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    Photo Hasina Foye

    May 12, 2022

    Spending the Day in Haarlem

    A lot of people associate the Netherlands with Amsterdam, and with good reason. The nation’s capital is the perfect place to visit if you’d like to view the beautiful canals or enjoy its artistic heritage. It offers tourists a wonderful glimpse of what life is like around the country. That said, there are places in the Netherlands to visit besides Amsterdam. Cities like the Hague, Rotterdam, Leiden, Delft, and Haarlem have a lot to offer. Eager to continue to immerse ourselves in our new home and to become honorary Dutch citizens, my friend Tatiana and I decided to spend the day in the beautiful city of Haarlem. 

     

    We took the train from Amsterdam to Haarlem, but not before stopping off at Jumbo, a local supermarket, for a pastries. (It’s become a tradition for us!) Along the way, we devoured our food and chatted, excited for what was ahead. The train itself was something special. Tatiana and I sat on the second level, which is designated as a quiet area for people to read, work or sleep. We read, listened to music through our earbuds, and watched the scenery passing by. The colors – especially those of the tulips – were beautiful. (We made a mental note to visit one particular tulip field with some of our friends another time, but that’s another story.)

     

    When we arrived in Haarlem, we were immediately struck by its lush greenery and medieval feel. It was beautiful – and magnificent. Then, as we were walking toward the city center, we stumbled upon a parade – an actual parade – with giant floats made of flowers designed to look like turtles, bees, windmills, fish and sunflowers. Being in the city was a breath of fresh air. We spent the day in one of the city’s famous “cat cafes,” which, yes as the name suggests offers coffee and desserts in a comfortable atmosphere with free-roaming cats. One feline, Whitney, was clearly the star of show. She climbed into my lap as we were preparing to go, and I assured her we’d be back. A few minutes later, on our way back to the train station, we passed a store with a Syracuse T-shirt. Tatiana and I found our new favorite place.

     

    Hasina Foye ’23 is an aspiring journalist from Bronx, N.Y., who is studying English literature and communications at Le Moyne. Hasina is spending the spring semester of 2022 at Hague University in the Netherlands and will be sharing her reflections on life abroad. Please continue to follow her journey here

     

    Category: Global Dolphins