It is over! For better or for worse, the trip has come to a close. Tomorrow, we travel back to Schiphol airport to depart for an 8 hour flight, 8 hour layover, and another 1.5 hour flight. But first, today. Today we had the whole morning to ourselves. Admittedly, after a long night, I spent…
Tag: Drew Lindstrom
Classes, Canals, & Cadeaus
Translation: Cadeau –> Gift Hello! This morning we walked to the University of Amsterdam. Here, we took a tour of the business school. We also were able to explore the neighboring area and eat lunch at the university cafeteria. The two main differences I noticed about this school and Pitt is the tuition and the…
A-Nether-Land
Hello! This morning we traveled to Utrecht, another city in the Netherlands. This city has a similar feel to Amsterdam, but with less tourism. We found out it turned 900 years old recently. Apparently we missed the 6-month long party. After arriving in the city, we took the bus to an older, more industrial, area…
Maintenance Mania
Hello! This morning we started off the day by travelling to the Vrije Universiteit (VU). This a university in Amsterdam with around 30,000 students. We were able to tour the school and explore their campus. While this wasn’t super useful to me as an individual, it was interesting to see the similarities between schools in…
Vintage Marketing
Hello! Today we started the day off by traveling to IJ Hallen — Europe’s largest vintage market! I’m not sure if I have emphasized this enough, but the public transport in this country is truly amazing. We took the metro to Central Station and then took a free ferry across the river to the market….
Amster(dam!)
Hello! This morning we traveled to the the Watersnood museum. The bus ride there was incredibly beautiful. The sun was finally out and the landscape was just stunning. There was flower farms, countless windmills, and cattle. The region we traveled to today is the deltas of The Netherlands. This area is completely below sea level…
Crusin’ & Moo-vin’
Hello! Today we travelled to Rotterdam, another city in The Netherlands. In comparison to Amsterdam, Rotterdam is a considerably more modern city. The city was destroyed in WWII and has since been rebuilt with high skyscrapers, modern public transportation, and an overall well planned layout. We took the train this morning, after some unfortunate delays,…
3D-printed-3D-printer-3D-printing
Hello! Today, after a relaxed morning in, we visited both a 3D-printed bridge and the company that created it. We traveled with the metro to the red light district, where the bridge lies. Interestingly (or maybe not too surprisingly), I found the metro was way cleaner than the subways in America. Before discussing the bridge…
From Bulbs to Blossoms
Today was a very early start, as we traveled to the Royal FloraHolland warehouse. This company holds the largest flower auction in the world, covering a major part of the entire Dutch trade. I got all my steps today at this warehouse alone. It was like a never-ending Home Depot, roughly the size of 250…
A Rainy, Gouda Day
Get it? Good-a-day? (I’m sleep deprived). All jokes aside, today was another brilliant day in the Netherlands. We traveled with public transport to Zaanse Schans — a neighborhood of Zaandam. While the destination was cool, and I will touch on it shortly, the journey there cannot go unwritten. Turns out, public trams cannot always fit…
Amsterdam: Return of the Planes
Day 2! After a well needed nights rest, we started the day with breakfast at our hostel. It was a delicious meal, where I, controversially, ate multiple kiwis like apples. An interesting thing I’ve learned about The Netherlands is that it is highly frowned upon to take more food than you eat. Fortunately, I had…
Dag Een!
We made it! After a very long journey through Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and the Atlantic Ocean, we arrived in The Netherlands today. Despite being drained of energy, Amsterdam is already entirely encapsulating. From the architecture to the angry bicycle riders, the city is truly amazing to walk around in. After landing at Schiphol airport, we made…
The Netherlands Adventure
Hello everyone! My name is Drew Lindstrom and I am rounding off my first year in the Swanson School of Engineering. I plan to major in Mechanical Engineering and am considering minoring in Environmental Engineering. Outside of school, I enjoy spending time outdoors and reading. My favorite book I’ve read recently is Nine Stories by…