Once we arrived in the Netherlands, we wasted no time and dove straight into exploring the city of Amsterdam. Throughout our time within narrow streets and canals we were able to explore the history and culture behind many of Amsterdam’s most famous features. An excellent example of this are the unique town houses that line the streets and canals. The homes have very narrow frontage, but stretch deep into their blocks, tending to be four or more stories. This is because homes in Amsterdam were historically taxed based on the width of their frontage. Many of the older homes and buildings also lean rather than standing perfectly vertical. The entire city is built on a swamp, and thus large wooden pylons are used to support every structure. As these pylons settle over decades the buildings slowly develop a lean. It is often more cost effective to reinforce a leaning building rather than fully correct the structural problem.

One of our first company visits of the trip was to a chocolate shop called Cacao and Spice, located in the Red-Light District of Amsterdam. Cacao and Spice specialize in selling chocolate whose production process is slave free, biodiverse, and that is sourced from small cacao farmers from around the world. A large part of their philosophy is that there should be no more than two steps between them and the farmer. This allows them to participate in direct trade, increasing the quality of the chocolate products they sell while also increasing the limited profits that small farmers make. During our time at the shop, we were able to participate in a chocolate tasting where we learned how factors such as the biodiversity of the plants surrounding the cacao trees, the soil they are planted in, and the amount of cacao and of spices used in the chocolate all affect the taste of the final product.

A major component of Cacao and Spice’s commitment to sustainability is their support for small farmers, as the cacao produced at smaller farms is often grown with more sustainable practices. For example, a farm that Cacao and Spice partners with in Ghana is run entirely by solar power in addition to being fully run by women. These farms produce less cacao than larger more industrial farms, but they do so in a way that promotes biodiversity by abandoning the technique of monoculture and promoting reforestation.

Exploring the city was a wonderful experience and I can’t wait to learn more about the history of the city as we walk deeper into the narrow streets. I am particularly interested in learning more about the city’s flood control and transportation infrastructure.