SREF-naval museum

 For my SREF project I went to a local naval museum with some of the group. The museum looked quite small when we entered, but the more we explored, the bigger it became. In fact, I got lost in there and had trouble finding my way out. There was an extensive amount of information (mostly in dutch) as well as a lot of scale models of what certain parts of ships looked like. One in particular that was interesting was the engine room, which housed the engines that made a freight ship run.

European Culture

What I noticed during this trip is how much more personal history seems to mean to European towns. Everywhere you go in a town you can see the way their history has shaped them. For example, delft blue is a staple piece sold in almost every store in delft and a few towns outside of delft. In Franeker, everyone seemed to want to tell us to go see the observatory. US towns definatly have a history, yet most do not seem to be as connected to it than in Europe. 

Antwerp Freight Museum

 The Antwerp freight museum was an incredibly in depth tour of the history of Antwerp. It gave insight into exactly how many cultures influence Antwerp and how confusing it can get. One thing that interested me was the different mentions of how archeological projects are influencing how we view history. As of now, we do not know for certain who were the first people to live in Belgium, and our tour guide kept mentioning how research for it is ongoing and has been producing new evidence and results. Another thing I found facinating was some of the models on display. Specifically, there was a viking longboat 3-d printed model that was printed directly from a recently discovered longboat. It is facinating how we can use modern day technology to showcase history.

Culture - Maddi

 I found transportation to be one of the biggest areas that was different than in the U.S. People there seem to use public transportation much more than we do back home. This could be because they just have a better public transportation infrastructure. Also, there are quite a few big cities in such a small country compared to how our big cities are more dispersed throughout the country. We definitely have similar systems in the U.S. but they’re really just concentrated in big cities. It is also very obvious that bikes are a very common form of transportation there. Overall, it doesn’t seem like driving a car would be the best option. The transportation workers are also more blunt when it comes to telling passengers what to do/where to go. 

Railway Museum - Maddi

 One attraction I liked at the railway museum was getting to go inside the train cars. This was cool because I got a glimpse into how it was to be a train passenger from different time periods. It was interesting to see how trains improved over time. I also liked the 3D ride and small roller coaster ride. I think those are a great way to keep guests and museum attendees entertained apart from the regular displays. 

Culture-Taylor

 Something that I noticed through out the trip, and especially after eating at a resturaunt in Amsterdam was how consuming water during meals is different. I know that I personally drink a lot while I am eating, so it was really different when I was given a glass bottle of water half the size of a glass of water in an American restaurant. The glasses they gave us to put the water in were also very small, like the size of an alcohol or child's glass. When Mallory, Brianna, and I were in that resturaunt in Amsterdam, we each ordered a large bottle of water meant to be shared with the whole table, and we all drank them completely. I think the waitor thought we were a little wierd. I don't know if we just drink more liquids than them in general because all of their bottle sizes are smaller, or if it's because water is generally free in the US, or they look at water as more of a sipping drink, but I could definitely tell a difference. 

Culture - Allison

 Something culturally different between the Netherlands and the US is pets. There are no stray dogs or cats in the Netherlands and their spay and neuter policies are very effective. All cats that are outside are chipped and collared. Dogs also are more well behaved and disciplined in the Netherlands compared to the US. They are very good at walking on leashes and stay in their carts or strollers. Something that is different is that I notice dogs in the city go to the bathroom anywhere; I've even seen them go in a mall. There are few grassy places for the dogs to go to the bathroom and people don't clean it up frequently.