Allison, Madison, Lauren and I started the morning by wandering around trying to find a coffee shop (for real coffee... not the other stuff). It was early, so not many places were open, but we finally found one.
Madison, Emilee, Allison and LaurenOur formal day started with an introduction to the program, and we met the professors for the courses. Matthijs is the graphic design and drawing teacher, and Lotte is the photography teacher. We found out that we're taking all three courses, but only getting graded for two. That means I'll be doing drawing along with photography and graphic design!
We went to Naturalis, the natural history museum, for our first drawing class. We each got sketchbooks and charcoal, and we were supposed to draw the animals we saw. Here's my favorite, the zebra:
This is the real thing...
And this is my sketch...After that, we went to Leiden University for lunch, and then proceeded on a walking tour of the city. I got a lot of great pictures, and I'll post some of those when I have a bit more time.
We went to lots of great places. A few to mention are the city fortress (there's a more formal name that I don't remember right now). It's the highest point, and it was intended to keep out, not enemies, but water.
We also watched a very strange Japanese dance called Butoh. You can YouTube it, but I'll tell you it was very strange. It's very modern, and the dancers moved very slowly. It was an hour long, and I couldn't begin to tell you the meaning. We weren't allowed to take pictures though...
We had a break before dinner, so the four girls went with Lotte to get cash for Madison and ethernet cables for Allison and me. Yay!! I finally have Internet in my room!! We also stopped by V&D (pronounced fay and day), which is somewhat like a Target in that it has a little bit of everything. I bought a towel, which means I finally got to shower!
We went to a very famous pannekoekenhuysje (pancake house) called Oudt Leyden for dinner. Sir Winston Churchill and the Dalai Lama have eaten there! But don't be fooled. The pancakes were ENORMOUS! And they came with every imaginable topping. I had apples, sugar and cinnamon. Allison had pineapple and powdered sugar. The guy next to me had bacon, ham and cheese. But they also had veal, tuna, mayonnaise and capers. Yum... You can buy the pancake plate for only 40 euro... or $60.
My apple, sugar and cinnamon pancake.
The day was finally over, and my feet were bleeding... No joke. One of my toenails cut the side of my other toe! But we had some rest time in our rooms, and then the four girls and the only two guys in the program (Drew and Doug) ventured out to a pub and had our first beer in the Netherlands.
Isn't it beautiful at night?
I think we're kind of getting our bearings in Leiden, and hopefully it will only get better. We're thinking about going to Amsterdam this weekend, so that could be an adventure!
I'd better get to bed though... We're starting graphic design in the morning!
We went to lots of great places. A few to mention are the city fortress (there's a more formal name that I don't remember right now). It's the highest point, and it was intended to keep out, not enemies, but water.
We also watched a very strange Japanese dance called Butoh. You can YouTube it, but I'll tell you it was very strange. It's very modern, and the dancers moved very slowly. It was an hour long, and I couldn't begin to tell you the meaning. We weren't allowed to take pictures though...
We had a break before dinner, so the four girls went with Lotte to get cash for Madison and ethernet cables for Allison and me. Yay!! I finally have Internet in my room!! We also stopped by V&D (pronounced fay and day), which is somewhat like a Target in that it has a little bit of everything. I bought a towel, which means I finally got to shower!
We went to a very famous pannekoekenhuysje (pancake house) called Oudt Leyden for dinner. Sir Winston Churchill and the Dalai Lama have eaten there! But don't be fooled. The pancakes were ENORMOUS! And they came with every imaginable topping. I had apples, sugar and cinnamon. Allison had pineapple and powdered sugar. The guy next to me had bacon, ham and cheese. But they also had veal, tuna, mayonnaise and capers. Yum... You can buy the pancake plate for only 40 euro... or $60.
My apple, sugar and cinnamon pancake.The day was finally over, and my feet were bleeding... No joke. One of my toenails cut the side of my other toe! But we had some rest time in our rooms, and then the four girls and the only two guys in the program (Drew and Doug) ventured out to a pub and had our first beer in the Netherlands.
Isn't it beautiful at night?I think we're kind of getting our bearings in Leiden, and hopefully it will only get better. We're thinking about going to Amsterdam this weekend, so that could be an adventure!
I'd better get to bed though... We're starting graphic design in the morning!
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