We woke up today all packed up, ready to head to Rotterdam. We packed up an overnight bag and headed to the train. Well…we sat on the train for ten minutes, and unfortunately, someone ran across the train tracks, and our train was canceled. We waited for the next one to find out most seats were taken. Definitely had a fun adventure sitting on the train’s steps for half the trip. Once we finally got a seat, a couple a row down started to yell at a girl who looked maybe a little older than our age. I found it very interesting because even though I had no clue what they were saying, you could tell from their tone of voice that it was an argument. But we finally reached Rotterdam to check into our hostel and get some delicious Subway for lunch. Can never get away from American fast food!

Next, we went to The Floating Farm. There we were able to hear about the reasons for a Floating Farm and the processes needed to do it. A Floating Farm is needed when there is no land space. As years go by, more and more water is taking over the land. This is a massive concern in the Netherlands and why they use dikes to try and save as much land as possible. Another reason for Floating Farms is urbanization. This is also increasing as cities are very populated, and many people want to live there due to the convincing. Cities are great because they allow easy access to food and jobs but can have lasting effects on the environment. Finally, over time the environment just changes. Temperatures change and conditions of the earth, so Floating Farms are a way they are trying to combat the growing bodies of water. 

The Floating Farm is one of the first of its kind and provides many dairy products for its consumer. We tried different types of milk and cheese there, seeing the Floating Farm and petting the cows. One thing I did find interesting is she said she does not plan to implement this in areas where hurricanes are common, but Hurricane Sandy was how they came up with this idea. I think they would want to make sure it could combat hurricanes so they can adapt to new environments and expand their project. Overall, I found it very interesting, and the cows were extra cute. 

We ended the day with a considerable canal cruise, where we learned the surrounding area’s history and saw many distribution ports. Finally, we had Mediterranean food which was delicious! As always, I can’t wait for another day!