Amsterdam Housing
I have been in Maastricht for just over a week now and each morning as I wake up and look out over The Maas River from our hostel the picturesque landscape of this beautiful Dutch town continues to amaze me! From the cobblestone streets to the breathtaking architecture of the buildings - it has been quite a surreal experience so far. Even though the temperatures have been below freezing for the most part of our program, the surprising arrival of snow has been one of the most incredible highlights of the trip so far. There is just something so magical about being able to experience snow during a European winter! In having said that however, the snow has made it an incredibly slippery and freezing walk to our classes, shops and dinners – and worst of all - caused freezing conditions in our terribly heated hostel rooms!
Market Square in Maastricht
Boekhandel Selexyz Dominicanen in Maastricht - voted the best bookshop in the world by The Guardian Newspaper in 2008.
Maastricht University is just a short walk from our hostel accommodation and it’s buildings and surroundings are just so beautiful! The CES are a wonderful unit at the University and have been so accommodating and welcoming to us, making our arrival here so much easier! During our first class for our program however, it became quite clear that this short course was indeed an intensive one, with our schedule outlining a large amount of readings, class discussions and assessments we have to complete over the next three weeks. Despite this, the course content has been quite interesting, so I think it is going to be a challenging, yet stimulating two weeks ahead! It is also clear that our Professor is at the forefront of her field, so we are quite fortunate to have her teach us in this program.
Maastricht in the snow
As I write this blog, our group is heading back to Maastricht after spending the weekend in gorgeous Amsterdam. This weekend trip has also been one of the highlights of our program so far. We were fortunate enough to visit and tour the Peace Palace – the home of the International Court of Justice – and, as law students this experience was just so amazing (and a little inspiring) for us! We also received several interesting talks from various legal officers and advisors from the Dutch government’s Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment and from the International Greenpeace Office. The officers and advisors focused their talks around their roles in their respective departments and the work that they undertake – and best of all – they were just the loveliest and most accommodating people! I think a few of us could most certainly get used to the idea of working in one of these organisations! Of course, we also had time to experience the historical and cultural aspects of Amsterdam including the Anne Frank Huis, the Van Gogh museum, the Rijksmuseum and the Heineken Experience (and – not forgetting - Amsterdam night life). However, the highlight of this trip (and I think I can speak for all of us here) was definitely our well-heated rooms, full pumping showers and hot buffet breakfast ;). I am sure we all can’t wait for our well-accommodated weekend in Belgium!
Marissa
Parry is participating in our January 2012 International Environmental Law Program at Maastricht University in the Netherlands. Marissa is going into her 5th year of a Bachelor of Science/Laws degree at the University of Newcastle.
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