Arrival at the Castle...

(INote: I haven't had a chance to sleep yet since our arrival, so I apologize if the writing is a little choppy)

After about 30 hours of traveling and getting situated, I am finally settled down at the Castle... it is AMAZING. The flight arrived an hour earlier than scheduled, so we had a lot of time to kill in Amsterdam before catching our train to Well. So, Brett, Alex, and I decided to store our luggage at the train station and wander around the city for a bit. We only were able to get a taste of what Amsterdam had to offer and remained pretty close to the main Central Station, however just that bit was so beautiful and exciting. We walked around, taking different paths to different areas of the city, and admired the canals and beautiful architecture. We will definitely return to the city at some point so we can go explore more of the city's district's, go to museum's, etc.

Once the lack of sleep really began to settle in, we decided it was best to head out to the Castle. This would include a 1 1/2 train ride to the city of Nijmegen, and then an hour bus ride to the city of Venlo, where we would be able to walk directly to our new home. The city of Well is extremely small, with only about 2,500 people, and a tiny "downtown" area, with one supermarket, an inn, bike shop, and a few other stores. There are also acres upon acres of farmland-- plenty of cows, sheeps, horses, and more, which I have so far found refreshing compared to my urban-life in Cambridge. There is so much greenery, so many people just taking their time to get from one place to another, and so visibly content living so simply and carefree. It's wonderful.

The Castle itself is an amazing structure, built originally in the 12th century and restored and acquired by Emerson. There are moats, swans, horses, and beautiful flowers surrounding the property, and even a peacock...how strange! The 16 other kids on the program are all very nice and in the same position as me: eager to begin our photo class and enjoy what Europe has to offer. So far, everything is off to a great start!

Link to my Trip Photos

Pre-Departure

Tomorrow the program begins! I fly out of Boston at 7pm with my two good friends (Alex and Brett), and arrive early Friday morning in Amsterdam. We are scheduled to take a train from the airport to the village of Well, where the residence hall for the program is located. The residence hall is a restored castle that belongs to Emerson-- moat, swans, and all. I'm beyond excited; this experience is already completely surreal and I haven't even left Boston yet! It's definitely going be something I will never forget and will learn tons from, and I can't wait to share my experiences!