Fortification and Exploration!

Today I took a tour of the fortifications (tunnels) that surround Maastricht. The city was a great location to cross the Maas river, so enemies tried to invade the city frequently. We toured the tunnels and got a bit of a neat history lesson. The tunnels were built as far back as the Roman empire...and have been expanded on for centuries as the city grew. We toured the tunnels that were built more recently - in the 17th and 18th centuries. They were even used during the World Wars, as safe havens during air raids. They were also used during the Cold War as bunkers to hide in from chemical weapons etc. Was very neat! The tunnels were about 5'5" high, so everyone was ducking - haha, except me! Yay for being short!! I've included a picture from the tour.

Then, my friend Carolyn and I (she goes to school with me at the U) decided to explore Maastricht a bit more. We wandered around, glancing at the map only once. We went in lots of the little shops, including a pastry shop. She got a delicious waffle that's covered in powdered sugar, and I got a round puffy pastry with chocolate on top. As I bit in for my first bite, I discovered it was FILLED with cream, as it basically exploded. Had cream and chocolate from my chin to the bridge of my nose. Haha, not hard to picture. I'm sure to all the other customers I must be quite the amateur. There has got to be an easier and less messy way to consume a cream filled pastry. I just laughed and continued to eat, having to stop frequently to wipe the cream and chocolate from my face. But it was worth it.

We explored a bit more, looking into some shoe shops, some floral shops, and a cheese shop. We asked for a tasty Dutch cheese and got a few slices to take with us. We also stopped in a bread shop and got a roll for each of us - to eat with our newly purchased cheese. We walked around a bit more, but as it had started snowing (and we were pretty chilled), we headed home.

We met some more exchange students in the lobby of our dorm building where we'd hoped to eat our little dinner. We ended up learning how to play euchre - which was quite fun. We lost, but I feel it may be the first of many games to come. It's very similar to pfeffer or hearts, with two teams of two who sit across with one another. I then headed back to my room to relax for a bit. [Still no roommate.]

The plan is head out to a pub later tonight for a few drinks with some other exchange students...but as many people have been out for the past few nights, tonight should be pretty relaxed. More to come tomorrow - as I'm attending a traditional Dutch buffet dinner. I'm sure I'll have lots to report about the food, and pictures of it possibly too.

**Sending birthday wishes to a Miss Marcy Koch back in Mankato, all the way from Holland! :)

Grocery Shopping

Well today I figured I should probably go buy some food - as we must cook for ourselves! Didn't think much more than getting myself to the store. Once I arrived, remembered, DUH - EVERYTHING IS IN DUTCH! Like really, no English on ANYTHING. So...that was fun. Picked out things that I knew were obvious, like bananas, bread, spaghetti noodles, jam, eggs, etc. Pretty basic stuff. And pretty cheap too! It was all under 10 euros! I had one minor glitch...I didn't realize that they don't have scales at the checkout, so I needed to weigh the bananas and then get a sticker before I checked out. I just said I wouldn't get them, as there was a LARGE line behind me at the checkout. And they don't really have bags at the checkout either - surprise!. What they do have were flimsy tiny bags that I could barely fit three items in. So I was trying to quickly bag my stuff, put my money away, and meanwhile, the whole line of people are watching/waiting. Haha...oh well. I then am carrying my groceries (in my arms because the bags would break if I carried them normally) and spotted the store with sheets etc. [We had to bring our own sheets/towels, or buy them here. I chose to buy them here. So...last night was pretty amusing with no sheets! Thanks to Lauren - my sleep-sack was what I slept in!] So found towels, a duvet and duvet cover...not TOO expensive. Success! But - hauling it all back the three blocks with the groceries was a workout!!! I'll need to buy things that aren't in cans...or if they are...bring my backpack!

So tonight for dinner - I cooked (on my hot plate) myself grilled cheese, scrambled eggs and ate it with applesauce!! YAY!! I finally get to shower today (I know I know...gross) and then I'll be heading out with my new friends from Finland to a pub close by! Should be a fun evening. More to come tonight/tomorrow!!

About A Week Until "Go-Time"

Starting to mildly freak out as there's about a week left until I hit another continent. Freak in a good way, mind you. Starting to go through the packing list mentally about four times a day and remind myself of the millions of things to make sure I do in the next week. But - how I love lists and crunch time, so this week will be fun, actually.

Covering a lot on the 'check-list' this weekend by visiting family and friends. Starting down in Johnston, Iowa with Doug and Laura and then making my way up to Minneapolis on Monday to see those I can catch on their last free day before the semester begins. It's surreal to say good-bye to people knowing you won't see them for 4+ months...if not more.

Bought a Dutch language and translation book today and realized, when in doubt, start the word with a hard 'k' sound and you'll be right. For anyone who cares to know...Dutch words that start with a 'ch' or a 'g' or even a 'sch' are all pronounced with the hard 'k' sound. (Which are a LOT of words!) Found that to be quite interesting.

So...getting ready to begin the big adventure. Want to see as many people in the next week as possible, at least to get in a hug - so please, shoot me a text/email/phone call if you'd like to hang out/grab coffee etc.