Life in the Heart of Europe

    Well, here I am, two days in to life as a student and not just a traveler here in Europe. I started classes Monday! But before I get into that, first I'll tell you how the rest of the weekend went. 

    On Saturday, we woke up early and went to a World War 2 museum about ten minutes outside of the city of Maastricht. It was pretty amazing because I had no idea there was such a huge WW2 memorial in Netherlands- and it's solely to honor American soldiers who fell to protect and liberate this part of Europe. 

   After we left the memorial, we went to a little town called Valkenberg about ten miles away from Maastricht. It was one of my favorite places we've seen so far! It was quite small and it was absolutely adorable. It's exactly what you would think of when you think of a Dutch town: Wooden shoes for sale, mills, and tiny streets with names too long to attempt to pronounce. The buildings were really unique and sidewalk cafes were literally everwhere. One cafe connects to the next. 
    After we walked through the town, we had lunch in a cave- literally. It was something I can honestly say I have never done before! After lunch, we took a tour of the town with a sweet little Dutch man. Then we went into some catacombs, which I had also never experienced before. At one point in the tombs, we blew out all of our candles and walked through some of the tunnels in complete darkness! It was exhilarating! 
     After our day in Valkenberg, we went back to Maastricht.

Enjoying our hot chocolate on a chilly Sunday!

   On Sunday, we slept in for the first time since we arrived in Europe...and it was WONDERFUL! I seriously needed it. When we finally willed ourselves out of bed that afternoon, we decided to walk through the town on our own. Four of us girls went to the main city square and had lunch at... you guessed it, a side walk cafe. It was a beautiful but chilly day, and the sun was shining so we wanted to soak in some rays. We had the best hot chocolate ever! It was especially nice because the cup size was normal for once. (Most cups are about half the size of an American standard-sized mug). 

The beautiful city square

   After lunch, we went to the local library, which turns out to be a famous European library. It's in a beautiful old cathedral located right off the main city square. As I walked through the library in awe, I thought to myself, "can you imagine if we had a Barnes & Noble in a CATHEDRAL?" It was unreal. 
    In fact, that's something I have been thinking about a lot while in Europe. Nearly every building I pass by is breath-taking, and hundreds of years old. I feel a sense of ungratefulness for the fact that I don't stop and marvel at the beauty of every single building I pass! Which leads me to discuss my appreciation for the location of my studies this semester. 

One of the buildings my classes are held in

     I am taking four classes while in Europe this semester: World History, Intercultural Philosophy and Communication, Modernism and Beyond: European Literature, and Travel Writing. I am taking two of those classes with European professors, which I think I am really going to enjoy. It's nice to learn and discuss issues with someone who comes from a completely different background of experience. 
       Since everything in Europe is pretty tightly spaced, colleges and universities like the University of Maastricht generally aren't made up in one spot. The building I am taking a literature class in, a 17th century edifice, is about a 20-25 minute walk from the guesthouse dormitory I am staying in. It's rather cold walking in light snow and bitter temperatues, however, after walking to class today, I came to appreciate the fact that I finally am feeling like I actually LIVE in this amazing place. It was so freeing to walk through the town, crossing streets and passing locals on my way to a daily committment- NOT just a tourist visit.