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Amsterdam
  • Avrey Cummings
Jun – Jul 2022

Amsterdam

My study abroad :) Read more
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  • Trip start
    June 7, 2022
    Avrey CummingsAmsterdamTraveler

    Flight #1

    June 7, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    What a trip already. The drive to Chicago was smooth sailing. Everything since then - not so much. The information for our flight said the gate closed at 3:05 and we were still standing in line to check our bags at 2:15. We got through security and to the gate around 2:50. Considering I’m posting this now, my flight has still not left. I am ready to be out of the Chicago airport. Be back hopefully with an update from Dublin!Read more

  • Avrey CummingsAmsterdamTraveler

    Actual Flight #1

    June 8, 2022 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 15 °C

    I’m back… still in Chicago. Yesterday was probably the most stressful day of my life. Little food in my belly, little sleep, little communication. Seemed like everything was lacking. BUT, for some good news, Elena and I finally got a promising flight with British Airways today at 5:05 local time. Instead of flying into Dublin, we’ll be flying into London, which I am definitely NOT upset about! Bonus, this plane has two decks, with which we will be on the upper deck. I am officially excited for my trip again :) I’ll check back in in London ❤️
    Also - got some Logy time on FaceTime this morning ☺️    Read more

  • Avrey CummingsAmsterdamTraveler

    Alas

    June 9, 2022 in the Netherlands ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    I will say, traveling is not always fun. We had quite the hectic day following our first day in Chicago. We took our flight to London, which obviously was very fancy. Our first flight provided two meals and some real comfy seats that we enjoyed very much! Also for those of you under 21 and wondering, the drinking age follows that of the country you are headed to/the country the airline is based out of ;) So… we got some wine! Following this flight, we SPRINTED through Heathrow airport to make our flight that ended up sitting just outside the gate for two hours due to once again ladies and gentlemen: ✨technical issues✨ Thus, leaving me and Elena in not so great moods when we found out we’d be missing a boat tour :( As if you thought the story couldn’t get any worse, we then proceeded to sit in the AMS airport for 3 hours on a hunt for Elena’s bag that unfortunately we did not walk out with. However, we got checked into our rooms very smoothly and are both super pleased with them! Now onto buying groceries and apparently some clothing items for miss Elena because her bag went poof into thin air. Feeling all of the emotions.Read more

  • Avrey CummingsAmsterdamTraveler

    Full Day in AMS

    June 10, 2022 in the Netherlands ⋅ 🌬 15 °C

    It’s only 6:30 p.m. and today has been a DAY! We started out by being introduced to our IES staff (the program leading the study abroad) and being introduced to the area around. I have never seen such beautiful architecture and it is so fun how different it is than home! Next we took a tour to Zaanse Schans to see the history behind the windmills in Amsterdam. Here, us late arrivals got to meet the rest of the IES students and met up with a few at a borrel after our tour. Borrels - casual hangouts often involving a few drinks. After this, I made my first grocery trip and am officially stocked up on snacks! Although today was so very fun and eventful, I am so happy to be laying in my bed. 🤩 Bonus - Elena finally received her luggage ❤️Read more

  • Avrey CummingsAmsterdamTraveler

    Woah I missed a few days

    June 13, 2022 in the Netherlands ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Well hello friends. Honestly, these past few days have been so much chaos trying to learn the city, find food that is open, adjust to the time change, and everything I don’t have a ton of pictures to share. Saturday, we didn’t get started until around 4 because Elena hit the snooze button hard haha. During her daytime sleep, I decided to workout for the first time in… too long. Then we explored for a bit, took forever finding food and went back to meet up with some friends. Yes, I went to a “club” very unlike me, but had to try. Sorry parents. :) Sunday was a very lazy day catching up on some sleep. And yesterday was the first day of classes! They both went smoothly however 6 hours of class are going to ROUGH. Tuesday’s luckily I don’t have class so today I am working on some homework and then meeting our IES staff at a borrel :)Read more

  • Avrey CummingsAmsterdamTraveler
    21

    On the go

    June 16, 2022 in the Netherlands ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    What a week! Tuesday I had no class so I got to explore a bit, relax, and join IES staff and students for a borrel! Wednesday we got to go to an art museum and see some really beautiful pieces of work, bonus with the silent library that is STUNNING!! I also don’t have classes on Thursdays so I was able to relax some more then to prepare for a busy weekend! Friday was the IES trip to Delft which is a city very close to Amsterdam, with all of the beautiful history displayed just like Amsterdam. We did a workshop where we painted our own tiles and learned all about the process of making porcelain masterpieces. Once again, the architecture is just insane! Saturday, me and some friends got on a decently early train to Rotterdam to explore around there as well! We got to see some of the coolest apartments I have ever seen, pictured here the cubes that are completely slanted and just so cool! After we got home, me and Elena joined Violet and her friends for a canal boat tour which was also beautiful! After that we went out and celebrated being in Amsterdam and getting to explore! Today, I’m giving all my updates to those of you back home and getting started on some homework for class tomorrow! Can’t wait for the rest of what is to come 🤩Read more

  • Avrey CummingsAmsterdamTraveler
    2

    Rijks

    June 22, 2022 in the Netherlands ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Not much has happened since my last footprint but I did go to the Rijksmuseum again yesterday. Based off the amount of pictures I took, it was a much better experience than the last time I went. Last time the whole class gave presentations over a piece of art which yeah was cool to hear, but after 3 hours of that - the last thing you wanna do is spend more time in an art museum if you’re not majorly passionate about it. Anyways, I’ll share some pictures of things that caught my eye. I’ll be sure to check in after this weekend, we are taking a trip with all of IES and headed to Maastricht. We’ll be going on another boat tour, touring the city, and doing a wine tasting - which is obviously what I’m most excited about being 20 and legally able to do that! For those of you still reading - I miss all my peoples and can’t wait to keep sharing my life in Amsterdam via photo with you all :)Read more

  • Avrey CummingsAmsterdamTraveler

    Maastricht

    June 24, 2022 in the Netherlands ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    Back again. I did go to the park just to sit and enjoy before we left for Maastricht, but the trip is the main part. We enjoyed some great food, great wine, and great company this weekend! It was so nice to see a new area of the Netherlands, one that is very quiet and quaint might I add. The scenery was beautiful as always, and I really enjoyed all the “ancient” buildings we saw. I never really had much of an appreciation for architecture until now, in fact I feel like that’s my favorite thing to see around here. I will definitely be a sight seeing person from now on. Bonus - a few pictures from yesterday and today. Me petting a dog outside of the grocery, of course. And, the current state of my room because the laundry situation here is HORRIBLE. €3 for a wash and a dry - and the driers barely dry. I had a whole load of laundry I had the pleasure of ringing out bc it was so wet after a whole dry cycle. So there it is - hanging all around my room because I will not pay another €3. Feeling grateful to be here regardless :)Read more

  • Avrey CummingsAmsterdamTraveler

    June 29-July 3

    July 3, 2022 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    A few more things I’ve done. Jennifer and Ernie came to town so of course we made the best out of their trip by visiting the Anne Frank house together and checking off another country by going to Cologne, Germany together. The Anne Frank house is something I have wanted to experience for a long time, and would definitely say it’s worth the 12 hour travel from home. We also got to see the most beautiful cathedral I have ever seen, with a fun bonus being something I sketched in my Fiber Arts class senior year!! Super surreal to see it in person. Along with this, we visited El De, a prison for “unworthy” people during WW2. Also very surreal with a hint of eeriness. Filling in a few gaps, I also got to venture to the Hague for a class field trip and it was such a beautiful city that I’m hoping I have time to visit again. On July 1st, we had a food tour around Amsterdam to try some of the signature foods; obviously I was a fan of the fresh stroopwafel! Dinners, drinks, and pretty views. I can’t get enough of the Netherlands!Read more

  • Avrey CummingsAmsterdamTraveler

    Paris/Brussels

    July 8, 2022 in France ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Obviously, based on the first picture, my sex and science class just got interesting! We made our own genitalia - for me that’s enough said. I had what felt like a really long week of classes leading up to quite the weekend planned. Visiting places like Haarlem and other parts of Amsterdam. We woke up at 4:30 am Friday morning and took off. Next stop, PARIS! I really never thought I would make it to Paris in my lifetime, but boy am I glad that I did. It was another day full of surreal experiences that is honestly hard to even fathom. Such a big city with so many landmarks that I’m just used to seeing in movies. Aside from that, we walked 12 miles. Let’s just say we were exhausted, but we weren’t finished yet. We finished out the weekend in Brussels, Belgium. We didn’t have much time to explore but from what I saw, another cute and quaint city. At the end of the weekend, I was so thankful to be back in pretty, clean, and safe Amsterdam. The homesickness is starting to hit, but also I’ve included a picture of slightly intoxicated Avrey 😬 crying about having to leave people who have become forever friends. Feeling super thankful for a friend like Elena who talked me into this experience because I truly will never forget it. Oh… and I made my first big girl purchase. Guess you can call me a Prada model now ;)Read more

  • Avrey CummingsAmsterdamTraveler

    Last few weeks :(

    July 15, 2022 in the Netherlands ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    After our trip to Paris and Brussels, we laid low in Amsterdam and really soaked up our last moments. We took our last few walks to the park enjoying time together, the scenery, and the beautiful sunsets, which weren’t until about 10 pm. That Wednesday, I had class all day: got to visit the Rembrandt house, a super respected artist from the 17th century. We had a talked about him a lot in class and seen a lot of his work so it was cool as well to see his house! That night, we went out of the town and took the opportunity to go to Club Nyx and not have to pay a cover, yay! It was so fun and even allowed me to be up and active the next day, which is not usual for a night out for me. The next day our sweet friend, Halston, made us dinner which we collectively agreed it was the best meal we had since being there! And, it was so nice to spend time with people we hadn’t been with too often throughout the trip! The next day we traveled to the National Park and enjoyed some art by Van Gogh and a nice bike ride through the park, including some cool sand dunes!Read more

  • Avrey CummingsAmsterdamTraveler

    Final goodbyes

    July 23, 2022 in the Netherlands ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    Elena and I took a nice little trip to the Van Gogh museum and enjoyed some market shopping before! Of course we got a coffee to energize our brains to stare at some art. I really enjoyed it as it was art I was very familiar with. The next day we went out again for Club Nyx and had a great night overall, hence the picture of me and Rebecca laughing hysterically. Also threw in the picture of the necklace I bought at the market :) We enjoyed some more Amstel swimming time and had our final classes the next day. Our professor, Nina, had us meet in her garden for class and do our final check out: I cried. Anna, our other prof, took us to a silent church during the 17th century and then out for a shot of our choice to end our final class. Overall, I can say confidently that these were the most enjoyable classes I have ever taken. To end our days in Amsterdam, we visited the Ice Bar and Club Nyx one last time… I stayed for only a bit hahaha I’m an old grandma. Finally, we had our farewell dinner and said goodbye to our professors, friends at IES, and furry friends at IES. It was bittersweet, but a time in my life I will never forget.Read more

    Trip end
    July 23, 2022
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