Yesterday, our experience in the Netherlands began after our second flight landed. We were able to quickly pass through customs, claim our bags, and meet Brian – our tour guide. Despite not being able to check in, we were able to quickly change our outfits and leave our bags at the there.

Then, Brian sent us out on a scavenger hunt throughout the city. Through this, we followed a series of clues that showcased major monuments throughout the city and ended with reuniting with Brian.

The most significant cultural difference I saw during the scavenger hunt was the walkable nature of Amsterdam. The city is designed around walking and biking traffic, not cars, and it makes it far easier to navigate on foot.

After completing the scavenger hunt, some of us went to the Keukenhof gardens to see the tulip fields, but the tulip fields had wilted at this point in the season (seen in the back of the featured photo on this post) although we did seem some beautiful flowers.

To get to the Kuekenhof, we had to navigate the public transportation system in Amsterdam which, despite being in a language none of us speak, was shockingly intuitive and simple. We took the metro from one station to another, and then boarded a bus that took us to our end destination.

Another significant difference we found between the US and Amsterdam was the bathrooms. Here, one must pay to enter a public restroom which was extremely different.

After this outing, we concluded the day with dinner at the Batavia where we a traditional Dutch meal pictured below.

Overall, it was a great first day in the Netherlands where we did a scavenger hunt, went to the Keukenhof gardens, and concluded with dinner. I’m excited for the rest of our trip!