We ended up sitting in the quiet car by accident, but I didn't mind as I got the window seat so I got to look out at everything. It's so beautiful here! All the canals, the houses, it's amazing. I already never want to leave. The trains were so convenient and practical, and all the stations seem well managed and about as clean as a busy station can be. The cars were nice and well kept as well, very reminiscent of the light rail back home, but the intercity trains are much larger (2 "floors", the sprinter trains are a lot more alike). We got off at the Delft station and walked literally like 2 minutes across a major transit station (aka bus plaza) to get to the hotel, the Social Hub. We dropped our stuff off in a room, and, while we waited for our rooms to be ready, we all walked down the main street to pick up the bikes we'll be using for the next two weeks!! I got bike #95 :) 

The bikes are Very different from back home, with a much more relaxed frame: higher bike seat, higher handle bars, so you feel more relaxed and your back is straighter. My bike comes with a rack and straps on the back, so I could strap my tote bag/tiny backpack down there and not have to carry it around. The bikes also come with a rear tire lock, where (after you "park") you can lock the rear bike by removing a key from underneath the seat. We rode the bikes around in a short tour of the old town in Delft, which is absolutely beautiful. All the canals, the architecture, the streets, it's like a dream. I love it so much already. We then rode our bikes back to the hotel, where we got our room keys (7th floor! 778) and took our stuff upstairs. I'm next door to Taylor and across the hall from Liam! (not Leon lol) Then it was time for the first bike ride to an coastal town called Scheveningen. We made a few stops on the way: at a rotating suspension ped bridge, a few stops in Den Haag (at the town hall and the parlement building, where Jake taught me what a scoot is, and we saw an eel!), then finally we made it to the coastal town. I brought sandals and a towel with me, so I touched the Atlantic ocean! We stopped at the 't Pannenkoekenhuisje, where I got (you guessed it) a pannenkoek (again, delicious) and tried bitterballen for the first time. We learned that lemonade does not include lemons, and that there was a Legoland discovery center nearby! (Spoiler: we did not visit) We wandered around a bit more, then stopped to get ice cream. I got a mint chocolate chip cone :) We made a couple more stops on the way back, like at the Peace Castle (where I educated the group on important Peace Castle Lore), and learned that Dutch students will hang their school bags on their Dutch flags when they graduate.