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,…
Tag: Plus3 The Netherlands
The Netherlands
Running Water and Running Scholars
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….
A Windy Day in Enschede
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…
Flooded with Fun
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…
A Visit to the Countryside!
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….
Afloat with Innovation!
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…
Beans and Jeans: An introduction to sustainability in Amsterdam!
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…
Last D-Hague!
For our last day in the Netherlands, we visited the Hague which is the administrative capital of the Netherlands. It is home to the royal family and the parliament. While there, our tour guide explained the inner workings of the Dutch government. We learned that the Netherlands is a parliamentary constitutional monarchy which means they…
The Floor is Lava!!
We started our day by taking a tour of DakAkker, a 1,000 m^2 rooftop farm that grows various plants, vegetables, edible flowers, and fruit. The farm covers the top of the Schieblock in Rotterdam. For structural reasons, the soil on the top of the building must not be too heavy; the farm uses a mixture…
Last day in Netherlands: visiting The Hague
Today was our last day in the Netherlands and we spent it exploring The Hague or Den Haag in Dutch. Visiting Den Haag was an incredible experience as it is the country’s administrative center and is also where the King lives. During the visit Enno taught us about the government in the Netherlands. The Netherlands…
This Delta works!
The Delta Works is a huge series of flood protection barriers that span the southwestern coast of the Netherlands. Today we visited one of the Deltaworks sites, Deltapark Neeltje Jans. This site is the main tourist hub for viewing and exploring the history of the barriers and is located in the middle of Oosterscheldekering, the…
I’m Friends with the Münster Under my Bed
Here on 5/10, we did a little something different today. We said goodbye to Enschede and set out for Rotterdam, but not before taking a day trip to Münster, Germany. In Münster, we took a tour of the city and learned about its history. Münster is a deeply Roman Catholic part of Europe and has…
Enschede’s Water Drainage Systems and Open Air Market
What a relaxing day we had 5/9! Today we took a walking tour of downtown Enschede’s water drainage systems lead by one of their own local civil engineers who works on this. Our lovely guide explained to us the Enschede is one of the few places in the Netherlands that is naturally above sea level…
Exploring the ranges of the Netherlands history
Today we started off by visiting Zanndjik Zaanse Schans, an older town in the Netherlands country side. This contained a cheese and clog shop, a petting area for sheep, and old styled windmills that had been preserved. These windmills are symbols for sustainability providing renewable energy that produces resources like wood, oil, and textiles to…
Governance, Justice, and a City Built Across Time: A Day in Den Haag – Day 11
Our final day in the Netherlands was spent exploring Den Haag, the country’s administrative and governmental capital. Den Haag is where the King or Queen resides, where the Prime Minister works, and where the legislative branch convenes. The Netherlands is a constitutional monarchy, meaning the role of the monarch is defined and limited by the…
3rd day in Rotterdam: museum and roof garden
Today was our third day in Rotterdam and we spent it exploring the city and going to a museum. We began our day with breakfast and then took public transportation to visit a roof farm. After arriving at the roof farm, we met our tour guide and began our tour around the city. As we…
Roots Above, Waters Below: Exploring the Netherlands Relationship with Nature – Day 10
Our day began with a tour of the Dakakker, the largest rooftop farm in the Netherlands and one of the largest in Europe. The farm sits atop the Schieblock, a mixed-use commercial building that houses gathering spaces, studios, and public areas. The farm grows vegetables and edible flowers, keeps bees, and raises chickens for eggs….
Day 12: Den Haag and Farewells
Album of the Day: You’d Prefer an Astronaut – Hum Today we took one last adventure in the Rotterdam metro all the way to The Hague. The Hague is where a lot of the Netherlands’ politics take place, having all sorts of important courts and even the prime minister’s quarters and workspace. While Amsterdam…
Campus, Conservation, and Current
Departing from Amsterdam, we arrived in Enchede where we will be staying for 3 days in the University of Twente Campus. For the first time this year, we got to relive the experience of touring colleges as students were kind enough to give us a tour around their campus. Similar to Amsterdam, bike lanes littered…
Horticulture, Heritage, and Hors d’oeurves
Our final day in Amsterdam began with a visit to Zaanse Schans, a historically preserved village known for its wooden windmills and farmland. Walking through the town, we arrived at a lookout point where our tour guide, Enno, discussed the development of the former farmland. Initially, the region, and most of the Netherlands, was mostly…