Day 21: Last Day of Class, Super Stroopwafels, and Spirit-Tasting at a 17th Century Distillery

Today was our last day of class. Dr. Myers decided to take us to Oosterpark to discuss final preparations for assignments; i.e. when he expects to have journals (or in my case, blogs) finished, when he wants our final reflection papers, surveys, etc. Colin and I suggested that, in the future, instead of doing the diamond factory or the Hash, Hemp & Marijuana Museum, take the tour at the Heineken Experience and consider the economic differences between a large commercial brewery like Heineken and local microbreweries like our favorite windmill spot, Brouwerij't Ij. No comment on pronunciation there. Just call it "The Windmill"

Later we went to visit another street market on the other side of the park that we hadn't been to yet. What set this market apart from others I've seen in town was that prices were posted for most goods. Dr. Myers was kind enough to buy everyone warm, fresh super-stroopwafels, which are almost 4 times bigger than normal stroopwafels.

Later in the afternoon, a handful of us went souvenir shopping near a flower market in town. Dr. Myers picked up tulip bulbs to take home for a new "International Garden" on campus while some students bought some to take home.
After that, we visited the famous Wynand Fockink distillery just off of Dam square. Since 1679, they've been known for their jenevers and flavored liqueurs. (Fun Fact: The barman told us that the distillery down the street had been functioning since 1679 and that the building we were sampling spirits in opened 10 years later in 1689.)

I had a glass of their "Superior" jenever, which just refers to the kind of distilling process it undergoes. What makes this jenever "Superior" is that it's aged in Jack Daniel's barrels, allowing for a strong kick and wonderfully smooth finish.

Since picking up Dad's souvenir at The Windmill earlier, I've been finishing some laundry and trying to get myself arranged for quick, easy packing later tomorrow. We will be home on Friday!

P.S. I've moved back into my single room on the 2nd floor to make way for Mrs. Doctor Wilson who will be arriving early tomorrow morning. I'd like to thank Dr. Dennis Wilson for being a wonderful mentor and roommate on this trip. The man's been like a father to me, and I can't thank him enough helping make this trip a success.

Day 20: Flower Auction & Our Lady in the Attic

It was an early morning for the group today as we met out front of our apartment building at 6am local time (that's midnight for those keeping tabs back home) to visit Flora Holland, the massive flower auction through which over 50% of all flowers sold in the world each day flow. The building is roughly 775,000 square meters, making it the world's largest commercial building. That's like the size of 200 football fields!

The bidding follows the rules of Dutch-style auctioning. The bidding starts high and works its way down. The winning bidder pays the lowest price.

The building itself, the seemingly impossible logistics at work, and the massive number of flowers were unlike anything I've seen or experienced before. A fascinating tour, and one of the signature highlights of the trip.

Later in the afternoon, we visited Our Lord in the Attic, a secret church built by the Catholics in the 17th century. It was a secret at the time because Catholicism was banned in Amsterdam after the Protestants took over the city in the late 16th century. The church and, as of 1888, the museum were built in a space that combined 3 houses in the city's Red Light District. Our Lord in the Attic is Amsterdam's 2nd oldest museum after the Rijksmuseum, which was founded in 1808.

The church's priest had living quarters which included a very short bed confined essentially to a cabinet space in the wall. The reason behind having a bed so short for a man of average height? The priests in those days slept upright for fear of being taken by the Devil if they lied flat!

As for the maids living downstairs, their bathroom was one of Amsterdam's first. In the 17th century, no one had a "room" dedicated specifically to bathing, washing and relieving oneself. Needless to say, these lucky ladies had it made.

Throughout the building, there are paintings and references to St. Nicholas, the Christian saint whom we've come to associate with the Christmas season. Turns out that the Dutch don't envision exactly the same "jolly, old St. Nick" that Americans do. According to Dutch tradition, St. Nicholas is slender and strict, and he won't think twice to put a bundle of sticks in your shoe if you've been a bad kid! December 5th is when St. Nicholas's feast day is celebrated in The Netherlands, and this is when all the big presents come. December 25th, Christmas Day, is only for minor gifts. So imagine our Christmastime traditions flip-flopped with about 20 days' difference. That's the Holidays in The Netherlands. St. Nicholas is also the patron saint of Amsterdam.

I wasn't able to get a picture, but across the street from Our Lord in the Attic is a home that has a "clock facade", which is more ornate, complicated and much older than the usual square facades on most of Amsterdam's other houses. This one has two giant fish on it that look like ancient sea monsters but are really images of what the designer believed dolphins would look like.

Day 19: Night Watch at Rembrandtplein

This morning, the group went out early before class to take a picture at the "Night Watch" statue in Rembrandtplein.

In class today we discussed market strategy. On a 3-mile beach, ice cream vendors would operate at a socially optimal level if an establishment is placed roughly at each mile. Spacial considerations are crucial in determining economic activity. Then we learned that, when picking a spot for your company, you should locate closer to your target market if raw materials are perishable or gain weight as they are processed. You should locate closer to the raw materials if the raw materials or final product lose weight.

Later we started discussing the diamond trade in this area, and I learned that Amsterdam and Antwerp, Belgium were major trade cities back in the day (if they aren't still today) where several diamonds made their way from the coasts of Africa. Amsterdam was originally a trans-shipment point; so to cut costs, diamond cutters and polishers moved here for work.

After class, several of us went to Jamie Oliver's Fifteen restaurant near Centraal Station for lunch. I had a delicious "beef burger from Baambrugge on farmer's white bread with baked onions and pancetta". It was juicy, had great flavor, and the onions and pancetta were cooked perfectly. It just sucks that they forgot my order and had to put it in after all 13 other members of my group started eating. Overall I'd say the burger I had was a 9. One of the best I've ever had. That makes the second burger I've had on this trip to crack my Top 5 favorite burgers; the other being from Burger Meester (pronounced "Meister") around the corner. The service at Fifteen left something to be desired. It became increasingly clear to me by the sparse lunch crowd that this was more of a dinner place, and the service reflected that as well. 4/10 on that front.

On a more cultural note, I've learned recently that department stores and chain restaurants here usually have several floors. The H&M I went to last week had six floors! I've also seen McDonald's, Burger King and Subway with at least two floors. If you go out to eat and order a "club" or deli sandwich, it's popular to put sliced hard-boiled egg on it.

I did an assignment yesterday that involved a side-by-side comparison of prices for certain goods in America and the prices of those same goods in Amsterdam. I've come to find that on the whole, Amsterdam (and Europe in general) is more expensive than the States.

Day 17 & 18: Ajax Soccer & A Quick Lesson in Viral Street Marketing

Slow day for much of Saturday. Friday was a bit of a long night, so it was nice to sleep in. The biggest event of the day was the Ajax soccer game versus AZ, the former club of USMNT star Jozy Altidore. Many folks in our group tried desperately to get tickets, but the game appeared to be sold out, and the only tickets available were beyond our price range. Two members of our group managed to get tickets and attend the game in person. The rest of us found a pub on Rembrandtplein to watch the game at. I journeyed to the flea market at Waterlooplein earlier in the afternoon looking for a cheap Ajax jersey to wear, but there were none to be found.

What a game it was, though! I'm excited for Colin and Louis because they were present for about as thrilling a finish as you can hope to see in soccer. The game wasn't decided on penalty kicks, but it came down to a dramatic overtime finish with Ajax scoring the go-ahead goal after fighting their way back from a two goal deficit in regular time. It was an awesome game to see on TV, and I can only imagine how the atmosphere must've been just a couple miles southeast at Amsterdam ArenA (they capitalize both A's in "Arena").

We celebrated the comeback victory with a night of drinks and dancing, taking full advantage of our last Saturday night in the city.

Sunday was almost equally quiet as Saturday. I did homework in Oosterpark just around the corner from where we live. Lots of folks out with picnic bags and frisbees taking in the gorgeous, balmy weather we've had here in the wake of Saturday's rainstorms. Later in the day, I caught up with Dr. Wilson, Erin and Melissa from our group, and we went to get dinner from Sinbad's, a Turkish place near our residence. The weather was so nice that we took our meals to go and ate them in the same park. In the evening I noticed many more people grilling on small charcoal grills, which I thought would be an excellent idea if we actually lived here and had a grill to use. Later, I walked down a few blocks to the ATM, and I noticed an awkward pattern in the sidewalk. It looked discolored or stained. It took me a second to notice that what I was looking at was actually an incredibly clever piece of movie marketing.

There are poster advertisements in bus stops and on buildings all over town for several different movies; some of which even have monitors showing the trailers. But I hadn't seen The Wolverine advertised like this before. Very cool. Wish I'd thought of it myself.

Almost the entire group capped off the weekend with drinks at Kriterion around the corner, one of our favorite spots of the entire trip.

Day 16: Start of the Last Weekend

We had class in the usual spot this morning and continued our discussion about the effects of drug decriminalization. Should the United States adopt more tolerant policies towards soft drugs? If so, what are the pros and cons? Eventually we concluded that there really aren't many negative externalities associated with marijuana use; social stigmas placed on the drug may hinder America's immediate adoption of legislation similar to what's in place in The Netherlands.

We talked briefly about our excursion to the flower market next week, and I learned the following things: 50% of all flowers sold commercially in the world go through the Amsterdam flower market building each day. It's the largest commercial building in the world, and the auctions that occur there are not like what we might expect in America. A "Dutch auction" starts at a high price, and bidders attempt to mark it down as opposed to the other way around. Winnings go to the LOWEST bidder here.

It rained today for the first time since being in Amsterdam. I think more is expected this weekend, but it's been gorgeous since it stopped earlier this afternoon.

Day 15: Van Gogh Museum

This morning, the group took a trip to the Van Gogh museum where we admired several of the artist's original works. Sadly, his famous "Starry Night" is on loan to a museum in New York, so we weren't able to see it. But the "Sunflowers", "Self-Portrait" and the one with the smoking skeleton were enough to make the trip worth it.

"Self-Portrait" or as I've come to call it, "The Original Selfie"

After our visit, Dr. Wilson led us across town to Waterlooplein to get fresh-made deli sandwiches and drinks for around 5 euros. A perfect, cheap lunch that I'll surely be back for.

We were supposed to visit the Heroin Clinic today, but the visit wasn't able to be coordinated properly with anyone on the Clinic's end. We may go another day or not at all.

With that, it's been a relatively slow, quiet day. I just finished a homework assignment involving price comparisons from different "coffeeshops" around town. It's dinnertime here, and I'm feeling a bit peckish so I might head down to the grocery store and pick up something. Some folks headed out to the brewery at the Windmill awhile ago. Might try to catch up with them. Class tomorrow as our last weekend kicks off!

Days 13 & 14: Bruges and Brussels

We had an awesome two days in Belgium. On Tuesday we spent most of the day in Bruges. I think the draw there is that it's known as the "storybook city" and is so old, you feel like you've stepped into the 17th century. There's also a great movie called In Bruges that I highly recommend. Getting to see some of the locations used for the film was neat.

We took a canal tour around the city, climbed Belfort Tower, took lots of pictures, and visited an old church that houses the "Madonna and Child", the first of Michelangelo's sculptures to leave Italy during his lifetime.

In the evening we traveled to Brussels. Upon our arrival we were given time to shower and change clothes in our hotel before heading to a group dinner. I don't recall the name of the restaurant, but the rabbit I had was phenomenal! Afterwards, the majority of our group headed over to the Delirium Cafe for beers. If you ever find yourself in Brussels with time to kill, you have to visit this bar.

It has 3 floors of bars with most (but not all!) of the same beers on tap. I think there's over 2000 beers available, but not all are on tap. I think there are close to 100 taps. If you go, make sure to try the house beers Tremens and Nocturnum. Tremens was named the "Best Beer in the World" at the 2008 World Beer Championships in Chicago. It's pretty darn good, if I do say so myself.

The next morning we traveled across town to visit the European Commission, which is the governing body of the European Union. Not all of Europe is part of the EU. The EU has a free movement of goods, money and people across the borders of member nations. We had an informative lecture from one of the officials there. It was basically a history lesson about the background of the European Union, how it came to be, etc.

After our visit, we got temporarily misplaced looking for our hotel. Once we found it, some folks got changed and we went to find a place for lunch. I had a great club sandwich and bottled water for 5 euro from a place called Panos. We were given ample time to shop for souvenirs and walk around in search of waffles, chocolate or anything else we wanted. I got a delicious waffle with ice cream from Haagen-Daz.

Once the group reconvened after lunch, we walked down to Manneken-Pis, a famous fountain of a young boy urinating. It's actually not all that spectacular. Definitely overhyped.

Days 10, 11 & 12: First Free Weekend

We've been asked by our professors to keep a journal or a blog of some kind that chronicles what we've learned on the trip. Well, this weekend has taught me a huge lesson: never forget your keys when you walk out the door. Especially when the door locks on closure.

To put it bluntly, I've been locked out of my room all weekend, so I apologize for the late post. What I'm about to share should bring you up to speed on what's gone down the past few days.

I spent most of Saturday with Dr. Myers and my buddy Colin in Delft, a city well-known for its "Royal Blue" brand of pottery and is only a one hour train ride from Amsterdam. Had a great burger for lunch and spent some time wandering around the maze of market stalls along the streets.

We found the best ice cream of the trip so far at a place called Beaart IJssalon. I had a scoop of mint and a scoop of white chocolate. The mint had chocolate shell on it, so when it was scooped, it ended up more like mint chocolate chip. The white chocolate had white chocolate pieces in it. So good.

After we returned to Amsterdam for the evening, I realized I had locked my keys in the room. Pretty quick way to knock the day's mood down a peg. With apparently nothing else to do and no other plans in the mix, I decided to see a movie at Tuschinski near Rembrandtplein. What makes Tuschinski unique is its art deco-influenced architecture. There aren't many picture houses like it anymore. My professor likened it to a Dutch version of the Grauman's Chinese Theater.

Once you enter the lobby, it feels like you've stepped into a time capsule to the 1920s. The main screening hall is an auditorium similar to what you might've seen in The Artist or Singin' In the Rain. Plenty of floor seating, two balconies, a stage, curtain, and breathtaking craftsmanship in the architecture are as best I can describe it. (The theater has a modern wing with a few more screens that are more like what moviegoers today are used to.)

I saw Pacific Rim in 3-D. I'm behind on reviews, so I'm doing a 5-movie highlight reel for the films I've watched on this trip so far. Look for it on my other blog, http://thereelbennyc.blogspot.com/.

On Sunday, we went to the beach at Zandvoort. It's on the North Sea, so the water's a little chilly!

Paige, Dr. Wilson and I went to find a place to eat after we got back to town. Shawarma, mmmmmm! Later on, we visited the Red Light District to get a glimpse of how things are over there after dark. Trust me, it's a completely different animal once the sun goes down.

Today we had class in our usual spot at the Sociology building at the University near Spui (pronounced: Spuh'). When Louis and I walked out of the alley from our classroom and onto the street, we were stopped by a man on the street who pointed to Louis's shirt and said, "WKU? Western Kentucky University? From Bowling Green, Kentucky?" Louis and I looked at each other, shrugged and said "Yes, sir. We're here studying for a few weeks. What was your name again?" And the man replies, "Oh, I'm sorry, I'm Romeo Crennel."

Talk about WTF!??! After a minor fanboy moment, we chatted up the former Hilltopper lineman and NFL coach. We met his wife, Rosemary, and learned that Amsterdam was a stop on their vacation around Europe. The Crennels were nice enough to oblige the group with a photograph before we parted ways. Meeting a prominent American football coach like Crennel is kind of surreal because he's the absolute last person you'd expect to run into on the street in Amsterdam.

The rest of the day hasn't matched that highlight. I've moved back into my old room in lieu of, not just my lockout, but of my sickness which I believe was brought on by some mold in the room I was previously living in. Two nights out of that room, and I feel great despite a lingering cough and achey throat.

Tomorrow morning we leave for Belgium! I'm working on some laundry and trying to keep it cool on this hot Amsterdam day. Should be packing shortly, but I probably won't bring my laptop which means I won't be able to post for another couple days.

Things I've Learned from Saturday through Monday, 7/22/2013

The European Union doesn't include all European countries; only the ones that agree to certain human rights, representative government and free trade.

Belgium, France, Italy, Germany, Luxembourg and The Netherlands were founding member countries of the EU.

Norway is NOT a member of the EU due to sovereignty issues and struggles with oil rights.

The European Commission is the governing body of the EU.

Tariffs fund the operations of the EU.

Not all EU countries are members of the Euro Zone and vice-versa.

Always remember your keys before you leave.

Nudity is tolerated on most beaches here.

If you want to truly feel like you're in Europe, get on a train and hop off in a neighboring town or village. (Delft feels much more like Europe than Amsterdam does.)

Germany has the strongest economy in Europe.

Day 9: A Day of Windmills & More Pancakes

In class this morning we concluded our discussion on prostitution and briefly started talking about the drug trade.

Afterwards, I joined the guys for pancakes again. This time we went to the Upstairs, a joint that bills itself as the smallest restaurant in Europe. But don't diss it until you try it. The place may very well be the continent's smallest eatery.

After you climb a nearly 90 degree set of stairs that's less than 1meter across, you come to a landing that has a table directly in front, the "kitchen" and cash register to the left, and two more tables kitty-corner to the "kitchen". But the draw for us wasn't just its architectural and spacial quirks. Anthony Bourdain apparently visited the Upstairs during an episode of his television show "The Layover". My buddy Josh ordered the same thing Bourdain did: the rhubarb and apricot special.

I elected for the heavenly banana-chocolate pancake. (I've figured out this neat Smell-O-Vision trick, so go ahead. Get really close to your computer screen and just sniff. It really works best if you press your nose against the monitor. Give it a try!)

Smells good, right?????? ;-)

Later in the afternoon, about half the group left the city to do some independent travelling around Europe. Some kids went to Paris, others to Germany, and I think we had one or two go to London. Those who stayed behind went to Koog Zaandijk and Zaanse Schans, two villages that were about 15 minutes out of the city by train. Zaanse Schans is famous for its chocolate factory and numerous windmills (seriously the air there wreaks of cocoa, but I'm not complaining). We did lots of walking, but it was definitely worth the trip.

The weather couldn't have been better. With the breeze and waterways coming in from the North Sea, it felt much more like small-town Florida than The Netherlands.

Afterwards, we had dinner at a pizza place right next to the water in Amsterdam. The night ended with drinks at Kriterion, which is a bar/movie theater around the corner that only shows the most thought-provoking of fare, like Noah Baumbach's Frances Ha and Nicolas Winding Refn's Only God Forgives. 

I've been fighting a wicked sore throat and cough for the past few days, but I've still been trying to make the most of my time here. Can't wait to sleep in tomorrow!

Day 8: Anne Frank House & Dutch Resistance Museum

The group got up early this morning to visit the Anne Frank House. I was familiar with Anne's story from her diary, which I read back in middle and high school. I also knew about the war from what I've learned in my years of schooling, but that didn't keep me from discovering a thing or two while I was there. Like I didn't know that the family hid in a "secret annex" of the house for two years, unbeknownst to the workers in and around other parts of the house. It amazes me how the family and their accomplices, like Miep Gies, were able to keep quiet for so long without so much as ruffling the shades on a window. 

Since she didn't want anything to do with Germany, her country of birth, Anne chose to write her diary in Dutch rather than German. 

I was surprised to see that the spaces in the house really weren't all that cramped. The stairs were the worst part. I've never climbed a narrower or steeper staircase in my life!

Mom asked me to take a picture of someone standing next to a stove or a shelf so that her middle school students could get a sense of perspective that the online virtual tour doesn't provide. I was sad to hear that picture taking in the house isn't allowed. I didn't notice anyone else as anxious to break this rule as I was, and I kept getting ice-cold looks from folks who noticed my flash. I was only able to get two good pictures. Thankfully the gift shop provided a few materials that should serve up a bit of the perspective that Mom was looking for.

Later in the afternoon we visited the Dutch Resistance Museum. While minuscule compared to other museums around Amsterdam, the DRM chronicles the story of how The Netherlands functioned under Nazi occupation following the bombing of Rotterdam. This was a fascinating experience chock full of artifacts and interactive displays. I just wish some of their display cases were wider. In some spots, you can hardly tell what's encased there!

We had a lovely tour guide who was originally from Texas and had family visiting from New Jersey. She taught us that Holland had been neutral before the Rotterdam bombing. Also, the German Nazis inspired a Dutch Nazi organization known as the NSB, and NSB agents were notorious for being traitors. It wasn't clear to me in what capacity. Most obviously, they should be considered traitors for abandoning their former way of life and adopting the ideals of the oppressive Nazi party. But I forgot to ask if any NSB changed their mind and abandoned the Nazis in favor of returning to their old way of Dutch life. Dutch resistance groups, those who opposed the German and NSB occupation, had several young adult members, and perhaps their most daring feat was smuggling 400-500 Jewish children out of the country to safety. One of the more surprising facts I learned was that the Dutch were still held accountable for their taxes upon returning to The Netherlands from war or the concentration camps. 

On the way out of the museum, something else dawned on me. The exit signs over doors do not look a thing like the exit signs in America. No red EXIT printed in giant letters. Here it's bright green with a small square in the middle and an arrow pointing down.

All in all, this Thursday has been an awesome day. It doesn't feel like we've been here a week already. I've learned so much in the last few days, and I'm glad I've been able to share it with you readers. Can't wait to see what adventures the next two weeks have in store!

Day 7: Pancakes, Homework & The Bike Ride from Hell

Class this morning involved a discussion on what we learned from our visit with Mariska at the Prostitution Information Center last night. I reported much of what I immediately picked up on the tour in last night's post, but today's discussion opened my eyes up to a few more things. For example, it costs anywhere from €85-€155 for a sex worker to rent a workspace. There are always substitutes for window prostitutes, these being brothels, private houses, or consensual, premarital, or extramarital sex with wives, girlfriends or other partners. 

Last night I reported that the city of Amsterdam is launching a new project to close many of the windows surrounding the Wallen's Old Church. Prostitutes clearly are the ones who stand to lose in this situation with a decrease in business and greater competition for a smaller number of work spaces, but the landlords of buildings with those open windows have much to gain. They can charge higher rent premiums than the established 85-155 range for women seeking to use their rooms for work.

I also learned that prostitutes pay steep taxes. 30-35% of their revenue goes to income taxes, and another 20-25% goes to sales tax. (I assume the sales tax is for use of the workspace, but I'm not certain.) The difference between a stripper and a prostitute is that a stripper gets into her profession to avoid the physical contact that sex entails. A prostitute will sell her body but won't strip because she doesn't want to parade around on a stage.

Other things I learned that aren't related to prostitution are that when visiting restaurants or bars, you shouldn't ask for a bathroom. Ask for a restroom or "toileten" in Dutch. Also, European currency has a penny, but it's not used very often. It's more common for totals to be rounded and for change to be given in the nearest whole cent. In office and apartment buildings, floors start at zero. The 2nd floor is actually the 3rd from the ground and so on. The economy here seems to rely much more on cash and debit rather than credit. Hardly anyone uses a credit card. Lastly, the city of Amsterdam has its own flag:

After class I met some of the guys for pancakes at the Carousel in front of the old Heineken brewery. Dutch pancakes aren't like American pancakes. They're closer to French crepes except they're slightly thicker. The serving is only one pancake, but trust me, that's more than enough. I ordered mine with mixed fruit and whipped cream. Yum!

Afterwards, I rode back to the apartments on the back of my buddy Blake's bicycle. I'm grateful, but trust me it was not as fun as it looks...

Anne Frank House and the Dutch Resistance Museum tomorrow!

Day 6: Rijksmuseum and P.I.C.

Moved into my new room last night. It wreaks of tobacco smoke when you walk in, so I'm working on eradicating that smell at the present time. The shower drain is also clogged, so the bathroom floods whenever I use it. The hot water is scalding hot, the water pressure in the sink isn't high enough, and the shower's is too high. It sure as hell ain't The Ritz, or even the room I had a few days ago, but I'm glad to have living quarters closer to the other students of my group.

Today we visited the Rijksmuseum, the city's massive art gallery. It features several pieces by Dutch artists Rembrandt and Van Gogh. The highlights, for me, were seeing Rembrandt's famous painting of "The Night Watch" and the museum's dazzling collection of old Dutch weaponry, complete with muskets, rifles, pistols and swords. I also noticed a nifty way that the museum has embraced 21st century technology was by using current generation iPod Touch devices for guided audio tours. A small number of exhibits utilized iPads as interactive "plaques" for guests to gain information on specific pieces.

Later in the day we visited the Prostitution Information Center in Amsterdam's Red Light District and took a guided tour with the founder, Mariska Majoor, who is a former sex worker. We learned about how prostitution works in The Netherlands and how the Red Light neighborhood has been affected over the years. A few rumors were also dispelled, the biggest, in my mind, being that the day care center, nestled between window-brothels on either side, was exclusively for the children of sex workers. This isn't the case. That day care center is open to anyone, provided they accept the city's invitation to place their children there.

We learned that the city of Amsterdam recently approved a new project that will reduce the number of windows from over 400 to around 290 over the next few years. While still technically legal, authorities are hoping to contain the prostitution to a smaller area in an effort to revitalize the neighborhood's image. This is a critical move that the city hopes will attract more housing residents and businesses to the area, although it will make things harder on the prostitutes who will have to fight over a smaller selection of available work spaces.  As for the window workers themselves, we learned that the women can refuse services to any customer, that you have to be 18 years of age to become a sex worker in The Netherlands (though the age limit will soon increase to 21), and that each room has a loud "Panic" button in the event of an unruly encounter that will summon other prostitutes, landlords, or nearby police to help the imperiled worker.

In closing, I've come to learn a couple more things about the city itself in the past few days. Tax is included in all prices, meaning the price you see on the tag or on the menu is what you pay. In restaurants, tips come at a lower percentage than what we're used to in the States. Most stores close early, too. Clothing stores, souvenir shops, museums and the like close around 8. The grocery stores close at 10. Bars, clubs and some fast food restaurants are the only places that stay open into the night. I'm not exactly sure yet why that is. Maybe that'll be on the "list of things I learned" tomorrow.

Day 5: First Day of Class

This morning was our first meeting in the classroom at the Universiteit van Amsterdam (or University of Amsterdam, for you non-Dutchies out there).

We took a quiz over some of the material in our trip handbook, then we talked about socially optimal conditions and how markets should be government regulated when they are inefficient. I also learned two new terms: "economies of agglomeration" and "economies of conglomeration". The difference between the two is that agglomeration refers to the tendency of like businesses to cluster together near one location, and conglomeration refers to businesses that work off of each other, like having a fast food restaurant next to a bar or a gas station next to a car wash.

The class also spent some time discussing the differences we've noticed between the United States and Amsterdam. For instance, I've heard more languages spoken here than in any other locale I've ever visited. English, Spanish, German, Dutch, French, a little Italian, Portuguese and Chinese mostly. Everyone seems to be very well-dressed. Even small children seem to have a better fashion sense than most of the students in our group! Most of the men and women we've run into could easily be fashion models. Europeans also tend to smoke much more than Americans (weed, sure, but primarily cigarettes), but they have a better diet than we do. Amsterdam natives are very fit because they walk and bike everywhere. Public transportation is stellar, and some folks have cars but most seem to get around on foot, on a bicycle, or on a motor scooter.
Speaking of public transportation, I've noticed that the tram rides are annoyingly quiet. Nobody says a single word to each other. Honestly, the only time I've heard noise on the train is if somebody is on their cell phone or if our group is on board! If it wasn't already clear that we're Americans by the way we dress, you know it's us when we take over the tram.

We also came across an issue trying to split the cost of a bill at lunch the other day. European restaurants won't do it. It's a royal pain trying to collect the proper amount of cash from everyone while ensuring everyone also receives the correct change. While out to eat, service also tends to take a bit longer. I experienced this firsthand at dinner tonight. Eating meals at a cafe are a much slower, relaxed experience, at least in Amsterdam. It seems like they place a much larger focus on the social aspect of spending time with other people over food than we do in the States.

Day 4: Heineken Experience

I meant to write earlier so now I'll have to be brief since I'm about to crawl into bed. It's nearly 1am here on Monday morning.

Sunday was an outstanding day. Got to sleep in this morning after spending Friday and Saturday night on the town. Had a visit from an attractive woman who works in the building regarding having my pipes fixed in the bathroom... (Wait, what? But seriously, there's a leaky pipe behind the toilet in my room, so Lotte was nice enough to come survey the damage and set up a time to have it fixed.)

Stupid joke? Well, I guess I'm a legend in my own mind, folks.

I was able to pull together a decent-sized group to go over to the Heineken Experience tour this afternoon. I think we had about 12 in all out of about 20 students.

So far, I'd say that's the best 18 euros I've spent, and I think there are plenty of others in the group who would say the same. None of us knew exactly what to expect, but we were all blown away and had a huge blast. If you've ever been to Hershey's Chocolate World in Hershey, PA, think of the Heineken Experience like that, except for beer instead of candy! There was a museum with plenty of artifacts and displays about the history of the brewery, the Heineken family, and the methods behind crafting the beer. We got to visit the old brewing room, took the "Brew You" ride for a spin, sampled beer fresh off the line, played foosball, made music videos, and even bottled our own Heineken!

Afterwards we had to walk about 20 minutes to another Heineken brand store in order to pick up the "free gift" we were promised with our wristbands we got upon entering the former brewery. It's a bottle opener. A nice one at that, but several of the Economics students, myself included, found ourselves weighing opportunity costs of walking so far for such a seemingly insignificant prize. We unanimously decided that we'd be damned if we didn't milk our money's worth out of the experience, so we continued on and claimed our exclusive "e" shaped bottle openers!

Later a handfull of us went to dinner at Villa Maria Argentinian Steakhouse near Leidseplein then took the tram over to Dam Square where we found an excellent gelato shop. I had chocolate and stroopwafel in a dish. (Google it)

Day 3: Canal Tour

Last night I went out to Rembrandtsplein for drinks with some of the guys from the group. It was a fun time walking around, sticking our heads into some of the bars in that neighborhood and having some time to bond. The lesson of last night's outing was that dancing is not exactly Europe's thing. I've never seen so much awkward shuffling in one place in my life! We got in at about 3:30am local time. (That's nothing to the locals, who start their night around midnight or 1am, then stay out until the sun comes up!)

On the morning of our third day (today), the group went to a flea market near Waterlooplein. We were free to browse and shop as we pleased, but once again I didn't find anything that really piqued my interest. I think we'll be going back there later this week for a class assignment.

I had lunch with Erin, Melissa and Kriss from the group at a Tony's New York Bagel shop. That's right. We came 3,800 miles to eat New York City bagels.

All kidding aside, I had a fantastic chicken avocado sandwich on an everything bagel. Props to Erin for making the executive decision on eating there.

Getting back from lunch was an adventure. We got on the right tram, but found ourselves headed in the wrong direction! We got kicked off at Centraal Station, which is the end of the line for most of the city's public transportation. Erin, Melissa, Kriss, and I had to wait several minutes for the next tram, doing our best to keep our heads since we thought we might be late for meeting the group for our canal tour. We made it just in time, though!

The canal tour was nice, but could've used some improvement. Our boat navigated several canals, a river, and a bay while a vocal narration played intermittently through headphones. So it's like, you're listening to this narration talking about some of the city's history, and then it'll stop for ten minutes. Of course everyone takes the earphones off in that time and shifts their focus (if it wasn't there already) on socializing and snapping pictures. The windows on the boat weren't exactly conducive to great angles for photos, but I still managed to get a few good shots.

We've been free since then, and should be until class on Monday morning. I went back to the brewery in the windmill a few blocks down the street with some of the guys this afternoon. Local, craft beer at excellent prices? Can't beat that.