Sunday, May 25- Free Day

Today was our first free day of the trip. On free days, the students are able to choose how they spend the day while checking in with Dr. Kropp and Dr. Veraldo upon their return. Sixteen students decided for an adventure to Amsterdam! Normally, this is a relatively easy, 2-hour trip, but due to rail construction, things were a bit more complicated. The group left the hotel at 6 A.M. to catch their first train. Three stopovers later, they arrived in Amsterdam around 11 A.M., adding another country to their travels!

Upon arrival, the large group dispersed- some went shopping and explored the city of Amsterdam via walking while others went to explore the city via the historical canals. Many did the Heineken experience which was definitely a more touristy attraction in comparison to the Stella brewery tour. At the Heineken experience, they were able to read about their different sponsorships in the world of sports which was really interesting, from F1, to European league soccer and more. For dinner, the students found a tasty Italian restaurant, where the pizza was served with scissors!The group caught a train around 8:30 to head back to Leuven, returning at 12:45 A.M.

Our other students decided to spend the day visiting Bruges/Brugge, the

capital city of Flanders, Belgium, well known for the beautiful canals, cobbled streets, and medieval buildings. They began the day with Dr. V also decided to check out Bruges on her free day. When they got off the train, they headed to the Markt to find something to eat and look at the different chocolate stores. Afterwards, the students took a boat tour where they saw a lot of amazing architecture and learned that geese are protected animals in Bruges!

The students then went to see the Belfry medieval tower and stumbled across a torture and witch museum. For dinner, the students found a local Asian restaurant in the University district, where an end of the school year event was taking place, with lots of teachers and students celebrating.

Dr. Kropp was able to spend the day with her family and friends in Belgium (and also snuck in a much-needed nap!). Tomorrow we venture to Paris, where we will be exploring for the next week.