January 4, 2007

Thursday, January 04, 2007

By Nate Wybenga

Today was our first official day of class.  We got up bright and early in the morning, and had the morning portion of lecture here at home.  We discussed a fair amount of the history of geography and land reclamation efforts in the Netherlands, and we also received a brief lesson on the Dutch language.

After lunch we went into Amsterdam via the public bus system.  Once at central station, we went up to the 11th floor of a building to a restaurant and looked at the city from that level.  As a group, we then to a walk through a small portion of town, paying attention to the canals and waterways set up.  The downtown is completely different than any city of its size in America.  Most streets are just one narrow lane, and everyone walks in the streets as there is not much traffic.  Bicycles have their own lanes on the road, and there are many busses and trams driving around.  The buildings for the most part are not higher than 4 or 5 stories, and all are very narrow and tightly packed. 

After touring a while with the group, we then ended class for the day and were able to do as we wanted in downtown.  Several small groups formed as we all explored the city some more.  The group that I was in went over to the Anne Frank House and toured through the museum.  After sightseeing, we took the bus back home and relaxed for the rest of the evening. 

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The group in front of a “Botel”, a hotel on water downtown Amsterdam


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A view of the city from an 11th floor Restaurant


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Houses line the canals.


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Biking is a very popular mode of transportation

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