It’s officially day 2 in the Netherlands! We overcame jet lag and had so much fun today! We definitely rested up and started our day by taking the metro to the heart of the city to meet up with our tour guides, who would show us Amsterdam and its history, followed by a chocolate tasting.

We got divided into two groups, and I chose to be on the walking tour first. I would honestly say this was the best part of the day. Our tour guide, Ian, took us through the most important spots in central Amsterdam while we learned the rich history of the city. He taught us so much about its history; specifically, how it got the name Amsterdam, information about how the city came to be, and the fun fact that there are 170+ different cultures among its 800,000 residents. Additionally, there are 1.6 million bicycles in the city, meaning that there are more than double the number of bikes compared to citizens in the city of Amsterdam. I can tell you it is definitely seen; the number of bikes on the roads and parked along the city is mind-blowing. On a deeper note, Ian told us some stories about the Holocaust, like the woman from the Salvation Army who saved 75 children from being taken to concentration camps. This makes one think how many additional stories there are about the Holocaust that we might never find out.

Afterward, we headed over to the company Cacao & Spice, with its owner, Salomé. Salomé taught us all about chocolate and how it originated and is produced around the world. We tried around 10 different types of chocolates, varying in cacao concentration and spices. There was a variety of milk, white, and dark chocolate, each better than the last. Our goal throughout the tasting was to see if we could find the different flavors that were infused in the chocolate based on smell and taste. We also were able to taste a Carolina Reaper-infused chocolate, which was very spicy and interesting in taste. We were able to get through it with their special cacao juice, which we learned was made by adding water to the fruit that is harvested inside the cacao bean. These two experiences helped us expand more on how the history of Amsterdam and around the world can impact some of the flavors we taste every day.

Finally, we got to go on a canal boat tour! It was very exciting and interesting, seeing as we got to see this amazing city from a different angle. While cruising on the canal with our peers, we were able to see some more of the rich history of the city and how each part of the city was made and how it is incorporated into everyday life. This led us through countless turns and spots in the city that we definitely hadn’t been able to go through. Some valuable and fascinating information we learned was how most of the houses are bent forward. This came to be when originators wanted to be above water; they placed the buildings on stilts, which were strong and sturdy because of the water, but once this water was removed, the wood started sagging, causing the houses to lean forward. Moreover, the boat tour also took us around a multi-story bicycle parking, which was incredible to see because one would think there is not enough room in the city for all the bicycles. Connecting this experience to sustainability, while we were on the cruise, I saw that around the canals, where most cars park, there seem to be charging stations for electric/plug-in cars. This is a huge aspect of Dutch culture since, apart from being extremely sustainable by using bicycles so often, the people that do use cars to go to and from work also use fully electric vehicles that are charged on the streets of Amsterdam!