The SJR Geography department took a group of students on a five day visit to Amsterdam over half term. After meeting at Liverpool Airport at 3.30am, everybody was tired but eager as they got to their hostel in Amsterdam at approximately 10am
After arranging rooms and deciding who got the top bunk, students were given the opportunity to explore their local area. This included tasks to discover the history of Amsterdam and to try and examine the roots of the development of the city. Half the group then caught a local train to the Ajax Arena and the other half went to Ann Frank’s house.
The next day involved a trip to the Amstel river with lots of field sketching and environmental surveys. Staff and students also had a visit to the 'Old Town' and the de Pijp Market. They also studied the benefit of inner city parks.
Day 3 saw the students take a coach to Noordwijk, which is a coastal resort, to study the sand dunes and beaches. Here they studied the impact of tourism through footpath measurements and biodiversity readings. After the students being warned to bring hats and gloves, the weather was beautiful and it was a perfect day for the beach!
On the final two days, students explored the 'New Town,' and walked to Java Island, which was an ex-industrial landscape, now full of expensive, trendy apartments. Environmental surveys were carried out which were compared to the Old Town surveys taken on Tuesday. Finally, staff and students were able to take in some more sightseeing, and buy souvenirs before travelling home. All in all, everybody learned a great deal, as well as having a wonderful time.