Rotterdam

Yesterday I made the 40 minute train journey West to Rotterdam - it's easy to forget how close everything is in the Netherlands, and visiting different parts of the country makes me excited for some bicycle tours in the spring and summer months! When we arrived, the five of us hopped on a tram down to the area of Beurs, where we stumbled across a lovely little cafe and enjoyed some delicious and warming soup. With my trusty Lonely Planet guide we had already learnt a bit of history about the city, but only when you actually arrive do you see the stark contrast between Rotterdam and every other place I have been to in the Netherlands. The wide and expansive streets blend in with modern high-rise buildings; it's no wonder that people flock there to study its architecture.

Lovely little cafe

The famous bridge in Rotterdam

Babs and Catriona by the river

Wandering the streets we came across some cute shops selling all those nice things that you want to buy, like finger puppets and lampshades. Highlights of the day included walking along the riverside, laughing at Santa with his prop, and devouring some delicious cakes and coffee. We also found a shop that sold massive shoes (some of them were EU size 55 or bigger), which was quite amusing. Unfortunately I didn't get to see my girl Hannah, but we'll be having a Dutch adventure together soon!

Shoes for giants

Me and Santa, and his toy...

Coffees and scrumptious cakes

Bicycle bicycle, autumn splendour

Whoops... It has taken me far too long to get around to a second blog. But from this point I intend to write more regularly. So, I really like bicycles. I think I was definitely swayed towards studying in the Netherlands over a lot of other countries because of the cycling culture, and it's living up to its expectations in that way. I love the fact that anyone, no matter what their age, occupation or outfit choice, can be seen upon their two wheeler (sometimes three if it has a Christiania bike-style box at the front) . There are a few funny things you tend to see, and a few bits of etiquette you quickly learn when cycling around... Helmets are rarely seen, you can fit at least three people on each bike, in various formations, and make sure you don't walk on the cycle paths!

The sophisticated system of bike networks in Dutch cities means that it makes complete sense for it to be the chosen mode of transport for most journeys. It's quite novel to experience heavy bike traffic and weave your way along the canals with other hoards of cyclists. Navigating your way on foot or bike takes some getting used to though - there's probably more risk of getting into a collision with a bike than with a car!

Me on my bike, in warmer times

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So since I last wrote a blog, autumn has made its presence felt. At this moment there is the thickest fog outside my window, which looks like we could be in a high-altitude ski resort. The temperatures have dropped, the sun hides away a lot of the time, and the trees are showing their vibrant autumnal colours.

Mahsa's autumnal photos

We've just started a new "block" of courses at uni, and before that I had a trip back to London/Sheffield/Leeds, which quenched my thirst for some hills. Turns out that cycling here significantly reduces your ability to cycle with any sort of gradient - my thighs definitely got a good workout with the journeys back home! It was nice to have a change of scene for a few days, and I think having a break put a bit of energy back into things here in Utrecht.

Last Thursday a few of us went for some delicious Tapas in the cellars underneath Winkel van Sinkel for my flatmate Natalie's birthday, and we had a party on Friday. Safe to say it was a good one, but the state of the flat afterwards left a lot to be desired. Thankfully its back to a liveable state now. The day after the party I went to Efteling theme park along with my Californian gals Mahsa and Katelyn, which was a great day out despite the freezing temperatures. One of the highlights of the day was hanging out with a peacock by a big fire. The peacock seemed to enjoy popcorn...

Nat's party - guess the theme..

Efteling

Katelyn's innovative solution to cold feet

Just your average peacock by the fire

Hallo!

It seems a bit late to start a blog, as I've now been living in Utrecht for over six weeks... better late than never! The building I'm living in is called Cambridgelaan, which is student accommodation in De Uithof, the Utrecht University campus on the east of Utrecht. It's surrounded by sheep, fields and forests, and its a 20 minute cycle into town. The building that we live in is funny, here's a picture (I live in one of the bridges, suspended 14 floors above nothing). I'm ok with the height now, but it is still quite disconcerting when the whole flat wobbles in the wind.

The view of Anna and Catriona's flat from my bridge to theirs!

The first six weeks have whizzed by. I've met some great people from all over the world, explored the city and got lost many times. Anna (school and Leeds buddy) is living in the flat next door and provides me with much needed Leeds chat, as well as general entertainment and baking. People have been travelling quite a bit to various European cities, but I've generally stayed around here apart from making a trip to Gouda with Anna a few weekends ago. I'd like to visit some other cities but haven't felt the urge to rush around just yet.

Anna on the train to Gouda

Cheese! 

Beautiful canals in Gouda

Apart from getting acquainted with the local area, we were thrown straight into uni at the beginning of September. The pace is very different from Leeds; there is a much more consistent workload. So far I think I've written about 7 or 8 essays, two more to go plus an exam before the end of October! We've then got a week break before the next block of courses - I'm making a cheeky trip back to Leeds to catch up with friends and hopefully walk up a few hills.

My parents paid me a quick visit the weekend before last, before they went on their cycling trip in other parts of the Netherlands. We had a great time climbing the famous Dom tower in the centre of town, where you can see Amsterdam and Rotterdam on a clear day! I had a little rendezvous with James when he passed through on his way from Prague to Rotterdam, and was also visited by the lovely Alex for a few days. Overall I'm having a great time, despite missing mountainous terrain, Cadbury's chocolate and cheddar cheese!

JK in Utrecht!

A lovely walk close to Cambridgelaan

Alex + hot choc + cream