On Saturday, some of the exchange students and I went on a bike trip to Den Haag to visit the beach, get some fish and chips, and enjoy another day on the bikes. Den Haag is the third largest city in the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam, and it’s only 8km away.
On Saturday, I met Megan and Julian through Sophie and Boris, and on Sunday, Megan, Julian, Sylvain, and I rode our bikes throughout Zuid-Holland (South Holland). The plan: visit the Vis Paleis (Fish Palace) near Hoek van Holland. The schedule: non-existant. The result: an amazing day exploring our surroundings and experiencing Dutch culture.
Accomodation in the Delft is especially hard to find, so like many students, I contracted with DUWO short stay housing to find my new apartment. There’s three bedrooms, a kitchen, a toilet room, a shower room, and a dining room. The housing is simple, and our apartment is one in a large complex of low-income apartments. There’re a number of student apartments here, but we’re intermixed with families and other residents.
I have two roommates, but only one is moved in. Sylvain, from France, is teaching me French (comment ça va?). He studies Aerospace Engineering, and has quite the sense of humor – he refers to the trash thrown down into our yard by the people above us as “charms.”
Delft, home of TU Delft, will be my home until at least February 2008. Delft has a population of about 100,000 people and dates from the 13th century. My favorite area in the city so far is the city center, which has the City Hall, the “New” Church, and a nice little pub called De Ruif. Like many Dutch cities, canals are numerous around the city center.
I arrived to the Netherlands. The flight to Amsterdam and train transfers to Delft went smoothly. After I got to Delft, I met up with some friendly CouchSurfers (Sophie, Boris, and Juan-Carlos). This was my third CouchSurf, and again it was another great experience!
