Tale of Two Cities

     It has been a while since I last updated my blog but I want to talk about   my experience in two cities of the Netherlands: Rotterdam and Amsterdam.  I was really excited for Rotterdam; it had such an interesting history even though the buildings were very modern.  This was because the Nazis bombed the city during World War II.  I thought that the modern building structures were peculiar but many people apparently like them.

     Some of the structures were beautiful, the older ones at least.  The view of the bridge was also one of my favorite experiences.  I found out that one of my favorite historical characters, Erasmus, only because he was friends with St. Thomas More, was from there.  I'm pretty sure they named everything in the city after him, whether it be streets or buildings.  His statue was in the center of the city.    

     Amsterdam was a completely different world.  It was very liberal--a little bit too much.  I was happy I went there to see the history.  For example, I went to the Anne Frank House, where I was moved because I had read the majority of her diary.  Now, I really want to finish the book.  Also, I went to a museum where Catholics used to have Mass in an attic in secret during the persecution by the Protestants.  Overall, I was not a fan of the drugs, prostitutes, and the red light district.  However, I was glad that I had the opportunity to see all of the great history in this city and the magnificent canals.

 

Update

     It has been an interesting week.... September 24th marked the beginning of the academic year with a ceremony and Mass.  It was amazing to see the professors parade through the streets of Leuven to the Church in the center of the city.  The Mass was also beautiful; there was such cultural diversity and it was in about 6 languages.  I guess it is about time I get used to the fact that everyone does not always speak English.

     That brings me to Dutch.  Things are finally looking up for me in Dutch class!  I received a B+ on my midterm exam, which I thought I was going to fail or do horribly on.  Studying and practicing has definitely paid off.  Nederlands is niet moeilijk, natuurlijk.  My other classes have already started and I finally have to begin some sort of routine to get things done.  I missed my first day of Medieval Philsophy because I did not read the 24 hour clock format correctly...how stupid am I.  I was looking forward to that class too because I absolutely love medieval philosophy!  Oh well, I will get it right this week.  Anyway, I recently took a trip to Brugge where I was able to  explore more of the beautiful country of Belgium.   I even went to the Church where the relics of the Blood of Christ are and kissed them.  That was definitely something I wanted to do my entire life so I can cross that off my bucket list.
     Brugge is perhaps one of my favorite cities so far.  I felt as if I returned to the medieval ages where Christianity was most evident in Europe.  I really want to go back there someday but it is time to explore other places in Europe.