Amsterdam and Delft 2025

Sharing a room in Amsterdam

Our group getting expensive stroopwafel - should have gone to Albert Cuyp Market

Our luggage in our room. Not a lot of space.

Went to a Dutch restaurant to get Stompot. I had forgotten how yummy that was until I saw signs for it outside of restaurants. 

Me and my Stompot

There were cute painted elephants all over a certain block of town

The Anne Frank House

The directors outside of the Anne Frank House

An exhibit inside of our Stayokay Hostel that highlighted its days as a home economics school

Striped pajamas from WWII Jewish Concentration Camp on display in the Rijksmuseum

Vermeer

Rembrandt self-portrait

A really, really old hat

YSL Mondrian Dress

Super old figurines on display

Frits with mayonnaise and peanut sauce. All the students who tried it agreed that it is delicious

Just 2 cute Dutch ladies walking in the rain

Markers that indicate Jewish people lived in the home

Gassan Diamonds

RAIN

Cute old Dutch tiles in the kitchen of the house that holds Our Lord in the Attic Church

This church was built inside of a home when it was prohibited to worship religions other than the state religion

Amsterdam was celebrating 750 years of existence

Our TA Ashley Berges on our canal tour

After our canal tour

Delft

I got the most delicious Reuben sandwich in Delft

Church in Amsterdam

Delft

From Paris, we took a train to Amsterdam. We stayed at a fun hostel that used to be a home economics school. This was the only city where Natalie and I had to share a room. If we weren't willing to share a room, we would have had to stay at a much more expensive place. This was a true hostel. Our room was tiny, with a bunk bed. At least we had an en suite bathroom. Natalie kindly took the top bunk. 

The students LOVED Amsterdam! It was probably our weakest city from a fashion and design standpoint, but the students had a lot of fun there and enjoyed what they saw. We went to the Anne Frank House, the Rijksmuseum, took them on a canal tour, learned about diamonds at the House of Gassan, and ate stroopwafel. The favorite appointment of most of the students was a visit to Lena Fashion Library. It's a place where you can check out the most current styles for a small fee. You have to pay for a minimum of 14 days and return the clothing item clean. The students were blown away by the business model, the clothing in the space, and the success they've had. They've been in business for 10 years and recently opened a 2nd location in Amsterdam. 

Natalie felt that we needed to find something to do between church and our flight to Glasgow. We had 6 hours to kill. I would have gladly spent it at the airport. She said she didn't want to sit at the airport for 6 hours and the students wouldn't want to. All I could think of was to go to Delft. It's close enough to Amsterdam. We had a bus taking us to church and to the airport. They could possibly take us to Delft for a couple of hours. We inquired the previous week and the bus company said they could make that happen. I told Natalie and Chad that it had been 20 years since I'd been in Delft, but I remember it being a very quaint and walkable city. We all loved it. We got pictures in front of an old windmill and had a delicious lunch. I got a couple of souvenirs. Ashley and Bruce took a train to a nearby city to see Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring. It is cute to see them support each other in their bucket list items. It really was a great way to kill time before heading to the airport. We're a good team. 

In our free time, Natalie and I went to the Dutch Resistance Museum and to Our Lord in the Attic. Mel's friend Tony, who has a brother that lives in Amsterdam, suggested Our Lord in the Attic. I LOVED it. I think if I were to go again, I'd take all of the students there. It's an incredible old home in which they built a chapel for worship. The Dutch Resistance Museum shared the story of the brave Dutch people who refused to give up their guns and who hid Jews during WWII. 

Amsterdam miracles: Patsy has recovered from her mini stroke and will be joining us in Glasgow. We all made it on our train with our luggage. The bus companies in some European countries have the most annoying system. We have to call the day before and get the name and number of our driver. I don't know why they can't just email it to us. UGH. Anyway, I had to call a bus company on the weekend, and, of course, nobody answered. There was a recorded message...IN DUTCH. We were on our way to the Willet Holthuysen House and I said I would just find a Dutch person to translate it for me. Natalie and Chad said "you can't do that." I said I absolutely could, and they could watch me. We got there and I found some women. I asked one if she spoke English. She said that she didn't, but her daughter did. So, I explained the situation to the young woman and asked if she could listen to the recording and write the number down for me. Natalie and Chad were shocked. I knew a nice Dutch person would help me. We got a hold of the weekend bus person and got the information that we needed. We also had a miracle before leaving for study abroad. There were conflicting times for church in Amsterdam on the church website. I reached out to the bishop, but didn't get a response. Then one day when I was at Mel's indoor soccer game, I met her friend Tony. As we talked, it came up that he has a brother who lives in Amsterdam and goes to the local ward. Tony was able to ask his brother what time church meets, and give them a heads up that we'd be coming for sacrament meeting.