Today was an extremely packed day. From the moment we woke up at 7am to the minute we left our last event at 10pm, we were constantly on the move. Our first visit of the day was to Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, where a student toured us around the campus and showed us the culture of the university. I really liked the city campus of the school and how it reminded me of Pitt. She also told us there’s a very international student body, and there are a lot of language options for classes (including English, which was very enticing). After the tour, some of us went to Market 33 in the Business District for lunch; I got amazing ramen and a quick coffee after.
Our next stop of the day was to Schipol Airport; essentially where we flew into the country and are leaving from on Friday. We got to walk through an airplane hangar with a KLM plane in it while a member of the company talked to us about it. He told us about KLM and other airline companies’ missions for sustainable aviation. There is a law being put into place in the Netherlands that by 2030, no new diesel cars can be made in the country. He’s hoping that the airline industry can achieve the same thing one day so that flying can still be a consistent part of our future. By the looks of it, our skies and planet will not sustain aircrafts as long as we want it to. As we walked through the hangar, we got to see the deconstructed jet engine; it was huge! He told us that if an eagle were to fly into the engine, it would cost $3 to $4 million to repair. We also got to walk into a control room for engine testing, where they test 3-4 engines a week for numerous airlines, including Delta from the US.
After our long visit to Schipol, we got back on the bus to dinner, which was at Pakhuis de Zwijger. This meal was delicious: couscous, salad, and a veggie assortment with a yummy red sauce. We all got to sit at a big table this time, which was really nice. After eating, there was a free event at 8pm in the same building hosted by a podcast called Designing Cities For All that we decided to sit in on. It was definitely an interesting conversation, and was fun to recap with the rest of the group on the way home.
Our last stop of the day, and my favorite stop, was to Sweetella in the center of the city. I got a nutella, strawberry and banana crepe, and man was it the best crepe I’ve ever had. If I ever come back to Amsterdam, this will be one of the first stops I come back to. Honestly, anything with nutella will get me going. Great way to end an awesome day… see you tomorrow from Utrecht!
