Today was a bittersweet day as it marked our last day in the Netherlands and the end of our program. We took a train ride from Rotterdam to visit the neighboring city, The Hague, the capital city of South Holland. While Amsterdam is the official capitol, The Hague is The Netherlands governmental and administrative capital….

Today we first visited DakAkker, a rooftop garden in downtown Rotterdam. This is one of the largest rooftop gardens in the Netherlands and an exemplary leader in sustainable agriculture innovation. Our tour guide gave us a history of the garden, and we were all able to go up and visit it. Something that stood out…

Today we visited the Delta Works, a series of water-management construction projects in the southwest of the Netherlands. They are one of the world’s most famous flood-protection systems.  The Delta Works center had a museum for visitors to learn about the history and significance of the projects, as well as a nice campus with some…

Today we visited The Floating Farm, a place that is very well represented by its name: a farm floating on Rotterdam harbour. This floating farm is a first of its kind prototype to a futuristic model of farming. It is made of steel and concrete and contains capacity for 40 cows, a dairy production facility,…

Today we visited Enschede city center. First, we received a tour from a local municipal civil engineer. On this tour we learned about how the city has adapted to climate change through water management strategies. Enschede city center is located towards the bottom of a hill, so heavy water flow due to rainfall is common….

On our second day at Twente we kicked the morning off by attending a lecture on Wind turbines. Wind energy has always been a major component of the renewable energy transition in the Netherlands. We learned about the various types of wind turbines and how factors such as axis placement, blade construction, and capacity play…

Today we traveled to the second part of our trip, at the university of Twente in Enschede. U of Twente is a public Dutch technical university known for its interdisciplinary education. We first received a tour of the university which was a fun and insightful window into how the Dutch university experience compares and contrasts…

Today we took the train to Zaandijk, a historic village in the Dutch countryside. It was an abrupt contrast going from the bustling city of Amsterdam to the quiet and quaint town. We were immersed in the picturesque views of beautiful rolling hills, dairy farms, and the highlight of the show, classically historic Dutch windmills….

Today we visited De Tuliperij, a tulip farm near Amsterdam. This was one of the visits I was most excited for and it did not disappoint! Although tulip season was nearly over, the fields we were able to explore were indescribably beautiful. We were also able to learn about the significance of the tulip industry…

On our first day in Amsterdam, we battled rain and jet lag, but we stuck to our packed itinerary that ended up being an exciting day of adventures. We landed at Schiphol airport and headed right out on a canal tour of the city. This  was a great introduction to Amsterdam’s history and infrastructure. It…