.png&width=24&type=webp)
Princeton University Athletics
From Europe: Leaving Germany, Back to the Netherlands
March 22, 2019 | Women's Soccer
Blog Post 3/20
On Wednesday, we woke up for our final day in Aachen, Germany. We all savored our last breakfast in the Novotel which we had grown to love. The freshly fried eggs, array of fine cheeses, and flaky croissants were some of our favorites in the breakfast buffet. Next, we departed for our 2 hour drive to Haarlem, Netherlands. We arrived in Haarlem at our new hotel, NIU, which was modern and chic in design. Soon after we broke into groups and explored this quaint Dutch town not far outside of Amsterdam. Some of us decided to stop at a restaurant called Frenchie for lunch where we enjoyed delicious meals ranging from pastrami sandwiches to tacos. Afterwards, we stopped for cappuccinos and pastries in the centrum and walked through the local farmers market, surrounded by local residents on bicycles.
After this we commuted to the local club's (Wartburgia) training complex outside of Amsterdam. Wartburgia came out strong and scored early, but after half time we raised our speed of play and physicality. We ended up winning 6-2 with a handful of goals from Mimi and Eve. Although the match was competitive, the ensuing ping pong match at the postgame social put the game to shame. In the clubhouse, we ate Asian cuisine for dinner alongside the players from Wartburgia and learned a little bit about their lives.
Blog Post 3/21
On Thursday morning, the team woke up to have a quick breakfast at the hotel then hopped back on the bus to head to Amsterdam for the day! Once we were there, we boarded a canal cruise that showed us the city from the perspective of the water. We learned about how the system of canals was built and about the different kinds of architecture used on the buildings. As we cruised through the canals, the tour guide spoke about the deep history of the city, including stories about specific homes and the merchants who lived there. Â
After the cruise, we made our way to the Anne Frank house. Even though we've learned about World War II and Anne Frank's story in school, it was a whole different experience actually walking through the space that her family was confined in for almost two years. Something that really stood out to us was seeing the height chart penciled into the wall showing how much Anne grew during their time in hiding. It was emotional to see the surroundings of this young girl who told such a detailed and heartbreaking story about the persecution of her family, as well as the Jewish community during World War II. At the very end of the tour, we were able to see the collection of actual diaries that Anne Frank kept throughout her life. It was astonishing to see how well she wrote at such a young age, and tragic to think about the future that was stolen from her.Â
Once we finished in the museum we had a few hours to explore the culture and shops around Amsterdam before we got back on the bus to go to dinner and to the Netherlands vs. Belarus match in Rotterdam. A group of us got coffee and sat by the canal to watch the hustle and bustle of the locals passing by. After we all had time to take in the sights we hopped on the bus to get a quick bite to eat before watching our thrilling match. Some other groups wandered through the streets, looking into the shop windows and trying the local cuisine.Â
After another short bus ride, we found ourselves in Rotterdam for the match. Our pregame dinner was incredible, with a spread of cheeses and butters that kept everyone coming back for seconds and thirds. It was the perfect meal before an energy-filled match. The atmosphere when we got to the game was like no other: fans chanting, flags waving, and the booming national anthems created an energy that we not only were honored to witness, but also to be a part of. Some highlights from the match were trying to throw the orange streamers as far as possible from our seats, and feeling the entire stadium literally shake every time the Dutch scored. The Netherlands team won 4-0, and it was awesome to see the fans and streamers go wild. When the game was over the team got souvenirs to remember this amazing experience then went back to the hotel to get some rest before taking on our last day in Europe!Â
XOXO your favorite sophomores!
