Sunset over Nijmegen
The last stop on my adventure was Nijmegen, The Netherlands, which is about an hour and a half by train southeast of Amsterdam. There, I stayed with a former roommate of mine who had been on exchange two years prior in Waterloo. When we had lived together, I always remembered that she spoke quite affectionately about her home in Ubbergen, a suburb near Nijmegen. Back in Canada, I typically only hear the same kind of attachment to a place when people are talking about waterfront cottages.
“We could meet in Amsterdam, but you could also come to Ubbergen, I think you’d really like it.”
There was something about her gentle nudge to go to Ubbergen, a desire to share a place and experience that she loved so much. I booked my train ticket and I was off. It was amazing seeing her again, because when many of my international roommates went back home, I always thought to myself that I would likely never see them again in my lifetime. As I walked up the road to her home, I immediately saw why she loved it so much. I also fell in love with the area as well and that made it very difficult to leave. (Pictures coming soon!) It was a good way to wind down after 3 months on the road, but as I rode the train to the airport, I was already dreaming about when I would return.
