Today, our day started off very rocky. After carrying our overnight bags to the train station, we got on a train headed to Rotterdam. After sitting on the train for a few minutes, our train got canceled because someone was walking on the tracks. We had to get off and get on another one. There were no more seats, so 3 of us had to sit on the stairs. Later in the ride, we listened to a bunch of people quarrel in Dutch. It was interesting to get an experience full of surprises on the train, as we don’t really have those in the U.S. It was definitely beneficial for us to experience how to overcome a public transportation situation. Now, if we ever have a problem happen to us by ourselves, we will be able to adapt.
Our first site visit of the day was at the Floating Farm. The Floating Farm is a 3 tiered structure, each structure having a different purpose. They all work in unison to allow the farm to function. The water the farm stands on allows the farm to be self-sufficient. The Floating Farm works to shorten the supply chains and engage with local producers. The top tier of the Floating Farm collects rainwater to utilize in the farm. The Floating Farm has a milking machine and a manure machine for the cows. These machines help to keep the farm functioning. The manure gets turned into dirt and sold to people. Another thing that is interesting is that they rely on donations for some of their cow food. It benefits both the donor and the farm because both would normally have to pay for that service. The donor would have to pay to get their extra food scraps taken away, and the farm would have to pay for animal feed. This means the trade is mutually beneficial, meaning it is a good trade. The floating farm also has solar panels on the water. There are a few reasons that they are on the water instead of on top of the farm. The first reason is that they didn’t build it to be 4 levels. Another reason is that the water keeps the solar panels cold, which allows them to generate more electricity.
Next, we went on a historical cruise of the harbor. We got to see the city, which is very different than Amsterdam. Rotterdam looks a lot more modern because it was bombed during World War II. It was very interesting to see the differences between Amsterdam and Rotterdam.
Our final stop of the night was dinner. We went to a restaurant called Bazar. We had veal and chicken kebabs with chickpea stew, rice, potatoes, and turkish meatballs. It was delicious. I couldn’t stop eating. I am glad I was able to try a different cuisine!