In my last blog, I discussed catching the travel bug. Well, I am going to go ahead and self-diagnosis myself with vagabond neurosis, better known as a travel addiction. Despite being a doctoral student, I took advantage of the school shutting down for Spring Break and went to Europe. I can’t take credit for planning anything because I went with TAMU and the CEHD Department who did a wonderful job planning, organizing and wrangling up twenty-four aggies in two different countries: Amsterdam and Paris. One blog will not do this trip justice, so first, here is Amsterdam.
 
“Some people call Amsterdam the city of sin, but in truth, it is a city of freedom. And in freedom, most people find sin.” We all know what Amsterdam is known for and yes, I took a tour through the mythical and very real ‘Red Light District’ just to say I saw it. But Amsterdam is so incredibly unique that I was literally blown away by all that it offers. March may not be my suggested time to visit because it was cold and rainy, but according to the locals, that was typical Dutch weather.
 
Inhabited by beautiful canals, river boats, and lively cyclists, Amsterdam became home, just look both ways before you cross the street because the cyclists will run you over. It was easy to navigate, and everyone was extremely nice. I toured the Heineken brewery, which was like Willy Wonka’s factory for bier. We visited the Zaanse Schans windmills that still to this day make oil. It was amazing to see something decades old, still turning. I witnessed how to make wooden shoes and goat Dutch cheese. As a cheesehead from Wisconsin, their cheese is seriously good. My luggage gained about 10 pounds from the amount of cheese I brought back with me. In fact, natives of The Netherlands are known as cheeseheads. No wonder I felt at home.
 
Spending only three days in this Dutch Disneyland was not enough. The Netherlands and Amsterdam are a must add to your travel bucket list

---
Jenna Schwartz
Jenna is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Educational Psychology