Within two days, I traveled in the smallest airplane (a 12-person plane from Lancaster, PA to Pittsburgh) and the largest airplane (a Boeing 747 from Philadelphia to Amsterdam) I have ever been on. While the consecutive days of travel were long and rough on the ears, an adrenaline rush from being in a new place took over, and I was ready for the day ahead.

After landing at the Schiphol Airport, we were shuttled to the Generator Hostel for an orientation to review logistics for the trip. The weather was amazing and we got to venture into the park and streets by the hostel. I was drawn to the cohesive yet unique architecture of all of the buildings. No two buildings looked the same, but all of the structures seemed to fit together. My favorite building (which I believe was an apartment complex), had varying window shapes, with one window being a triangle in the midst of squares.

We then walked to pick up poke bowls for lunch and ate them picnic-style in the park by the hostel. Once we checked into the hostel, I spent time recharging from the extensive travel days and then went out to the welcome dinner at Bar Botanique. The restaurant was filled with plants and had really good hand-crafted sodas. After dinner, we were let loose to enjoy our free time!

From my first impressions, I feel like Amsterdam has the perfect balance of modern transportation and nature. I saw hundreds and hundreds of bikes along the streets with apartments and streets coated with ivy and plants. With designated bike lanes on each street, biking is a prevalent mode of transportation and seems to be more prominent than driving. In fact, I have yet to see an SUV in Amsterdam. Given the sustainable culture of the country, many people own smaller cars to release less exhaust into the atmosphere.

There are also public transportation options including a bus and tram system. We were given vouchers for public transportation, but I have yet to use a bus or tram here. Somehow the intersections with biking, walking, tram, and car lanes all work together and there is never a question of right-of-way. There were multiple tram tracks that were covered in grass that seemed to have been old and unused, but to my surprise, trams were still running along those overgrown tracks.

Tomorrow is the start of our educational experiences on the trip, and I am excited to learn more about engineering in the Netherlands!