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Hello everyone!
Sorry it took so long, but here’s part 2 of the travel log. My week was super busy, and I was also waiting on some pictures before posting.
picture descriptions are a.i. generated, please adres any quality complaints to the adres of open ai.
this also became really really long. it wasn’t the plan, but things just happened. i hope you enjoy the read!
On Friday, we ended up eating breakfast at the apartment. After that, we went to grab a coffee at a little café under a big bridge. It was quite small but gave the vibe of a small park with a café and some music—quite nice to chill in.
picture description: A man is sitting on a wooden bench in a cozy, green outdoor setting. He is wearing a grey T-shirt, black pants, and a black jacket tied around his waist. He has short, dark hair and a short beard. On his left wrist, he is wearing a black watch. In front of him on the wooden table, there is a white cardboard cup of coffee and a small plate with a piece of cake or bread, which has a wooden pick stuck in it. Behind him stands a white food truck with the sign “COCOVAN” on it, surrounded by plants and wooden furniture. A woman with long hair and a black coat is also sitting at a metal table. The atmosphere is relaxed, and it appears to be a trendy, green coffee spot. In the background, there are trees and a large, classical building.
After that, we walked around the city for a bit and got lunch. The atmosphere was nice enough, but to be honest, it was one of those places I would never go to on my own in the Netherlands. The type where all the dishes have fancy names, and you have no idea what any of it actually means. And even after looking at the ingredient list, you still have no clue what any of it is supposed to be. I just picked the simplest thing I could find—a mango smoothie bowl. It was very delicious, thankfully.
picture description: A group of seven young people is sitting together at an outdoor table, enjoying a meal. They are smiling and looking at the camera. On the table are plates of food, glasses with drinks, and a few beer bottles. The atmosphere is relaxed and cheerful. In the background, there is an old, slightly damaged wall with a window and flower boxes filled with red and white flowers. One person is holding a blue Albert Heijn shopping bag. It’s a sunny day, and everyone seems to be having a good time.
After that, we continued walking around the city, just entering random shops. Others bought clothing or souvenirs, but I wasn’t really in the shopping mood, so I just kept them company.
Around 16:30 we went back to the apartment for an hour to freshen up, and then we had an evening meal with the entire group.
It was a Mexican restaurant, Las Adelitas in V Jámě.
I’ve been on six student trips so far with multiple associations, and eating together with the entire group at least once is a tradition. I can honestly say that this restaurant was the best pick out of all the trips I’ve been on. Super delicious, and two main dishes, a soup and a mocktail, only cost me about 26 euros.
picture description: A young man with short black hair and a light beard is sitting at a table in a restaurant, with a rough stone wall in the background. He is wearing a grey T-shirt and a black watch on his left wrist. A black shoulder strap hangs over his shoulder. The man is smiling broadly and looking directly at the camera. In front of him on the table is a tall glass with a red drink, filled with crushed ice and a straw, placed on a white napkin. The table has a colorful tile pattern with blue and orange flowers. In the lower left corner, there is a small metal bowl with a brown sauce. In the background, other people are visible, including a man in a white T-shirt and a woman with long brown hair. The atmosphere is warm and inviting.
picture description: A man with short black hair and a light grey T-shirt is sitting at a table in a restaurant. He is smiling and looking slightly upward. On the table in front of him are two plates of Mexican food. The closest plate has enchiladas topped with white cheese, some tortilla chips, a portion of rice, and a small bowl of black beans. The other plate holds quesadillas with lime wedges, some sauces, and vegetables. There is also a large glass with an orange-pink drink and a straw on the table. The table features a colorful tile pattern with blue, white, orange, and red flowers. The background consists of a stone wall and other people sitting at tables. The atmosphere is cozy and warm.
The committee made a great choice, both in terms of price and food quality.
After that, we went on a pub crawl with the group. To be honest, I had a lot of trouble getting into the spirit this time. Mainly because I had exam week, and I was also figuring out a lot of things related to my exchange to London at the same time. So I was very tired by the time I left for the group trip.
I also don’t drink—never have, never will. Normally that doesn’t bother me overly much, but my social battery was running on air at that point.
The first bar was a kind of underground bunker. Nice enough—at least it had comfortable seating. It had multiple rooms, mostly house music with some pop mixed in. I actually slept for an hour or so at that bar, lol. Just sat down, closed my eyes, and let everything fade into the background.
The second bar was an 80s bar. That one was actually really nice—I loved the music. The downside was that it was super busy and really warm inside, but the vibe was nice.
The third was kind of a techno bar. I really didn’t feel that vibe. Normally I love adventure and trying new things outside my comfort zone, but not when I’m tired. I like to prepare for that and get my mind in the right state to be open for the new and uncomfortable.
After about 15 minutes of enduring, I just told them I was going to stand outside and to pick me up when we left for the next. So I did, and it was really nice. Just standing outside alone for a bit, enjoying the fresh night air, letting my mind blank out and go where it wills.
After about half an hour, the rest came out. The last official destination was not that great, so the whole group decided to go to a different bar. But that one required an entrance fee, and at that point it was about 01:30 AM. Some people, including me, felt it wasn’t worth it for about an hour of staying there when the rest of the bars were just free.
So I ended up going back to the 80s bar with two others, and it was really nice. We stayed there until around 03:00, and then we went home.
We actually stopped at a kebab place on the way back. I love kebab places in different countries. They always give me the feeling of home—not only physically but also culturally. Plus, the food is just almost always good!
It’s also a special vibe to sit in a kebab place around 3 AM with Eminem music loudly blaring through the speakers and eating a dürüm kebab. 😊
The next day, we mostly slept in. Four of us went on a walk through a park on a hill inside the city. The weather was very nice at first, and we had a lovely walk with a bit of a coffee break in the middle.
picture description: Two men are walking together along a winding path in a garden. The man on the left is wearing a light-colored hat, a black T-shirt, a gray backpack, and shorts. The man on the right is wearing a dark T-shirt, a shoulder bag, and is holding a paper shopping bag in his hand. To the left of the path, there are blooming red roses and purple flowers. On the right, a few people are sitting on white benches, partially hidden among the greenery. The sky is partly cloudy, and the trees are full of leaves, giving the scene a summery atmosphere.
Two young men are posing together outdoors. The man on the left has short hair, is wearing a dark grey T-shirt, and has a shoulder bag with a folded white umbrella attached to it. He is smiling broadly. The man on the right is wearing glasses, a light-colored hat with a design on it, a black T-shirt featuring an image of a robot and the text “TENACIOUS” and “POST APOCALYPSE LIVE,” and a backpack. He is holding a camera and also smiling widely. They are standing arm in arm. In the background, there are green bushes, trees, white benches, and a woman sitting on one of the benches. The atmosphere is relaxed and friendly.
However, towards the end of the walk it started to rain and thunder, so we decided to go back home. Sadly, the person with the key to our apartment was somewhere else in the city, so we just decided to sit down in a café next to the apartment. We chilled there for about 3 hours.
After that, I accompanied a friend in buying shoes, and we went to grab a Too Good To Go at another kebab place. It was really nice and cheap, so I got two of them—one dürüm kebab and one döner box. After that, we went home and to bed early. At least I did—I was very tired.
The next day was already departure day, but we only left in the evening. We had to be out of the apartment at 11 AM, so we decided to put all our stuff in the lockers at the train station first, and then go into the city some more.
We just walked around, shopped a bit, sat in a few cafés—including the one under the bridge from Friday—and in general just chilled.
We also decided to grab an evening meal at the exact place we ate when we arrived at the train station, the one I mentioned in travel log part 1. We ended up going full circle haha.
At 18:00, we stepped into the train back to Amsterdam.
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The day after…
Smart, responsible adults would take the next day to just relax and recover from their travels.
But well, I never claimed to be smart or responsible—let alone an adult. We got back to Amsterdam at 06:27 AM, and I already had a meeting at 12:00 at the UvA.
I went home, showered, and just crashed for a few hours. I barely woke up on time for the meeting.
We had a high tea with the rector of the UvA, Peter-Paul, to talk about accessibility at UvA and the position of students with a disability. It was organized by UvA IDEAS, a platform for and by students with a disability at the UvA.
The meeting was nice enough, the food was good as always, and Peter-Paul is always fun to be around in conversation—a very nice person in general.
When it comes to accessibility though, I felt like I was stuck in a time loop. Sure, some things changed. Thanks to ASVA and some great people at Science Park, they are looking at improving physical accessibility there—so looking forward to how that goes. That also took long enough. Some people thought there were no blind people at Science Park because they never saw them—because obviously you’ve seen all the thousands of students at Science Park. But at least now things are in motion!
However, especially when it comes to online education for those who literally can’t come to lectures or tutorials all the time, the conversation went nowhere.
I heard the same ‘interesting’ arguments and ‘difficult dilemmas’ that I heard last year when I was in the council, presented to me as if they were fresh off the press.
It really isn’t that complicated. Yes, in-person education is important, and I would never want online education personally. But there is a difference between people who don’t want to come in person and people who can’t come in person.
I tried to explain that. Over and over and over. People simply don’t get it.
It’s one of the reasons I didn’t rerun for council.
With the revolving doors, it’s even worse. Nobody gave me a good argument why they still exist or why there is no accessible alternative yet. I mean, there is one. There are normal doors right next to them—just make them automatically slide open, with a card for people who can’t use the revolving doors comfortably or something. Instead, they are closed as often as not, only opening when there are to many people blocking the revolving doors or the weather is really good.
But nope—whenever I talk about it, all I get is an uncomfortable silence. I have been talking about it for at least 2 + years, with a nice video in folia of me bumping in to them just to show that they don’t work. So this one really isn’t on me, I tried.
Anyway, after that I had a meeting with a student at 13:30. She is doing her thesis on the transition from special education to high school and needed people to interview.
After that, I had maybe 90 minutes for myself, and then I went for a 5 km run in Westerpark around 6.
Selfie of a young man and woman outdoors on a sunny day. They are both wearing sports shirts; the man is wearing a white shirt with orange accents and an orange ribbon around his neck, partially showing the word “Running.” The woman is wearing a white shirt with green, red, and black accents and a Kenyan flag on the chest. They are both smiling broadly. In the background, there is a green, park-like area with trees and bushes, and a few people further along the path. It is clearly sunny, and the light falls beautifully on their faces.
After that, I took a very quick shower and had a meeting about the accessibility of Amsterdam at 19:30, lasting until 21:45.
I also hadn’t eaten my evening meal yet. Somewhere in the middle of the meeting, someone asked if I was doing okay—I was half nodding off at the table. When I described the day I just had to the rest of the people in the meeting, they started putting fruit and cookies in front of me. Nothing better than sugar to survive one more hour.
And then, my day was finally over, and I could go home—well, only after grabbing another Too Good To Go from the Albert Heijn To Go in Amsterdam Central for the day after.
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