Leidseplein is our first tram stop at one of the main squares that are edged with bars, clubs and the odd coffee shop. There is always something going on here, be it a man with his strange
tennis game, break dancers, sax players and the occasional art seller. Burger king is the after drinks destination, staying open to approximately 4am. No need for a rat-burger van here!

Following the tram line further into the depths of the centre we stumbled upon the famous Amsterdam flower market, but it left us somewhat disappointed. After hearing stories and
reading articles about the huge and impressive market, from the first impressions we could not help but be a tad deflated. Many of the stalls are big and many more sell fake flowers and
cheap, tacky souvenirs. Some do offer very pretty orchids and bouquets, so while not a highlight of the city for us, maybe that explains why it’s always full of the middle aged, obvious tourists?

Only a five minute walk from the market is our favourite place to go for a drink: Rembrandtplein. Just as in Leidseplein, bars, clubs and coffee shops act as a border to the domain of the Rembrandt statue, a vocal point for tourists getting their photo taken. You can always hear the tunes of street musicians in this square, from the classic accordion player to the aging, wannabe rock star!

Although these two squares are busy day and night, Dam Square wins top prize for collecting tourists, with the Palace acting as a magnificent backdrop to the Lord Monument. Alas, this square is a lot less bank account friendly with drinks prices mirroring the rise in tourist pulling points.

When talking about the best places to go out in Amsterdam, it would be a crime not to mention the Red Light District. Walking around this area it is best to dispel any preconceived ideas you have about what you will find. Obviously, it is hard not to stare at the women in their windows, but if you dare to get a camera out and take a photo you will be greeted with a shower of urine, as one man was lucky enough to experience!

Nevertheless, it is not all about the sleaze and sex. There are many appealing bars and thanks to the illuminated streets, not all red either. It would feel rude to complain, sitting out here at night, ever true to the student spirit as we drink in the delights of Amsterdam and the further delights of the cheapest choice on the menu!

Helen Fisher and Sian Savage

We set off early the next day with a young couple and arrived in Brussels for an afternoon of sight seeing before a train ride to a party in nearby Leuven. The return trip revealed the more frustrating side to hitchhiking. After an hour, we were finally picked up by a young mother and with me squeezed in between her two children she drove us to a random service station. By this point we didn’t actually know which country we were in, but eventually a Greek couple took us onto Breda and the hitchhiking black hole known as Rotterdam. We stood at the side of the road for 3 hours in Rotterdam before treating ourselves to a train ride back home to Amsterdam.

Hitchhiking forced me to go beyond my comfort zone and gave me the chance to meet people I wouldn’t ordinarily meet. Getting to my destination became incidental to the experience and the compassion of strangers went a long way to restoring my faith in people. That alone was worth the risk.

James Parker

The whole attitude to University is completely relaxed, we get set homework every week of reading several articles, as English students in Leicester this is nothing, yet here we often get told in the beginning of classes, ‘Oh, we know most of you will not have managed to read everything’.

In just under a week we will be taking mid-term exams, however just the other day we were told that for one of the modules it would be a majority of multiple choice and fill in the blanks! Do not be mistaken into assuming these are not worth anything either, this particular test accounts for forty percent of the module. This does sound stupidly easy, however we do have to know definitions for terms we have never come across before as here we mainly study linguistics and language rather that literature and some revision is needed in order for us to know the correct terminology required for the blank spaces.

We do not have lectures here; in fact we actually miss attending them! The classes last about an hour and forty-five minutes with a fifteen-minute break. Here we have classes of approximately twenty students where the session will go through a power point presentation, however student-teacher contact is much more of an aspect here, a lot like our seminars, and mid class we will often find ourselves doing little exercises and quite a few mini-presentations. The classes are so different that a few weeks ago we spent a whole lesson making a handout, something neither of us has done at school since we were 12 years old!

Helen Fisher and Sian Savage