Where it all ends, I can't fathom my friends

I decided to spend the morning, after getting all packed up, at the Van Gogh Museum. If you couldn’t guess by the name, if it home to the biggest Van Gogh collection in the world. He was Dutch, hence the museum being here I assume.

He was mentally unstable and depressed most of his life; he’s the one that cut off part of his ear. He sadly killed himself at the age of 37 (maybe…there’s a theory that some kids accidentally shot him, and the mayor helped cover it up). His work had started getting popular the last year of his life, but then became REALLY popular after his death.

Even if you don’t care about post-impressionism art, you’ve probably seen Starry Night, or Sunflowers, or some of his self portrait work.

Starry Night is in MOMA in NYC. The other one I knew was Cafe Terrace at Night, which is in another museum a few hours away. My favorite is Irises, so I was really happy to see that in person.

It was a nice morning (though I’m pretty sure the docent who gave my tour was disappointed in my lack of art knowledge).

Cars

They’re kind of funny here. The country is really trying to encourage electric vehicles, so if you buy one, you get free parking and free charging for two years. I saw a lot of them on the street, as well as a lot of older vehicles.

However, my favorite were these ridiculously small ones that looked like a life-sized play mobile toy.

Meanwhile, for “normal” cars, insurance companies paid to install these rails a few years ago. Too many people were forgetting to set their parking break (or driving after too much beer), and cars kept winding up in the canals. The insurance companies tried to get the city to install them, but the city said no – so the companies wound up doing it themselves, since that was still going to be cheaper for them.

Coffee Shop

So I’m not sure why, but here, a “coffee shop” is actually a store that sells marijuana and other drugs. They might also have some drinks and snacks – but the point is drugs. So if you want actual coffee, you need to be careful where you go, and you have a better chance if you search for “cafe.” I had read about it in advance so I knew, but not all my conference friends apparently got the memo.

They’re not like us

The hotel has an operating window. Like, it just…opens. To the outside.

It’s connected by a sensor to the rooms heating/cooling system – so if you open the window, the system automatically shuts down, like magic.

Their buildings are also all crooked. If they’re leaning forward, it is actually because of the hooks/lifts at the top of the building. They were built leaning slightly forward so as you pulled things up, they wouldn’t swing as much and hit the building.

If they’re leaning sideways, it is because their foundations are rotting under the water.

And when they talk about rigorous greening, they mean it. There were plants literally everywhere. It was pretty magical. Every residence that could had them in front of their doors, as did every office, every park, every everything.

I’m ready to head back to the states (early tomorrow) but it was great to see so many new things, and meet so many new friends.

Today was our last day, and we mostly spent it recapping what we learned, and what we could take home with us.

We also reflected, a lot, on how alone we all feel.

One of my cohort members is the head of the ACLU in Texas. She’s deleting all of her work apps on her phone, before trying to enter the US, and has deleted all of her social media accounts – LinkedIn, Facebook, everything that could any way tie her to her job.

Another is a city planner in Miami. He’s originally from Puerto Rico. He has a US passport (because, you know, Puerto Ricans all have US Passports). He’s traveling with a letter from his local mayor attesting to his legality, and copies of his past two expired passports, along with a legal looking letter that explains that yes, Puerto Ricans really do have US passports, legally.

A county employee from California is hispanic; she’s originally from Mexico City, and has been working in the states for 10 years on a visa, after she got her visa. She brought her passport and visa documents but also current bank statements, a copy of her apartment lease, and a screenshot of her on the county’s website. She actually flew out mid day; she has to be at work on Monday, and this gives her extra time in case she has trouble getting back in. This is our America.

Everyone is scared. Seeing all of this amazing work here is a bit hard – when my group left Berlin a few years ago, we were inspired with what was possible. This time, I think we’re all a bit sad, as we see what is possible. Governments that believe in sustainability and equality are a pretty amazing sight to behold.

A few people brought their kids, and/or partners, along for the week, which made the experience even more interesting.

It’s an intense experience, and you spend A LOT of time with people (which is a bit hard for us introverts), but it also means you come away with some fairly deep friendships.

Trash

In America, you “have to” have trash bins everywhere. If there isn’t somewhere easy, they’ll just drop it somewhere convenient. That could be on the ground outside. In a conference, if you don’t have a trash right by the coffee station, you’ll wind up with used stir sticks and half full sweetener packets all over the table.

It turns out, other societies are able to walk 30’ to a trash can. There were never any in the rooms we were in – they were always in a hallway in a central area.

I also didn’t see a single disposable cup. I looked up this brand, and thought it was especially interesting.

https://billiecup.com/our-history/

In general, everything was glassware. When we met in the SAWA developers office, they had enough espresso cups for all of us, and then after the presentation as we were talking, the developer (in his suit) started washing them as he answered questions.

I bought some cokes at the hotel, but no soda was ever served with meals. We usually had options of coffee or tea in morning meetings, and then in afternoons we had water or apple juice. The apple juice looks milkier than ours. I asked, and they said it just isn’t processed with added sugar like in the states.

All of the healthy choices this week offset (maybe) all of the waffles last week.

Tomorrow I’m on my own, just enjoying the city a bit more before I leave.

We stayed in Amsterdam again today, sort of. We went 20 minutes away, but it felt like a different world.

Almere

We had a late start, not leaving the hotel until 7:10! First stop of the day was Almere. I believe it would be offensive to call it this, but it’s basically a suburb of Amsterdam. But it is a pretty special city – it was literally a part of the sea, and was built in 1975 as Amsterdam was running out of space. So, like, they just created a city.

Their goal now that they’re a real city is to be the MOST SUSTAINABLE CITY OF THE FUTURE. I appreciate the ambition of Europeans.

It is now the 8th largest city in the Netherlands.

Oosterwold

I don’t even know. So this is an area of Almere where they want to let everyone sort of design what they want, where they want, as long as it fits within their sustainability guidelines, and prioritizes open space. It’s like weird lawless master plan. They literally said you can live in a tent or build a castle; it’s about prioritizing individual style with cohesive community. It hurt my head.

They have a strange relationship with land property. You own yours – but your community also deserves access to it, so you have to maintain a pathway on each property for people to walk through, so no area is closed off.

Hondsrugpark

Then we headed to an area called Hondstrugpark, for a presentation by the Amsterdam Economic Board.

The area is a new urban district. It has high rise buildings, lots of homes (rental and ownership), office space, retail, and 7 football (soccer) fields.

For lunch, we had vegan food. I wouldn’t have known if they hadn’t told me. My “tuna” salad was quite good.

The Economic Board is a group of 26 regional leaders, all voluntary, that is focused on reducing health disparities – their belief is that mentally and physically healthy communities are actually more productive communities, and have a positive economic impact.

One pilot program they did was to supply electric bikes to some employers that are a bit of a distance from a metro line, which employers could then loan to employees for them to try out.

They’ve also focused on immigrant communities and helping them to learn to cycle, since it can be quite overwhelming here, especially if you didn’t ride a bike growing up.

They let us tour some of their newer projects. They talked a lot about what makes an area some place that people want to live – which included what they call “social infrastructure” and includes things like schools, grocery stores, coffee shops, etc. As a part of the conversation, they talked about the phenomenon in the United States where we intentionally make public spaces inhospitable – we make benches uncomfortable so that homeless people don’t sleep on them, but that also makes them less comfortable for people just enjoying a park. We make stairs harder for skateboarders to use, but that also makes them unfriendly for small children who are learning to walk/climb. Their philosophy is that they do not build to keep anyone out – instead, they build enough of everything for where people need to be.

Back towards Rotterdam today, but we stopped a bit short, in Delft. It’s a popular tourist destination and is close to The Hague.

The Hague is actually were most of the embassies are (not in Amsterdam) And is best known as the home of “International Court of Justice” which is the judicial arm of the United Nations, as well as the International Criminal Court. So this is where if you had a president committing war crimes, for example, he would be tried. One can dream, at least.

Anyway, Delft.

Echo

This was our first stop of the day – it’s an “interfaculty” building for TU Delft (Delft University of Technology), and is designed to provide flexible teaching space. It is the most sustainable building on campus, and actually generates energy; the University’s goal is to be fully sustainable by 2030, so this is a huge step in that goal for them.

Walking/stairs continue to be emphasized- I never even saw the elevator banks.

The design of the building was intended to be flexible enough to accommodate a diversity of methods for teaching, as well as for different study styles.

It is a very compact building, with space/use maximized, but you don’t feel closed in or claustrophobic at all. That’s mostly accomplished because they prioritized access to light throughout – the glass has a low solar penetration factor, and there are awnings as well, since with more windows often comes more heat – and thus more cooling, so less sustainable. There is a plenum floor for air flow, great insulation, and solar panels that produce more energy than the building needs to operate. 90% of the furniture in the building is also reused.

Special attention was paid to sound mitigation throughout.

The building also has great “in between” spaces (the popular phrase in the US right now is “third spaces,” which is the same idea – un-programmed open spaces to do what you want). The largest lecture hall currently seats 700, but can be divided into three separate rooms within 15 minutes. There are movable wall systems throughout the project – so whereas a traditional build out is “permanent” with fixed walls, and classes have to fit into the space that exists, here the space that exists can expand or contract, depending on the needs of the class.

Everything is completely open – no badges to lock doors down, etc. When asked why there’s no security, their response was “we don’t need it. We’re not American.” They went on to talk about how they think it’s healthy for the public to also use the work spaces, to make sure the community is fully integrated.

Shoemaker Plantage

Next we went to a residential neighborhood across from the school. It’s a completely new residential neighborhood, and is considered an “urban park living” project. It’s a highly sustainable neighborhood, with around 700 new homes and a large centrally located park. About half of it has been built to date.

The homes include singe family as well as apartments and is intended to be net-zero.

They planted trees on the vacant site about 20 years ago (that’s when the project got started). Then, as areas in the development were finished, they transplanted the (now larger) trees. They need to be braced for three years for the trees to fully take root.

But this means that, though the buildings are only 0-4 years old, their trees are much larger. I thought it was a very interesting idea; our city likes to take out mature trees in road construction projects and replace with 1” trees and it annoys me.

Mark coincidentally sent me a photo today of what they’re doing in my neighborhood and it was perfect/worst timing ever.

Play Friendly Cities

Basically, similar to the US, more and more children are overweight and don’t exercise enough. Unlike the US, they’re trying to do something about it.

Studies (according to these people) say that outdoor play helps physical and mental health, and actually also helps motor, cognitive, and social skills. Based on that research, The Hague University of Applied Sciences and the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences started a study on outdoor play in the area. They’re specifically focused on school children ages 6-12, and determining which factors increase enjoyment and duration of play. Once the study is concluded, they want to be able to provide tools for designing, programming, and managing cities that are intentionally “play-friendly.”

This includes traditional playgrounds, but it is more than that. They’re looking at what sidewalk width, for instance, best promotes play in a neighborhood. (They gave a special shout out to the crazy American suburbs that don’t even have sidewalks, and they laughed and laughed and laughed.)

Another meeting

I skipped group dinner again tonight, for the second half of last night’s meeting, and made my way back to Amsterdam alone.

Today we went to another city, Utrecht.

First stop was the breakfast buffet in the hotel. We were all in line at 6:15 to eat quickly before the 7 am train. The staff had gotten to know us so they trust us – which is maybe a mistake; it doesn’t technically open until 6:30 but they’ve been letting us in a bit early.

Healthy Urban Living

We started the Utrecht leg by learning about their Healthy Urban Living Plan. The city wants to compete with some of the better known cities – which is a little hard, because a lot of infrastructure and people want to be along the coast. Utrecht is a bit more inland, and so it has to compete differently. Their focus is on create a higher quality of life for choosing to live here. They have a bunch of (bold, I think) Sustainable Development Goals. Some are fairly standard, like quality education and clean water. Some are a bit more idealistic – like, the very first one on their list is to end poverty in all its forms. The second is to specifically end hunger.

They spend a lot of time focusing in on specific neighborhoods, and challenges, and their overall plan is really comprehensive including their transportation plan – they don’t focus just on bike lanes, they also are thoughtful about the pedestrian experience (which is often in conflict with bikes) and where the cars will go. For instance, they’re working on a huge new “car free” development – but that means they also have car ramps built in on the edge, car sharing programs, bike loan programs, etc.

Catharijnesingel

I would like to point out that I am making a concerted effort to spell things correctly, which the Netherlands does not make easy.

Anyway, the Catharijnesingel is the restoration of a historic canal. In the 20th century it had become instead a highway; when the opportunity arose, they not only took it back to being a canal, but made it even better than it had historically been. What was (not that long ago) a 10 lane highway is now what they call a “green blue” resilient structure, which prioritizes people and green space and slows traffic, creating a safer urban community as well.

It won the European Prize for Urban Public Space – which is a pretty big deal, because Europeans take their public spaces pretty seriously.

Bikes

Oof. Next stop was the one I was dreading a bit. We went to the Dutch Cycling Embassy (for real) to learn about the history of cycling in the Netherlands. The part I was dreading was the follow up – which was a bike tour of Leidsche Rijn and Oosterspoorbaan. I had not ridden a bike in…I don’t know. 20 years, maybe? I was going to practice in Minneapolis, but the weather turned and I never did and…

Turns out, you can actually forget how to ride a bike.

In general, the bikes they use are cheap and old. It’s about short trips and function.

It was pretty amazing to see how many people – including little kids – were on bikes. What they’ve found is that bike riding to destinations – school, sports, friends, etc has a direct correlation to confidence levels in 3rd graders, which is pretty interesting. 2/3 of all Dutch children walk or cycle to school (and that data point includes all school age – it is 75% when you only count 12-17 year olds). Unicef regularly rates Dutch children among the happiest in the world, and they boast the lowest levels of obesity and depression in the EU.

Unfortunately (Thank God) I actually had to bow out a bit early to get back to Amsterdam, because I had a meeting for a DIFFERENT ULI thing that was scheduled for 11:00 – 30 :00 CST (6:00-10:00 pm in AMS) so had to head back to the hotel on my own.

The 21 minute train trip I was planning on taking turned into 73 minutes because of a train track issue/cancelled routes, so I had a few transfers and RAN through two terminals to make my connections, so I’m pretty proud that I made it.

We started out at 6:30 this morning, and headed to Rotterdam. Rotterdam is the second largest city in the country.

Rotterdam was bombed heavily during the war, so had to be almost entirely rebuilt. Unlike other cities that tried to honor the historical architecture, Rotterdam just started from scratch and is a little insane.

The city also had a really challenging time 20 years ago. High unemployment (due in large part do the ports becoming automated) resulted in high drug use and high crime. They studied the crime, and found that on average, a drug user committed 8 petty crimes per week to maintain their drug use. That crime was leading to huge livability issues, which was driving a lot of employers from Rotterdam, making the unemployment even worse – leading to more unhoused and drug use, and then more crime.

The city basically engaged with the drug users – including creating safe locations for them to do drugs, and even providing drugs – in addition to trying to help them break the habit. It was a 5 year investment, but dramatically reduced drug use, the unhoused, and the crime in the community. The city simultaneously invested in landmark development, to get back on the map as a destination – and it worked.

Markthal

The Markthal was our first official stop. It’s a super funky building, which includes food, recreation, living and parking. It is a play off a traditional market square/city square, that is (you guessed it) square, and normally surrounded on all 4 sides by buildings. Their idea here was to integrate the building into the square – and as a great side effect of that, the park area (or “square”) actually winds up having some climate protection as well, which makes the public space more usable than space in the midwest, for example.

It includes 228 apartments, 1,200 below ground parking stalls, and 96 retail spaces – fresh fish, coffee, retail shopping, etc. There is also a HUGE mural – 11,000 square meters which is the equivalent of a lot of square feet.

Those squares in the mural are actually windows from the apartments, looking into the food hall.

The building facade is described as a glass tennis racket – each of the panes, though connected, are also flexible – think of a tennis ball pushing back the strings in the racket. The wall can basically move about 1 meter (in strong winds, etc)

The project was built to be “Paris Proof” which means it is designed for the economy to be fully powered by zero carbon energy by 2050 and to meet net zero emissions targets under the Paris Climate Agreement. In case you’ve forgotten, the US was in it (under Biden) then out (under Trump) then in (under Biden) then out (under Trump.) Meanwhile, the keystone pipeline had a spill today in the Dakotas, in case you’re keeping score.

The Queen even came for the ribbon cutting, which was a huge deal as the monarchy normally only attended this for public institutions, versus this private real estate project. The project now has 8m visitors per year.

SAWA

Then we went to Sawa, which is a projected located on the Lloyd Pier. It is the first 50 meter high (164′, I think, or around 12 stories?) wooden (mass timber) residential building in the area. In theory, wood is a more sustainable building product, and it is also pretty 🙂

They had to work with code officials because a number of their construction techniques were new. There’s actually gravel in between the floors, to help with stability and noise transfer. The units also have automatic CO2 sensors, which will open exterior vents if they think the air is unbalanced.

This project has 109 homes, some rental and some owner-occupied, for humans.

It also includes 140 nesting boxes – or home for birds, basically.

It also includes public space which they call “superfluous” but was pretty nice. In two years, it will also be covered in landscaping (it gets planted in about a week) so the building will literally be green. All of the solid wood blocks on the left, stepping up, are planter boxes that will be maintained by professional gardners twice a year.

They have a small amount of car parking on the base level, which is concrete instead of wood. Code will not allow electric cars to be parked in wooden garages, because “teslas are always on fire.”

They told us they assume Trump builds towers out of gold, and they build theirs out of German spruce – which is why their tower is also “Paris Proof.”

Metro 010

Last stop of the day was initially a bit confusing. I thought we were going to learn about some mass transit lines, or a cool metro stop/project. They tricked us though; it’s actually a book, which takes you through the history of the area – starting with a dam in the Rotte river, to Rotterdam become established as a port, to the bombardment (that’s how they refer to the war), and then reconstruction. The book was created by 19 illustrators, 4 poets, 2 photographers, and 4 historians. Their belief is that once you get to know something, you love it; and once you love something, you take care of it.

Today was the first full day of the conference, and we generally stayed within Amsterdam. We started at 6:30 with breakfast, and then we were off!

We did lots of nerdy things, starting with understanding Amsterdam’s 2050 Comprehensive Plan. Their five focuses:

1. Polycentric Development (basically, instead of just having one “city center” they want multiple city centers, with growth distributed throughout. Adding additional transit is a big part of this.)
2. Growth within Limits (basically, build up, not out, but also really focus on additional sustainability of older product, so they can add development without more utilization of energy)
3. Sustainable and Healthy Mobility (public space, easy transit access, more green avenues, and cars are “guests” on the streets)
4. Rigorous Greening (parks should become more sustainable, circular agriculture, space for sports and exercise)
5. Making the City Together (equal access and participation in the planning as well as long term usage)

Everything of value is defenseless was the mantra of the city planner we met with today. They used it to talk about the water, and the air, and children in particular.

Booking.Com

Then we visited Booking.com – their campus is at the tip of something called the Oosterdokseiland, which is one of the largest urban projects in Western Europe. The campus was built and is operated with a holistic approach – think air quality, daylight, prioritizing movement (they call it “nudging physical movement”), colors, etc. They wanted a work environment that was socially, physically, and mentally healthy for their employees. There is a ton of variety of space, to meet employees where they’re at mentally and physically. Their estimate is that employees come into the office for about 40% of their time.

They achieved a BREEAM Excellent design certificate, which is not a program we have in the US, because we prefer low standards.

(for the record, for any of you not quiet as excited as I am to book things on my own directly, their focus is travel booking, and definitely a website you could use in place of Orbitz or kayak, etc.)

FUNENPARK

Then we headed over to tour this project – it is a former industrial site, and now has 550 apartments. It’s a little bit off kilter – they’ve thrown out the rules on traditional sidewalks, for example, and instead have this cool free-form of limestones, which psychologically is meant to reduce mental barriers, and have nature and the built environment connect with each other, instead of just existing next to each other.

It’s technically a master planned community but each building within the community was designed by a different architect so nothing feels homogeneous.

I couldn’t get a picture of it from the ground, so am including this photo. The squares on the roof are actually cut outs- creating enclosed private patios on the 3rd floor.

Green Mile

Not the one you die on with Tom Hanks, but you’d still die here. This street was one that would kill you – it was one of the most polluted and unhealthy streets in the city. Now, there is a movement afoot to green this mile, creating a livable neighborhood for humans, plants and animals. To date they’ve built boulevards for walking, and that planted more than 75,000 plant bulbs.

The movement involved leadership for those already on this section, including the Dutch National Bank. They renovated their space, tearing down an old office tower and replacing it with an urban park, they’ve removed security guards from the main entrances and opened them to the public (in part because they moved their gold out to a more rural area that’s harder to reach – I had lots of “my precious” thoughts), and in May will be adding “vaults” to the park that are specifically for the unhoused population, to have a safe place to store their possessions while they work to get back to traditional housing.

Canals!

It was a long day of thinking and learning, so after 12 hours we headed to the canals, and went on a boat tour. I was exhausted (my little introverted heart couldn’t take too much more of this group stuff) but I was able to have a few deeper conversations, as well as reconnect with some of the friends I had made in Berlin.

Today was an optional day for the conference, where we met each other casually, and spent the day being tourists together.

I started off with the hotel’s breakfast, including some smoked Mackerel. It tasted like..smoked fish. Too many bones for my liking.

A large percent of the country is actually Vegan. They’ve made this choice not because they care about the animals, but because they are about the environment. Lots of vegan options for breakfast, including a few kinds of vegan meats, but I stuck with my animal products. They also had a LOT of cheese in various sections, including “young cheese” and “matured cheese.”

I also took a cup of coffee with me – but, like, an actual ceramic cup, not a “to-go” container. They don’t have them. I assume it is 50% sustainability, 50% shade on Americans who don’t understand that coffee is meant to be slowly enjoyed while relaxing, not for rushing around in a cup. A lot of hotels today seem to have the fancy machines that make you a cup of coffee, instead of traditional drip coffee. My go-to selection is first having it make me an espresso (but I use a full size mug) and then adding a cappuccino on top of it, in the same mug. It’s an excellent coffee to milk ratio.

Keukenhof

Tulips! This particular garden, which they say is world famous, is more than 74 acres. There are over 7 million tulip bulbs, with 800 different types/colors.

Tulips are considered the first economic/financial “bubble” – similar to the housing bubble in 2009 in the states, or the earlier Dotcom bubble. In case you didn’t know where this was going, bubbles burst.

The idea of a bubble is that prices are completely separate from what something is actually worth – and pricing gets too high so no one can afford it anymore, everyone stops buying it, and it crashes.

Tulips were introduced to the Dutch by trade with the Ottoman Empire. Upper classes wanted rare bulbs as status symbols. People got obsessed. Others started cross breeding to create even more exotic tulips, which created more obsession. In 1633, rare bulbs were going for $3,000 each. At the time, you were literally able to buy a very nice house for less than $3,000. At a certain point it becomes to insane that even cheap bulbs were overpriced, and no one could afford to buy even basic colors – and in 1637, the tulip market collapsed.

They are still a huge export for the country. Tulip season is normally mid-April through early May. With climate change (which they believe in, in Europe) the traditional growing season shifts a bit, which is actually a really big challenge – because tourism around the 7 week season is a huge business.

We were a bit too early to see most of the tulips, so had to settle mostly for crocuses, daffodils and hyacinths among other things, though some of the tulips were also in bloom.

This place is only open for 7 weeks out of the year. After it closes for the season, EVERYTHING is removed (except the trees, some of the shrubs, and the concrete paths). Each year the park is then completely different – walking paths move, the design and combinations change, etc.

You can buy bulbs here, but you have to have them shipped – if you try to carry them through customs and you’re caught, they’ll be thrown out.

Zaanse Schan

They call this a natural windmill village. It is home to 7 windmills, including one referred to as the “paint” windmill – this is where Rembrandt purchased his paint. There is also a saw mill and a spice mill, among others.

These homes are 300 or so years old – and there is an 80 year waiting list to rent one.

The front door is high for two reasons, both quite practical. One is because of the flooding. The other is because of the Devil grabs your ankle as you’re entering through the front door, he can then live rent free in your home.

Kooijman Clogs Wooden Shoe Workshop

I learned how wooden shoes are made, with a live demonstration by a traditional clog maker. I tried some on, and they’re surprisingly comfortable. They’re also very hard (so protective), well insulated, and waterproof.

They say they’re now basically made like a key is made, where they use a model to duplicate it. One saw for the outside, another for the inside, and then a knife by hand at the end.

Once they’re done, they take 4 weeks to dry.

Catharina Hoeve Cheese Farm

Cheese! We learned how Dutch Gouda cheese is made, and then got to taste test some different varieties. There were 26 flavors to choose from. I only got through about 20, with my cheeks stuffed like a chipmunk as they headed us back onto the bus.

Molen De Kat

These are working windmills.

This is the paint one. At the lower level, you see the grinding stones in action – each weighs 3,000 kilos, and it’s crushing the rock that becomes the base of the paint.

Next level (after climbing some really steep steps) are the turning mechanisms.

Then you go up again, and go outside. This is the closest they’ll let you get to the fan.

And then you have to go back down. You’re required to go down backwards, facing the stairs, which reminded me of a medieval castle in Ireland Grandma Tootsie and I went to.

It was a fun day. The gardens were incredible – I missed the smell as soon as I left. I’m better Zaanse Schan is a field trip in this country for every school aged child, but I still thought it was really fun to see up close some of the really traditional parts of the culture here.

Tomorrow we leave at 7:00 a.m. as we kick-off the official conference programming. I’m sure I’ll see some cool things, but maybe not as cool as cheese sampling.

Did everyone else know that Holland wasn’t a country? It isn’t. It’s just a province, in the Netherlands. And not like in the way that they now say Pluto isn’t a planet – Holland was never a country. You can google it if you want. (I did – because I swear it was a country?!?)

Anyway, now I’m in the Netherlands, which includes the Holland provinces, as well as other ones that you’ve probably never heard of.

Currency is still the Euro. Language is Dutch. It sounds like German, but isn’t. I’m told most Dutch speakers can understand German, but it is harder for Germans to understand Dutch. Which doesn’t make sense to me, but I can only speak English so not really up to me to judge. (I do know a handful of Dutch words, which I use to impress the airport security with as I’m passing through, as the Amsterdam airport is a main international hub for the US).

I’ve technically been to Amsterdam before (a hotel near the airport one night) but this will be my first time really seeing the country.

I left my apartment in Brussels and headed out by train to the capital city of The Netherlands, Amsterdam. This is where I’ll be, for the next week.

I knew I was taking the train, which is part of why I was careful with only carry-on luggage, since I knew I’d be lugging it around with me. Boarding was a bit stressful, courtesy of some Americans.

This train was a little different – we had assigned seats, on specific coaches – all the other trips, I could just sit where I wanted, so if there was a backup then you just moved to the next coach.

The couple that were boarding first had a LOT of luggage. Each had a large suitcase, and a carry on suitcase, and a backpack. They were loading one by one – the woman had gotten on the train, and then the man was slowly loading each piece to her. And then, he got on, and all the luggage was in the doorway, and he started moving one by one to their seats. Because their bags were all at the entrance, no one else could board.

It varies by train. This one had 7 minutes total to board. I was standing there, getting anxious, when suddenly a train employee was at the door, yelling at the people to get out of the way so the rest of us could board. It was chaos – I was still putting my bags above my seat when the train started moving.

It got better though because then a man came down the aisle with a drink/snack cart JUST LIKE IN HARRY POTTER!!!

I dropped off my luggage at the hotel, and then spent a bit of time exploring the city for the rest of the day.

Water!

Amsterdam’s canal ring is a UNESCO site. It is a pretty impressive system, especially since it was designed in the 17th century. I have no idea where I was, and how many times I crossed the same ones, but it’s pretty cool.

They form half rings around the area that I’m staying in , and there are 5 main half rings in this area, with some off-shoots. So basically every block or two, you’re crossing water.

And then there also happen to be a river – the Amstel River.

Bridges!

Lots of water also means lots of bridges. There’s normal pedestrian bridges, but there are also some draw bridges, used for cargo/larger boats. The system includes a worker who basically follows the boat, while on bike, opening each bridge separately (and then closing it, and pedaling fast to get to the next one)

Anne Frank House

This is where Anne Frank and her family hid for more than two years, in the Secret Annex of the building at Prinsengracht 263, where Anne’s father, Otto Frank, had his business. The Van Pels family and Fritz Pfeffer also had their hiding place here. On August 4, 1944, the hiding place was betrayed and the people in hiding were deported to various concentration camps. Only Otto Frank survived the war; he’s the one that got his daughter’s diary published.

Basilica of Saint Nicholas

Saint Nicholas is the patron saint of this church and of Amsterdam. Construction was completed in 1887. On February 1st, 2025, Pope Franciscus elevated the basilica to Co-Cathedral of the diocese Haarlem-Amsterdam. I’m not entirely sure what that means, but it seems important.

Not like us.

These hooks, at the top of homes (or, now, upper apartments on the 4th floors) were for hauling things up, as a pulley system.

I didn’t see a lot of art today, with the exception of this ginormous rat.

And even their birds recycle!!

I counted 5 eggs at least from this Moorhen.

Monet

The artist. He lived here for a few years, and has tons of Amsterdam/Holland/Netherlands paintings. One image that he painted a few ways was the view from his apartment, called Looking up the Groenburgwal (that’s the name of this particular canal)

I’m standing on the bridge in the painting, looking towards the church.

Holy busy streets, Batman

It was crazy. Sidewalks were full of people, as were front stoops, and the boats on the water, and everywhere else. Lots of people sitting at tiny two seat tables outside of their front doors, drinking wine or eating, and tons of flowers everywhere.

For the first time in my life, I passed up the chance to go to another country.

I had planned to go to Luxembourg today, which is a country! Really! It is actually a little smaller than Rhode Island (which, as a reminder, is the smallest US state) but it actually IS a country. Europe, man. It was about 3 hours away by train, but I decided early this morning not to go.

Instead, I just wandered around the city a bit more, and ate a few more waffles.

Flea Market

One of the most frequented spots in Brussels by locals is the “famous” (according to the internet) open air antique market, named Place du Jeu de Balle. It is open 7 days a week – and is the world’s ONLY flea market open 365 days/year.

The area the flea market is now was originally intended to serve as a field for “balle pelote”, a very popular game in Brussels back in the day which is sort of like tennis from what I could tell.

Tons of stuff, none of which I needed (or have room for in my suitcase).

Waffles

Have I mentioned how much I love them? Because I really love them.

I love potatoes. 

French fries? French? To heck with the French. Here they’re called Belgian fries, thank you very much. 

French fries were actually created here, in the late 17th century. They actually started in villages along the river I saw yesterday – the river froze over, so the fish they relied on was gone for winters, so they started frying their potatoes the same way they had their fish. American soldiers stationed in the area tried them during WWI, and since it was the French speaking region, dubbed them French fries.

But not all fries are created equal! They say the decent ones are cooked twice (in beef fat) at different temperatures, so they’re both crispy and chewy. Few places still use beef fat (because it burns and can’t be reused) but there is one local place that does, so I obviously found it. Very worth the hunt.

Languages

It’s actually pretty fun to listen to people. Brussels has 184 nationalities living within the city. I can (sort of) tell when people are speaking French, and Dutch. I also generally recognize Spanish, and German, and English. But that seems to cover about 10% of the conversations in the coffee shop. I also wandered through some book stores, and even a cheese store. You can take the girl from Wisconsin, but you can’t take the Wisconsin from the girl.

Bathrooms

They’re hard to come by. No one here drinks water, and I think it’s because bathrooms are so hard to find. Small restaurants/coffee shops/waffle places don’t have them for customer use. Larger restaurants and museums do, for paying customers. They’re in all the train stations, but you have to pay. For as much beer as they consume here, you’d think they’d be much more prevalent.

Speaking of Beer

Belgium is the world’s 3rd largest exporter of beer – Mexico is the first, and the Netherlands the 2nd. They’ve been making beer since around the 12th century – and they say that they had no choice, because the water wasn’t safe to drink. I find this a bit suspicious, but they’re very adamant that you were more likely to die from contaminated water than you were from too much beer.

Most of the beer in the olden days was produced by the Church. It still happens to some degree, with a special type of beer called Trappist. A Trappist beer must be produced in a monastery, by monks, and the profits can only be used to support the monastery or be donated. There are currently 13 Trappist abbeys operating in the world, and 6 of them are in Belgium. Some produce enough that it is sold commercially, but some don’t.

Though I don’t drink beer, and didn’t consume alcohol this week, I did have a chance to taste one of them and it seemed special enough to try it.

Westvleteren was founded in 1838. The brewery continued operations through both World Wars, and also served as a hospital in WWI.

They only produce 60,000 cases annually – the same amount they’ve made every year since 1946. They’re very careful with their sales – you’re on a waiting list, and then have to go in person to pick it up, waiting in a line sometimes for hours, and they record your ID and license plate to make sure you’re not pulling some kidneys of trick to get more than your allotted 36 bottles. Their beer often wins “best in the world” taste tests, so it’s kind of a big deal.

I was given the option of trying their “Blue cap” which is ONLY 8% alcohol. (Their yellow cap is 10.2%. Miller Lite is 4.2%).

Per their website: “Dark amber colour. Crowned with an abundant and strong lacing head. The aroma of the Westvleteren 8 is an attractive combination of green nuts, soft fruit and a touch of caramel. The different flavours of this beer lead to a harmonious yet complex taste. One tastes the malts, as it were, up to barley husk. The aftertaste is characterised by a distinct and striking hop bitterness.” I thought it tasted like all of those things.

Cops

Two interesting things.

I was told that on the highways, there are cameras that record your license plate. No big deal – we have those in the states, right? Well, just like everything else, Europe is more advanced in this as well. The system is set up to record you at set points along the highway – so it takes your picture at Point A, and then again at Point B. And it knows how long it should take, if you’re going the speed limit, to get from Point A to B. Get their too fast? Well in a week, you get a ticket in the mail. Because of this, they say you rarely see police on the highway pulling people over.

The second thing is that everyone says that there are actually a ton of police in the city – most are just in plain clothes, and unmarked cars. They say this is so that you don’t feel overwhelmed by their presence, but they still are keeping you safe.

You guys. I think they’ve just tricked everyone into thinking cops are every where because they’re in plain clothes. Meanwhile, they’ve got AI monitoring you and a machine sending you a ticket, and there are like 6 cops in the whole country.

What’s next?

I head to Amsterdam tomorrow, so I’ll get packed up early in the morning and head out for the train. I bought some emergency rations today, in case the Netherlands doesn’t have any food.