Today was our last day in the Netherlands. We went to a floating farm, a warehouse of learning and business development, and finally, a nice farewell dinner. After a hotel breakfast and a short water taxi ride there, we toured the Rotterdam floating farm. We first got a short presentation about the farm and its…
Tag: John McConnell
Sustainability in Rotterdam
Today was our second to last day in Rotterdam. It was a pretty light day which was nice because we had a lot of time to wander the city and relax after our activities were done. The first thing we did was take a little walking tour around some places that show sustainability in Rotterdam….
Storm Barriers and Sea Lions
Today we visited the Delta Works. The Delta Works is a set of dams, dikes, and storm surge barriers in the Netherlands that were started to be built after the disastrous flood of 1953. Construction on the Delta Works lasted from 1954 to 1997. The goal of the Delta Works was to shorten the coastline…
A Parallel University
Today, after a quick breakfast in the Rotterdam hotel, we visited TU Delft, the largest technical university in the Netherlands. It specializes in engineering, technology, computing, and design, so it was a perfect place for us to visit, as many people on this trip are studying engineering, including me. The first place we went to…
Floods and Culture
Today I was able to sleep in since no events were scheduled for the morning. However, at around 1:00 PM, we left for the Watersnoodmuseum. This museum gave a history of the 1953 Flood Disaster that affected areas all around the Netherlands, and it informed about other floods and water related disasters that have happened…
A Pearl and a Peace Palace
Today we took a train from Rotterdam to The Hague. Upon entering The Hague I realized that it too is a very walkable place. All three cities we’ve been to in the Netherlands so far have been very walkable and the public transit has been simple and easy. This fact definitely contributes to the sustainability…
Labs and Lab Coats
It was sad to leave Amsterdam, but it was also exciting that today we were going to be visiting Nouryon. Nouryon is a company that produces and distributes specialty chemicals for use in the agriculture, electronics, and food industries. The company provides a range of products including polymer additives, organic peroxides, and metal alkyls. Nouryon…
Emotions and Art
The morning of our fifth day in Amsterdam began with a trip to the Anne Frank House. I hadn’t read The Diary of Anne Frank before coming on this trip, so I didn’t know too much about her life. I knew the basic things, but nothing very specific. The museum was fascinating while also solemn…
Insert Cheesy Pun Here
I was very excited for this day of our trip, as we were going to visit a cheese manufacturer called Henri Willig, and I love cheese. After a breakfast at the hotel and a train ride to get there, we arrived at the home of the cheese manufacturer, the neighborhood of Zaanse Schans. Zaanse Schans…
Beautiful Flowers and Buoyant Houses
The third day of this study abroad in the Netherlands began at the early time of around 6:00 AM. We had to get going this early in order to see the beginning of the day at the largest international marketplace for flowers in the world, Royal FloraHolland. Royal FloraHolland is an organized marketplace where flowers…
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….
Lost and Found: A Journey through Amsterdam
After our long 7 hour flight from Boston to Amsterdam, the only thing many of us wanted was to rest. However, this was not in store for us. Our first day in the Netherlands was just getting started at around 6:00 AM. After landing, getting through customs, and getting our bags, we met our chaperone…
From the Burgh to the Dam
Hey! My name is John McConnell and I am from Columbia, South Carolina. I’m a first-year computer engineering student in the Swanson School of Engineering (SSOE) at the University of Pittsburgh. I am also in the Frederick Honors College, and I am pursuing an honors undergraduate degree. At Pitt, I am involved in both the…