I was really feeling like drinking a beer with a friend, so seeing Daniel at the train station was a much welcomed sight. After the long trip with a lot of uncertainty, I felt home and safe (especially with that cold beer in my hand). What a feeling.

Groningen is an old city. There are still many old buildings including their university in the city centre. What a beauty! Just opposite of it is the main university library. Supposedly, that’s a place for picking up girls/guys. I don’t really see how that is possible, but it sure is a place for checking out people. (Bonus fact: People actually dress up to go to the library because of this!!)

That night we decided to check out the nightlife although it was a Tuesday. Though the majority of the places were closed, the cheapest and sleaziest places were packed. It was certainly a fun sight, but I prefer the cozy jazz bars (unfortunately I missed the live performances).

When they say that Groningen is a student city, they are not exaggerating. Every fifth person is a student, the city is packed with bikes (it felt like China in the 90s!), the university campus just outside the city center in big and quite new. Further, it seems like the architects have had no restrictions. They certainly do not look anything like the new minimalistic glass and steel university buildings in my home town, Aarhus. But this is actually very nice. The facilities are good and spacious – despite the many students. A cool thing I encountered while walking around campus was a solar-powered dumpster/trash bin that compresses the trash. Preeeetty cool, huh?

Local tip: When you have been having fun in the bars and clubs in Holland and you feel hungry, go to one of the many kebab places and order a “Kapsalon“. Don’t ask what is in it – it’s basically a mix’n'match of components of your average kebab/grill bar dishes.