Bright and early this morning at 6:00 AM, we departed our hotel armed with cream and cucumber sandwiches made by the lovely hotel staff. The bus took us to the famous flower auction house, Royal FloraHolland!
The auction claims to sell over 22 million flowers a day, spans the width of 243 football fields, and is the 8th largest building in Europe as of writing this. Inside the warehouse, hundreds of electric powered carts are wheeling around and delivering orders until 11 AM, when they are shipped across the street for buyers to pick them up. The aspect of rechargeable carts was extremely important to the sustainability of the building, seeing as with so many carts going around, gas powered carts would be unsustainable and just simply not safe. The market was incredibly big and had a 1.6-mile loop designed for guests to walk around and observe the organized chaos.
Some things I observed pertaining to the sustainability of the market were the washable holders for the flowers, which could be reused until they broke down. I also observed that, since the flowers arrive at the warehouse and leave within 24 hours, they don’t necessarily need water or insecticides, preventing water usage and harmful chemical entering the air. They also claim to use sustainable and recyclable packaging as a part of the Plastic Pact NL. Below I attached a picture of the tulip carts inside of the warehouse.
After Royal FloraHolland, we took a trip to NDSM Amsterdam, where a lot of street artists come to create art and display it in the local market. It was great to see how normalized and sophisticated the street art is compared to America. In Amsterdam, it feels like the street art has purpose and real skill behind it, and not just a group tag or silly linework. I attached my favorite sight below.
We then walked about 15 minutes to Schoonschip, a floating neighborhood in Northern Amsterdam. Schoonschip is a collective initiative started by the inhabitants of the houses. The house owners worked tirelessly for about 10 years to get the Amsterdam municipality to approve their sustainability choices and all the permits required for a floating neighborhood. They were even permits for being able to swim in the canals! The tour guide explained to us that the outside of the houses were built using treated bamboo, because it is easy to produce and manage sustainably. There were also some houses that included solar panels on the sides, which I have included a picture of below. Fifteen of the thirty houses even divided their living space into two halves, to make living there more accessible to lower income families and make better use of the space. Overall, the neighborhood was incredibly innovative and a once in a lifetime experience.
After our day’s activities, our group stopped at the Rijksmuseum, and we saw awe inspiring works from Van Gogh, Rembrandt, and more. We were able to catch a glimpse of Van Gogh’s self-portrait, and Rembrandt’s Night Watch which is being reconstructed and repainted. I have included a picture of the self-portrait below. The museum was incredible, and such an amazing display of art that is important to Dutch culture and history.
Today was amazing, and I am excited for another one tomorrow. Goedenavond!