We had a lovely, and much needed, late start to our adventure today. After a quick breakfast at The Generator, we met our new CIEE tour guide, Max, and hopped on a ferry to IJ Hallen, the largest vintage market in Europe. I learned that the market only comes together about once a month, so I was incredibly grateful to visit during our 2-week stay in Amsterdam. Because it was such a beautiful day today, the market was set up outdoors. Hundreds, if not thousands, of vendors set up tables along the street selling jewelry, linen coats, ceramics and old-fashioned toys. It was amazing to walk through the market and watch so many people from varying cultures bargaining for vintage goods. I can’t imagine the number of languages that the vendors must overhear and interact with within a single day at the fair. 

While walking through the market, I purchased a vintage denim jacket for 20 euro! I haggled the seller down a bit, and was surprised at how easily I was able to do so. I expected the vendors to be much more stubborn and demand high prices, but they were surprisingly flexible and were incredibly polite when I asked to pay 20 euro instead of 25. I also purchased a couple second hand rings and a pair of beautiful beaded earrings for an incredibly affordable price. I walked through the market for 2 hours and still felt as though I hadn’t seen half of the tables. The sheer size of the market was insane. I wish I could have seen an aerial view of the area the market covered, I’m sure it was even larger than I imagined.

After our shopping spree, we boarded the ferry back to Amsterdam and attended a networking event with Pitt alumni currently living in The Netherlands. It was amazing to speak to such successful and interesting people that we shared so many common experiences with. Most of the alum I spoke with had lived in multiple different countries and had traveled extensively. Hearing their stories further motivated me to spend a semester studying abroad and traveling at every opportunity I get!