This trip has been so much fun. From the shopping to the site seeing to the naked Dutch man walking into my bed, I would say it’s been a very successful trip. On the last day we took a walking tour of Amsterdam with our tour guide. We were able to see so many beautiful buildings including the Diamond factory which of course was one of my favorites. After the tour we went to a synagogue, where we were able to learn about the Jews and walk through the church. It was so gorgeous and interesting to learn about. After we went to a museum about the Hollocaust which was very sad but also exciting because I had such a yummy lunch in the cafe there. We went straight from the museum to a canal cruise where we got to see Amsterdam from a different view. Finally we made it to our final stop of the day, which happened to be my favorite part of the trip. Our bus drove us to the Anne Frank house where we got to tour the house that her and her family were hiding in from the Nazis. It was truly one of the saddest but most eye opening experience. It was my favorite because I’ve learned so much about Anne and her family so it truly came to life when I was actually there in the house where it all happened. After the house, we had the rest of the day for some free time where I spent mine shopping and getting dinner. After a long day we journeyed back to the hotel to pack and pray that everything fit in our luggage….it did by the way. 👍🏽❤️

 

Today we are in Amsterdam ❤❤ I am so excited because obviously the movie “The Fault in Our Stars” was filmed here and also it is the home of great shopping….at least so I’ve heard. This city is absolutely gorgeous minus the weather but today we traveled to the Rijk Museum which is home to many famous artworks including, “The Night Hawk” and my favorite “The Milkmaid”. I first heard of the painting from Vickey, the sweetest chaperone ever. The way she spoke of the piece I could already tell I was gonna love it the way she did. When I first saw the piece I was honestly amazed. The detail and brush strokes out into the painting was just superb. I looked over and saw Vickey staring at the piece too and she started to cry. Seeing someone come to tears because of a piece of art really made me look at the rest of the artwork in a different light. For this reason, the Milkmaid is one of my favorite pieces I have had the chance to observe so far.

Today was our free day in Ghent and also our last day in Ghent. Belgium has been amazing and absolutely freezing. On my free day I spent it shopping and I’ll be honest sleeping. After Lillian let us go me & Elisia went straight to the stores on the Main Street. We started out at Zorro and then made our way to many different European stores. We also went to Lush and NYX. After a long afternoon of shopping we went straight to the hotel to shower and sleep. I really enjoyed having the chance to have the afternoon off to really enjoy the shopping and the culture of Ghent.

I had the chance to end my night with one of my good friends on the trip at a very nice bar. You could select many different drinks and finger foods to try. We both ordered Blue Lagoons and Craquetts which are brand new for me. Everything tasted so great and it was just a fun way to end the day!

Today was a very very interesting but long day. We went to museum after cathedral after museum after museum in the freezing cold….but the best part of today was the water bed forest. The “Water Bed Forest” as I like to describe it was in the last museum of the day. It’s actually funny because originally I was hoping we could skip the last museum because I was just so exhausted but it turned out to be the best part for many reasons. The last museum we went to was the MSK. We had a lovely older Belgium woman guide us all day and gave us art lesson after history lesson. After she took us around the MSK she gave us an hour to explore on our own and see what we could find. Immediately walking into the museum I was a huge room in the back with what looked like a jungle with trees and items hanging down from them. I walked down the stairs into the gorgeous room and found the most relaxing & just a beautiful setting. There were objects you wouldn’t think of hanging from the ceiling to create a jungle theme. I walked over to one of the trees and laid down on this bing bag mattress. I’ve never been so comfy in my life. All of the sudden, a strong smell of Violet hit me like a bus. There was a violet scent coming from the mattress. I looked up and saw items such as gloves and old cell phones hanging from the tree. I heard faint soothing music and cricket noises in the background. I was so calm after laying there. I then looked over and saw my friends jumping on the other mattress. I had no clue what the difference was between the one I was on and the one they were bouncing off of. I walked over there and soon came to the realization that they were lying on a water mattress. I’ve never been on a water mattress before so it was a once in a lifetime opportunity in my eyes. I sat on the mattress slowly and the water pushed me back up. I laid down and felt like I was floating on water. It was the coolest and most entertaining experience I’ve had in a long time…..well besides being in Europe lol. I felt as if I was a young kid again bouncing on and off. This was a great experience to have at the end of a very long and tiresome day. Btw I’ve now asked my parents for a water mattress to take to college lol!

Today was the second day of being in Belgium!! We had the chance to visit one of my favorite stops by far, the chocolate museum. Our guide took us through the entire museum where we learned how to make chocolate, discuss where chocolate comes from, and of course enjoyed lots of chocolate!

When we first entered the doors a lady handed us each a sample of chocolate and then a whole chocolate bar, as you can see below.

We passed a huge cocoa bean which we learned is where chocolate comes from, well is a major ingredient in chocolate.

Our guide led us to a small presentation where we actually had a chance to watch one of the chefs make the chocolate right in front of us. He first made the hard shell by pouring the liquid chocolate into a tray with different designs. Then putting them in the freezer to harden. After hardening, he poured a caramel filling into the shell and put it in the fridge to harden again. Finally, once hardened he poured another layer of chocolate over the caramel and let it freeze one more time. Then the chocolates are ready to be eaten.

We finished the museum by leaving through the gift shop where they sold lots of chocolate and chocolate based lotion and lip balm. The museum was so much fun and one of the best parts of this trip so far!

Today we landed in Brussels, Belgium and traveled to multiple museums where we had the chance to look at comics and of course beautiful pieces of art work. The last museum we visited was the Fine Art Museum, which had many famous works of art. Each student was given a piece of art to search for, admire, and contemplate. My piece was the Annunciation by the Master of Flemalle. As you can see in the picture above, the painting is truly magnificient. It really captures your eye and makes you wonder the story behind the piece. My first thought was maybe the Angel was talking to Mary and they were having a breakfast together in her home. I had many of my friends view the painting too and they agreed with me. The piece was very dark in the background but also very comforting to see the angel and her detailed wings. Overall, I enjoyed being able to see this painting in person and the many other paintings in this mueseum!

Hi everyone!! My names Whitney Marr and I’m a freshman at Appalachian State. I’m majoring in Elementary Education in hopes of becoming an Elementary School teacher one day. I have had the opportunity to travel abroad multiple times. I have been to Italy, Ireland, and Scotland. All are beautiful places and I can’t wait to add on to this list by traveling to Belgium and Amsterdam this week. For my first year seminar I researched the breathtaking piece of art, ‘The Amber Room’. By clicking here, https://youtu.be/KfpO1laWQ7g , you will be connected to the video I made discussing the piece of work. I’m honestly just so excited to have the opportunity to travel again and try the many different types of foods & drinks!