No sleeping in for me on Day 3! After getting up to a nice and early 5 a.m. alarm, it was time to begin our agenda for the day. This included taking a tour around Royal FloraHolland, a flower auctioning company that prides itself on the millions of flowers it distributes per day inside its…
Category: Frederick Honors College
Flowers, Floating Houses, and Fun
Our third day in Pitt first brought us to Royal Flora Holland, the world’s largest flower exporters. We learned about the betting process that takes place from 6am-11am daily as well as the incredible organization and turnaround that happens on the distribution floor. After walking over 4 km in laps on the sky bridge around…
Controlled Chaos
Armed with cucumber and cream cheese sandwiches, we headed off for an early morning visiting Royal Flora Holland. Royal FloraHolland is the largest floriculture marketplace in the world, overseeing daily auctions with more than 100,000 transactions per day. We arrived before 7am, near the beginning of FloraHolland’s early morning auction period. Immediately, we were met…
Royal FloraHolland and the NDSM Neighborhood
Today started at an early 5:00 AM, but if you want to see flowers at the world’s largest floriculture marketplace, you have to get there early. Therefore, after enjoying a double decker cheese and cucumber sandwich from the hotel, we boarded a bus and headed to Royal FloraHolland. When we first arrived at Royal FloraHolland,…
Day 3: Yogurt Drinks and Elevators
Today was our first day of company visits. Our first company visit was to HY, a company I was initially unfamiliar with. On the bus ride to the factory, I briefly researched what they did and found out they made yogurt drinks. After finding this out, I was extremely excited for the visit, for these…
Chocolate, Walking, and Floating
The second day of our trip started in the morning at around 8:30 with a nice breakfast in the hotel. We then took the metro to head towards a chocolate tasting and walking tour. The chocolate tasting was at a small craft chocolate shop called Cacao & Spice. A woman named Salome ran the shop….
05/12/2025 – Sustainable Chocolate & Touring the city
Today, I had the chance to learn more about the city of Amsterdam and really appreciate its unique charm–especially thanks to a healthy night’s sleep. We started off our day after breakfast with a chocolate tasting and walking tour of the city led by Salomé and Ian Wagenhuis, who own a chocolate shop in the old…
The Alleyway to my Heart
Goedeavond! I had a very eventful second day in Amsterdam, starting off with a walking tour of the historical Warmoesstraat and the surrounding alleys with our guide Ian, who’s an Amsterdam native. As we wandered the streets, Ian detailed the local history and the changes that the area has undergone throughout the ages. He discussed…
Dreaming of Chocolate Canals
After eating some traditional Dutch hotel breakfast, the group headed out for a day in Amsterdam’s city center. We started with a lovely tour from Ian, who told us more about Amsterdam’s history, culture, and sustainability initiatives. One thing I found interesting was the policies initiated by Amsterdam’s Green Party Mayor. We heard about her…
A Taste of Amsterdam
Today was our first full day in the Netherlands! The day began with breakfast at the hotel. After breakfast, we took the metro and walked to a Dutch chocolate store named Cacao and Spice. The store owner’s husband, Ian, gave us a tour of the area local to the chocolate shop. On this tour, we…
Canals and Chocolate: Day 2 in Amsterdam
Today, we did a lot more exploring of the city, from the streets around central Amsterdam to the canals. We started out the day with a tour of the city led by Ian, who enthusiastically introduced us to lots of information about the history of the city and how it became what it is today….
Lost in Tulips and Tradition: My First Day Exploring Amsterdam
Landing in Amsterdam after an eight-hour flight felt like stepping into a new world. The city’s charm hit me right from the start as I navigated the trains and metro, getting acquainted with the local public transport system. Our destination was Amstelstation, where we dropped off our bags at the hotel before diving into the…
Fighting the Jetlag: First Day in Amsterdam
Yesterday, May 11, was our first day in The Netherlands, and it was quite a long day. After an entire day of traveling on Saturday, we landed at the Schiphol Airport around 5:40 am and had no time to rest before jumping into our day. The process of getting out of the airport went smoothly,…
Amsterdam Exploration
Today was our second full day in the Netherlands, and I really enjoyed starting the day off strong after 8 hours of sleep. In the morning, I got to try my first European breakfast before heading into Amsterdam. The breakfast choices were certainly different than the United States, and I ended up with a coffee,…
Chocolate and Touring (Day 2)
After getting some much-needed rest after our first day in Amsterdam, I woke up excited to explore the city properly. After eating breakfast that was noticeably similar to the typical American breakfast, we met Brian and departed on the metro towards Grand Centraal. After a short walk through the city, my group of fellow students…
Day 2 in Amsterdam: Beyond the Postcards
Day two begins! Starting the day off on a more rested foot, we began by splitting into two groups to tackle a walking tour of the city and experience a chocolate tasting from a local, ethically-sourced chocolatier. My group began with the walking tour and met with the charismatic Ian, a Dutch local whose family…
Holy cocoa, that was good! (5/12)
Day two in Amsterdam has come to an end! We started at about 8:45 a.m. with a quick hotel breakfast. Then we hopped on the metro and headed downtown to do some chocolate tasting and a walking tour. We split into two groups, one starting with the tasting, the other with the tour. My group…
Canals and Cocoa (ethically sourced)
Day 2 was electric. After getting a full night’s sleep for the first time in 2 days, we were well rested and excited to kick off the day with a chocolate tasting in the city. We visited Cocoa and Spice, a chocolate shop focused on ethically and sustainably sourced products. While 70% of the world’s…
Acclimating to Amsterdam: Day 2
Today in Amsterdam, I had the opportunity to better acclimate to the city I am going to spend the next week in and begin to understand what exactly the way Amsterdam operates and what educational value this offers. I am starting to see how integrated sustainability is into the way of life in Amsterdam while…
Day 2: Exploring Seoul
Day 2 first started with a delicious breakfast at the hotel and then quickly getting on the bus early on the morning. We were able to visit the Suwon Hwaseong fortress, where we were greeted by amazing views and architecture. Additionally, when we were there, we were given the opportunity to do some archery, which…