On our final day in The Netherlands, we walked from our hostel to the center of Delft, to see the Dutch parliament building, and the Knights Hall, where Queen Beatrix has, and soon King Willem-Alexander will, give the equivalent of the state of the union address. We also walked past the building where Prime Minister Mark Rutte has his working office. From there, we took a tram to Delft. Delft is famous for being the home of "Delft Blue" hand painted pottery, as well as the home of Vermeer. Perhaps most importantly, it was the home of William of Orange, the George Washington of The Netherlands. In Delft, students climbed the narrow staircase to the top of the steeple of the beautiful New Church, where they had a gorgeous view of the city. Most everyone shopped for a while in Delft, before taking the short tram ride back to The Hague. In the afternoon, we visited the M.C. Escher museum, and then most students continued with last minute shopping. Tomorrow morning we leave the hostel very early in the morning for the train ride to Schipol airport, and our return to the United States.
All fifteen of our students have been awesome travelers. The first day we checked in to the hostel in The Hague, the hotel manager asked me what we have done to make our kids so calm and respectful. Thanks to all of you for an amazing trip!
