Created on Sunday, 01/13/2008 4:51 PM by Unknown User
January 12 Today we started out with a trip to the Eiffel Tower. It was a long and, to some, nerve-racking, ride up to the third platform of the tower. This gave us an amazing view of the city. With the sun shining, it was a perfect day for the trip. Next, we took a subway ride over to the Notre Dame Cathedral where we were able to walk through the church. This gave us a small taste of the church service that we will experience there tomorrow. From here we were given the rest of the afternoon to use as we please. At night we met together once again for a Seine River cruise. Although it was quite cold, the cruise gave us a beautiful view of the city at night. I think that everyone would agree that the best part of ride was seeing the Eiffel Tower sparkle at the top of the hour. After the ride ended we had the rest of the night to ourselves. | |
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Day 07 Versailles, Paris (permalink)
Created on Sunday, 01/13/2008 4:37 PM by Unknown User
January 11 Today we left the hotel in Brugge early and began our 4 hour journey towards Paris. Before exploring the city of Paris, we stopped by Versailles, home of the Versailles Palace built by King Louis the XIV and his 22,000 workers. The gardens and palace were beautiful to walk through despite the dismal weather. | |
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Day 06 Brugge (permalink)
Created on Sunday, 01/13/2008 4:29 PM by Unknown User
| Thursday, January 10 Our first stop was to Burke Porter, a company that originated in Grand Rapids. They design automotive testing equipment used by major automotive companies for automatic alignment, ABS testing, and robotic tire assembly. We had a presentation to start the tour followed by a walk-through of their facilities. A final short presentation wrapped up our visit. Burke Porter's hospitality was amazing. We had free time once we returned to the hotel to find an independent lunch before a guided tour of the city, which was scheduled for 1:30. The guides were provided by the city and were very enthusiastic which made for a very interesting and informative tour. A few of the stops included: an old nunnery which is still being used and "Virgin and Child" - a well-known sculpture by Michangelo. Once the city tour was complete we again had free time for the remainder of the day. Some people decided to climb to the top of the bellfry at the market square which provided for a great view (as seen in the pictures), as well as a noisy but pleasant treat as the bells rang at the hour, just feet from the students stationed at the top. | |
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Day 05 Goes, MiddleBurg, Veere, Oosterschelde, Brugge (permalink)
Created on Sunday, 01/13/2008 4:18 PM by Unknown User
| January 9, 2007 Wednesday morning began with a visit to Vermeer manufacturing, a business located in Goes. We learned a lot about this business’s purpose and how it became successful by using particular business strategies. After the tour, we drove to Middelburg for lunch and shopping. Veere was our next but quick stop. As a group we walked the cobblestone streets and saw the canal and small, beautiful homes of the people who live and work there. After Veere, we stopped at Oosterschelde, a surge barrier that can close in less than an hour in case of a storm. The stop was quick and we began our drive to a new country, Belgium. The drive in to Belgium was pretty with a big canal, old gates of the city and the local people riding bicycles. The area Is very nice and you can easily tell that there is a lot of history behind this area because of the old building. After an abnormal check-in and another group dinner with lots of French fries, we had the night free for exploration and relaxation. We look forward to learning more about this interesting city over the next day. Allison Bosma and Sarah Plaisier | |
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Day 04 The Hague, Delft, Hoek of Holland, RotterDam, Goes (permalink)
Created on Sunday, 01/13/2008 4:10 PM by Unknown User
| Tuesday, January 8, 2008 Our first stop today was a quick one at the Peace Palace in The Hague. After a short bus ride, we arrived at the Knights Hall and the Dutch House of Representatives for a guided tour. It was interesting to see the similarities and differences between the Dutch government and ours. Then we left The Hague and drove on to the town of Delft for lunch and some shopping. After lunch, we drove on to the Nieuwe Waterweg, where we saw the large storm surge barrier that is used to protect the Netherlands from flooding during a storm. On our way to the city of Goes where we spent the night, we drove through the large city of Rotterdam. This city was interesting because the architecture was much more modern than the other cities in the Netherlands because the city was destroyed during World War II. It was a busy day and dinner at the hotel was delicious. After dinner, we were invited to a local church with connections to Calvin for a short service and dessert. Being very old, the church’s architecture was neat and we were able to climb up the bell tower for a good view of the town. | |
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Day 03 Aalsmer, Haarzuilens, Weesp, The Hague (permalink)
Created on Sunday, 01/13/2008 4:02 PM by Unknown User
| We began our day at the Aalsmeer flower auction, the largest one in the world. Thousands of different kinds of flowers of many shapes, colors, and sizes filled the gigantic warehouse. It was bustling with activity in both the warehouse and the auction rooms, where people were buying flowers left and right. After the Flower auction we made our way to the Kasteel de Haar. The castle grounds there looked very beautiful even in the middle of winter. We took a guided tour and learned about the history of the Netherlands in the 13th and 14th centuries. We were able to go into several rooms, each filled with the original furniture-the kitchen even had a complete set of copper utensils and cookware. Our last stop was to Solvay Pharmaceuticals, where we were split up into 3 groups and given different tours of parts of the plant. Their main concern right now is the influenza, and bird flu vaccines. Each group got to see different parts of each process in producing the vaccine. Most of the groups had to wear protective suits, boots and hats to get into the facilities. Overall it was a great experience and a splendid day. | |
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Day 02 Amsterdam (permalink)
Created on Sunday, 01/13/2008 3:55 PM by Unknown User
| Sunday, January 6, 2008 Today we woke up bright and early to enjoy a great Dutch breakfast in Amsterdam. We then walked down the road to the English Reformed Church. Inside the church we able to admire a building built over 400 years ago. The service took roughly two hours, but it was refreshing to see a different, relaxed, yet traditional service. During the service the church welcomed a new deacon and participated in communion. Following the service we had free time for two hours to explore the city and eat lunch. We later met for a Canal Cruise through the city. It was a great opportunity to capture pictures of the canals, bridges, houseboats, old harbor, and architecture of the city. The tour ended at the Anne Frank House where we took a self guided tour. Seeing the actual house really made her story come alive. We were even able to walk past the famous bookshelf which was used to hide her family. Some people even took the opportunity to send a “leaf” and a video message to friends and family members via email. The rest of the evening was free time. People were able to shop, walk the city, eat dinner, and embrace the Dutch culture of Amsterdam. | |
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