Author: jillianec516

Nederlands Weekendje

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Bratislava, Prague, Vienna, and Budapest are all day trips from Brno, with Budapest being the furthest and still only a 3-and-a-half-hour drive away. Growing up my family would take road trips to Florida, so from El Paso to the east end of Texas was a 12-hour drive, and California was closer to us than Dallas. Even driving up to Denver from El Paso is about 10 hours. The drive from Brno, Czech Republic to Amsterdam, Netherlands is just over 10 hours. Taking advantage of the easy transportation system and time between countries and iconic cities is a must. Visiting other friends in different countries is also a huge perk of studying abroad, especially when you’re in Central Europe.

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Lise, Fleur and I taking a selfie in the Interactive Art rooms at the MOCO Museum in Amsterdam.

I am fortunate to have a high school friend living outside of Eindhoven, Netherlands. I took a two-hour bus from Brno to the Vienna Airport and a two-hour flight from Vienna to Amsterdam. Fleur, my native-to-Holland friend, met up with me at the Airport and we got to catching up quickly. After an afternoon spent exploring pieces of Amsterdam, we caught a train to Eindhoven that was about an hour long, followed by a 15-minute drive to Aarle-Rixtel, her hometown. I think at this point of my study abroad experience I might have been starting to have some homesickness, but being able to spend time with someone from high school truly cured it. It was also insane to see the house and town she grew up in when I had only known the “US version” of Fleur and her home. 

While we were in Amsterdam, we took a boat ride through the canals while eating cheese and drinking wine. The boat guides explained some of the history of Amsterdam and went through their silly but true anecdotes. One thing that stuck out was the fishing hooks that extended from most building’s roofs. The buildings along the city’s canal system were all built to be commercial buildings and factories. They were also built at an angle leaning forward, with large hooks that could drop down to the canal to pick up cargo to take up to the top floor through the window. Most of these buildings now house people as flats, and oddly enough some now lean to the sides due to structural decline. A quarter of the country is below sea level, and the water flowing throughout the country is beautiful. The man-made and maintained spots still complement its surroundings visually. Throughout the entirety of the weekend it was on and off rain, which Fleur remarked as being the norm in the weather and sometimes annoying as she bikes most places.

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Waiting to get on a wine and cheese boat tour in front of the Central Station in Amsterdam. The boat ride was about an hour long and went through the city center. The tour guides said that each year at least a meter of the 3-meter deep canal is filled with bikes that fall in from the streets.
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Some buildings close to the city center have hooks extending from the roof. These hooks are still used for moving furniture into apartments through the windows, even couches as long as they fit!
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My “fancy” dinner at Stout in Aarle-Rixtel. The appetizer (top) is a fish dish with creamy flavors and Cranberry. The entree (middle) was a buttery pheasant with gnocchi. The dessert was a black pepper, lemon, and chocolate mix.

During my time in the Netherlands, I was able to visit the Cat Museum (Museum of Cat-based Art) and Modern Contemporary Art Museum, which is home to creations by artists like Bansky, Keith Haring, Basquiat, and Warhol. I was able to eat my first “fancy” meal that was served in courses and each was a curated meal the chef came out with seasonally. I got to experience a Dutch night out in Eindhoven, check out what grocery store snacks are available in the Netherlands, and see the most bicycles (+electric bikes and cars) I’ve ever seen in my life. Even though it was only 3 days, it was a “gezellig” visiting the Netherlands and reuniting with a friend to explore her little part of the world.

(Gezellig is a Dutch adjective, similar to cozy/fun/pleasant/sociable)

After I leave Masaryk I really hope to keep in contact with the other exchange students so I can have places to stay throughout most of Europe and other parts of the world. Being in someone’s hometown is so helpful in understanding them and getting to enjoy how they live in their own spaces. The ability to travel to different countries at a decent price and get to new destinations quickly has been a huge bonus to studying in Europe, and it can help you make friends that can house you in new places all over. I also really really hope to have more creative curated culinary dishes in different countries now because of how delicious of an experience it was.

Great Eats & Better Drinks

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I will admit I was a little scared of what I thought would be a majority of the local food at restaurants, but the food selection in stores and restaurants is honestly super diverse. The desserts and coffee have been my personal favorites to try out. All different region’s cuisines are available around the city, some more authentic than others. The Mexican food I’ve found here is probably the furthest from actual Mexican food, but the Asian, Mediterranean, and Indian food has been the most genuine in taste. Some of the more local Czech food I’ve tried has included dumplings and fried cheese, both very much bringing a comfort food feeling. KFC, Mcdonald’s, Subway, and Starbucks can all be found in the city center, with a slight change in taste and menu items. The sit-down meals I’ve had here in Brno have all been delicious, with fresher ingredients, and better than a lot of the fusion food in the U.S. The amount of Kebab I’ve consumed since being in Europe has been immense. There’s Kebab on every street and most are open late to feed the club and pubgoers.

The Czech Republic is the country that drinks the most beer in the world per capita and is quite literally cheaper than water. The country has a history of brewing beer going back to the 6th century, and the pouring style for the optimal amount of foam has been perfected by many here. Eye contact while toasting “Na Zdravi” or taking shots is done by everyone, if not that means bad luck, or some people claim it’s bad sex for 7 years. Burčák is a “young” fermented fruit wine, which is popular to buy in liter bottles at different stands in the city center. I’ve learned that when you buy a bottle it has to be finished within a day or two or it will go bad quickly, so it is perfect for sharing. Each week there is karaoke and parties to attend at some of the clubs within Brno hosted by the Erasmus Student Network. I’ve gone a couple times but they feel somewhat redundant. Instead, I’ve ventured to other spots with some friends which has helped with exploring Brno after dark. These nights usually end with a nice walk around beautiful architecture, a Kebab from Turkey Kebab, and the N95 Bus back to the dorms.

food n drink collage
Food & Drink Collage from various restaurants and cafes in Brno, Czech Republic. Including a picture of the burčák bottle.

Back in the dorms, every couple of days my roommate and I have our friends come over and we all take turns cooking dishes that belong to each of our countries and watch a movie. It’s interesting that none of us are from the same country so we all have different meals that we can contribute that make us feel closer to home while sharing with others. I enjoy how wholesome it is that we all actually want to cook for each other even though our kitchens are tiny. Food is truly a way we can express how grateful we are for each other while teaching each other about the traditions we have at home.