, the city full of history, and we are exhausted!  Read a bit more about it from John F. and Izzy below.

  This trip has so far been one of the most tiring and most scenic of my life. My first trip abroad was marred with approaching fatigue and soreness as the small seats and few bouts of sleep was all I had to keep me going throughout the day. I knew it was all worth it, however, when we began descent and saw the beauty of old villages and a beautiful city with a perfect blend of classical buildings as well as more gothic styles. 

        As soon as we left the terminal, and received our bags, the grind of tourism began. We were off to find our tour guide, Phoebe, and our nice and tidy tour bus. Dropping off our bags at the hotel went by as fast as a breeze and before we knew it we were approaching the wondrous view of the Edinburgh Castle from Princess Street and glancing through the stylistic art exhibits of the National Gallery of Scotland. The awe inspiring shifts of styles from Neo-classicism to Impressionism gave great views upon the art history of the U.K.

- John F.

First we went to the National Gallery of Scotland and looked at art from the different artistic movements. After the gallery we walked to Calton Hill and there were some amazing views, so that obviously led to photo ops.. At Calton Hill we saw what was known as the Scottish National Monument, a memorial for fallen Scottish soldiers from the Napoleonic Wars, which started construction in 1826. However, due to a poor economy there were money problems and the monument was left unfinished in 1829. The monument became known as Scotland's Disgrace to symbolize the failure of its construction. From the top of the hill we could see the sea and that view was incredible. Along the way, we took in the culture and architecture of Edinburgh, which is varied and styled after ancient Athens. All in all, today was pretty incredible despite the jet leg.

-Izzy B.