Verder Verkennen in Amsterdam!

Posted by Diana Rodriguez July 27, 2026

Verder Verkennen in Amsterdam!

Week Four in Amsterdam

By: Diana Rodriguez

As I continue to live out my study abroad experience in Amsterdam, it is inevitable that I spend some time learning about the history of the city and how certain events are remembered throughout time. I had the privilege to visit the Dutch Resistance Museum during a class excursion, where I got to see and hear about the stories and memories of people who were victims during World War II. There were many times during the experience where I almost teared up as I was looking at all the artifacts found within the museum. The physical aspect of storytelling enriched my visit, and I became more appreciative that places like the museum exist so that memories are not forgotten.

Afterwards, we went out on a walk through nearby streets where we stumbled across brass tiles embedded into the pavement of the sidewalk. On these tiles, there were names engraved to commemorate the Holocaust victims who lived in the adjacent buildings. It made the concept of commemoration in Amsterdam more interesting, as these landmarks can be found in places outside a physical building and integrated into daily routes of residents living in the city.

The following day, my class went on a trip to a nearby city, Utrecht, where we got to visit Utrecht University and learn about the different ways in which sustainable campus offices are working to improve energy and waste management throughout the university. I thought it was interesting how there is a small student thrift store and library found on campus, where students could take culinary items and books for free whenever needed. We also took a walk around the campus, where we got to see a garden filled with variations of fruits and flora. In fact, there are more than 10,000 plant species found in the garden, which made the visit not only enjoyable, but captivating as well.

We got to explore the city of Utrecht afterwards, which was truly a fascinating experience. The city was so beautiful, lively but peaceful. We got to visit a beautiful protestant cathedral and learn about the history of its conversion from Catholicism and how that shift is portrayed in iconoclasm. The cathedral is still in use to this day, so realizing that a population of religious individuals get to attend service in the grand building made the experience more interesting.

This weekend, I took a day trip to Brussels, Belgium with six friends from the program. We took about a 3-hour bus ride to the city, and afterwards we got to walk throughout the beautiful plazas, parks, and public gathering spaces within grand buildings. The architecture was beautiful, and I got to try Belgian waffles, fries, and chocolate during my visit. We took a bus ride back the same day around sunset, which I have never done since on past trips I would leave in the morning. Due to this, I got to experience the view during sunset, complemented with some rain, and it made the ride back more surreal.