The Hague, Amsterdam, and Bruges

Alright, so I’ve got some catching up to do. Things are becoming busier and busier here, so I’ll probably be updating this less often. I know you’ll all be crushed.

Classes have officially started, which was somewhat of a rude awakening. We suddenly remembered that we weren’t just here on vacation for a month; we actually had to do work. A typical day of classes consists of three lectures: one from 10-12, one from 1-2:30, and another from 2:30-4:30. The first lecture is given by our program leader and professor from MSU (Professor Zierler), and his class focuses on the relationship between the US and Europe, as well as stuff like the ICC (International Criminal Court). Our second lecture is taught by Dr. Jamie Shea, who is a Deputy Assistant Secretary General of NATO, and he talks about NATO (surprisingly) and the relationships among the member countries. Dr. Shea’s lectures are great; he cracks jokes all the time, and the first hand experience that he has had with NATO makes him an invaluable instructor. Here’s a youtube video of him speaking on the role of NATO in today’s world:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbNPjZNE0BU&feature=related

Our third class is taught by Professor Nathalie Brack, who is a professor from our host university, ULB. Her class focuses mainly on various topics related to the European Union. Our classes have been very interesting so far, though I have to admit that it’s difficult to find the willpower to sit down and do my class reading when there is so much to see and do in this city.  

On Tuesday, instead of the normal schedule of classes, we visited NATO headquarters in Brussels. There, we were given ‘briefings’ by a NATO political officer, Ted Seay, and a defense policy advisor, Major Price. The briefings were surprisingly candid, and there was much mention of Secretary Gates’ speech in June, where he criticized the unbalanced nature of member states’ commitment to the alliance. The speech apparently struck quite a chord with many in NATO, as it was referenced several times during our briefings. Watch the speech here:

http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/Gatesont

On Thursday, we left for an overnight visit to The Hague, to visit the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), as well as the International Criminal Court (ICC). Our train left at 6:23am, and amazingly nearly everyone made it to the train station without incident (except for my friend Aaron -the same person who had an allergic reaction and went to the hospital on our first day- who forgot his passport and had to take a later train). Upon arrival in The Hague, we dropped off our bags at our hostel, Stayokay, and then traveled to ICTY. At the ICTY, we had a series of presentations, and then had the opportunity to sit in on the ongoing trial of Radovan Karadzic, a Serbian politician accused of war crimes and genocide committed during the Bosnian War of the 1990s. Here is his Wikipedia article, in case you’re interested:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radovan_Karad%C5%BEi%C4%87

We sat just feet away from him, separated from the actual courtroom only by a two-way glass wall. It was a truly amazing experience.

We visited the ICC on Friday morning, where we were given several interesting presentations on the court and how it functions. We also had a chance to sit in on an ICC case, this one against some military leaders from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, but the actual accused persons weren’t present, which made things less interesting. But we did witness some amusing arguments between the lawyers of the defense and prosecution.

Our class trip to The Hague officially ended after we left the ICC, but instead of heading back to Brussels, many of us decided to take the train to Amsterdam, which was only something like a 40 minute train ride (as opposed to the ride from Brussels to The Hague, which was closer to 2 hours). It was the first time I had been to Amsterdam (not counting Schipol airport), and it was a blast. The city is beautiful, and the people there were extraordinarily friendly. We spent hours exploring the city, took a canal tour, and visited the Heineken brewery. I also randomly ran into Mike Mulier, someone I went to middle and high school with, on the streets of Amsterdam. Apparently he is studying in Paris this summer (also through MSU), and he had been visiting Amsterdam the same time we were. Small world. I stayed in Amsterdam Friday night and all of Saturday, before heading back to Brussels on Saturday night.

On Sunday, I went with some friends to tour the city of Bruges, which was about an hour away from Brussels by train. On the train there we befriended a couple sitting next to us, who had brought their dog Balthazar on the train with them. They were very friendly and our conversation made the train ride fly by. When we arrived in Bruges, we discovered that it is not only a beautiful city of old building and canals, its also pretty small, which meant that we were able to see the entire city on foot (and that we didn't have to waste money on tram/bus passes). We explored the city and took a scenic bike tour of the countryside, before ending our day with a delicious fish dinner. It was a blast!


Here are some cool pictures:

A tower in Bruges

This was in Bruges, and I couldn't allow myself to walk by without taking a picture.

A golden snail. Self explanatory.

This is the city center in Bruges. Lots of cool old buildings.

According to our canal tour guide in Amsterdam, this is the largest floating chinese restaurant in Europe.

Had a great tour of the Heineken Brewery which included a 3D simulation of the entire brewing process.

I've never seen as many bikes as I saw in Amsterdam in a single day.

This was a delicious sandwich that I got in The Hague: Avocado, chicken, goat cheese, lettuce, and honey mustard on a wheat baguette. Delicious.

More bikes in Amsterdam. So many bikes.

Amsterdam train station.

The plaque outside the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY).

ICTY

This is the International Criminal Court. Interesting fact: When you enter the court, you technically leave The Netherlands. Everything in that building is outside the jurisdiction of any sovereign state.

We stayed here in The Hague, and our stay was indeed okay.

The Hague train station.

A tower in Bruges. Apparently this tower was in the film In Bruges, starring Colin Farrell.

Not only have I seen more chocolate in the past ten days than I've seen in my life, but I also saw these prominently displayed in a shop in Bruges. I haven't quite decided what to think of them yet, however I have no doubt that they would be nothing but delicious.

Alright well I've got to do some reading before class tomorrow. Thanks for reading!

-cdk