Comfortabel worden in Amsterdam!

Posted by Diana Rodriguez July 13, 2026

Comfortabel worden in Amsterdam!

Week Two in Amsterdam

By: Diana Rodriguez

This week has definitely gone by way faster than the previous one. During one of our classes, we got to receive lessons from an urban planner who works here in Europe as the Founder and Partner of a planning company named "Stipo". He presented to us concepts from a book he edited, named "The City at Eye Level," in which he taught us lessons about urban design and planning. He taught us that public space is an important concept in sustainable planning, and that planning should not aim to deliver the perfect city, but to lay the foundations for progressive development. I thought the lessons he gave were fascinating as he elaborated on certain aspects in urban planning that transform an area into a hub for socialization and connection within a community.

The following day, my class was able to travel to Rotterdam and visit a floating farm, where they produce local and circular food for the inhabitants of Rotterdam. I thought it was interesting how the Floating Farm was created in order to produce healthy food in an environment that is able to respond to the changes made by climate change, which is in an area literally floating on water.

There were many crops that were being grown in the farm, as well as cows. The cows they have are fed by the leftovers produced by supermarkets as they create products from the crops sold to them by the farm, so this cycle has been created to minimize waste and to make the most of what is being grown. The farm also sells its own products of cheese, milk, and other dairy products, which I got to try and enjoy during my stay there.

This past weekend, I also had the privilege to travel to Cologne, Germany with a friend and stay at a hotel for two nights! While we were there, I was able to visit the Cologne Cathedral multiple times, which I was very happy to do since seeing the landmark has been on my bucket list for a while now. We even climbed the towers of the cathedral, which was 533 steps in total and was tiring to do, but it was definitely worth the struggle to view the city from the top.

We also visited the Museum of Chocolate and the Museum Ludwig while we were in Cologne! I took countless photos of the art pieces I saw at the museum, but I will include just a few in this blog to save space.