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La Joué du Loup, France - Traveled to the French Alps with the 300 other international and Dutch students from the Netherlands for a week of snowboarding. While the snow conditions were not of Utah or Colorado caliber, they were certainly better than anything the East Coast has to offer.
Check out more pictures from the ski trip here…
Link reblogged from words of love and despair
biking in amsterdam →
Every level of society is represented on the bike paths; there are businessmen dressed in suits, children as young as eight and adults as old as 80, tourists, natives, and immigrants, and an equal number of male and female riders
(Source: xysmas)
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Answers From Amsterdam: Part Seven
Olympiaplein Fountain
Did you have any instances where understanding or translating a language was an obstacle for you?
In most situations in foreign countries one would imagine this to be a daily occurrence, at least until they became familiar with the culture and fluent in the language. Amsterdam, and the Netherlands in general, is an anomaly when it comes to encountering a situation like the one described in the question above. Due to the widespread understanding and use of English, a non-Dutch speaker (who understands English) could theoretically go about their daily life and never have to use a word of Dutch. On the other hand, this would greatly limit their interactions and ability to truly integrate into the society (which is a major issue in the current political atmosphere of the Netherlands in regard to the integration of Muslim immigrants). So to answer your questions, I haven’t had a misunderstanding due to language since arriving in Amsterdam (but I have had issues with language while traveling in other countries since going abroad, namely Morocco and France).
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Malmo, Sweden - While staying in Copenhagen I made a short hop on the train for a day trip in Malmo; a city of twisty architecture and Swedish girls located on the western coast of Sweden.
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Answers From Amsterdam: Part Six
Along the canal near Uilenstede
Are there any major differences between those who live in Amsterdam and the rest of the Netherlands?
Honestly, I can’t provide a truly accurate answer to this question as I haven’t met or interacted with many Dutch who live outside of Amsterdam. Though I can say the Dutch living in Amsterdam and their relation to the Dutch who live in more rural settings, is similar to the comparison between Americans who live in the country verse Americans who live in New York City.
Copenhagen, Denmark
After returning from traveling around Egypt and Turkey in January I had a few days to recover before setting off on a 15+ hour train ride from Amsterdam Centraal to Copenhagen, Denmark. My ticket was for originally for a regular seat, but upon arriving at the station my assigned train car was no where to be seen. After a few moments of confusion and frustration, I was reassigned to a sleeper train car with a couchette bed…quite an upgrade from a regular seat. While the train ride was long and a bit rough, seeing the sunrise over the water as we crossed from Germany into southern Denmark made it all worth it.
Copenhagen, like all Scandinavian cities, is extremely expensive. Hostels run close to $40 per night and a standard, cheap, street food runs about $10-15 per meal. Suffice to say I lived off a backpack of fruit, bread, and cheese. The city itself looks much like a more spread out, modern version of Amsterdam, but with the unique colors and architecture found only in Northern Europe. I also made a day trip across the straight to Malmo, Sweden, so expect to see a related post soon.
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Istanbul, Turkey
Before returning to Amsterdam from Cairo, I stopped in Turkey to explore Istanbul. Spent most of the time wandering around the city, walking along the coast on the Asian side, and eating more than a lifetime’s worth of donor kebabs. And there was also the time spent in a government funded hospital for a day on an IV due to food poisoning acquired during my last day in Cairo.
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