Today was a structured free day, meaning that we didn’t really have any company visits or educational activities scheduled. Instead, we all went to IjHallen, which is the largest vintage market in Europe. The weather was beautiful, so it was outdoors today which was really nice. In order to get to the market, we had to take the ferry which was new. It was really interesting to see people so casually riding their bikes from the road straight onto the ferry, but I guess I shouldn’t be surprised considering how popular biking is here. Once we got to the market, I could clearly see why it is considered the largest in Europe. There must have been over 150 vendors there, each with hundreds of items being sold. They ranged from clothes, to jewelry, to even furniture and appliances. Also, the prices were very affordable, so I was able to find myself a nice ring for only 7 Euros. The fact that second-hand shopping is so prevalent in The Netherlands brings back the idea of sustainability, since it gives these items that are being sold a second life rather than being thrown into a landfill. It also helps in terms of a circular economy, because it ensures that these products are making their way back into the market instead of being thrown out after use.

After IjHallen, we then made our way to a restaurant for happy hour with Pitt Alumni living in The Netherlands. I found it really cool that we were able to find a group of people here that were once in our shoes as students at Pitt, and it was really interesting to talk to them about their experience both at Pitt and working internationally. One common theme I found amongst all the alumni that I was able to converse with was that their work had to do with sustainability in some capacity, and each were able to comment on how sustainability initiatives taken in Europe, and The Netherlands specifically, impacts their work.

After the alumni meeting, a few of us decided to do even more vintage shopping at some other stores, before eventually making our way back to the Generator for an early night. Tomorrow, I look forward to visiting Schiphol Airport and hopefully touring more of the airport than just the terminals.