I ended yesterday by going to a dance club right across the street called The International with Audrey and her hallmates. There was no cover charge, but the group had to try and sneak me in because normally the bar checks for student IDs and only allows in the local university students. Turned out that of the group was friendly with the bouncer, and he let me inside.

I was told that the reason for checking student IDs is to keep out riffraff who “wear tracksuits” and whatnot. Local Wageningen residents of this class are called “Wagyos”, whereas lower class Dutch in general are slurred as “Tokkies.” I got a short explanation of the Dutch school system as well, which segregates its students into different institutions (trade school or pre-college) based on academic performance starting at high school age.

Finally there was some discussion of Dutch swear words. Apparently diseases are commonly used as profanity, so people will swear by saying things like “tuberculosis” or “cancer.” Using “cancer” as a swear word is now commonly seen as offensive after there were large movements to stop its use.

The International was quite a dive. Housed in an old rectangular building, the dance floor didn’t have much for decoration, other than scattered air-filled balloons. There was duct tape + trash bag material covering the windows. A small bar at the back served basic drinks for a few Euros, and the speakers at the front were blasting decade-old American hits like “High Hopes,” “Party in the USA” and “Shape of You.”

I unfortunately stayed up until 3 AM and I’m sure my hearing was damaged. I had a lot of fun. Today, I slept in. When I woke up, Audrey made us both a lunch of pasta, topped with a big fried pouch filled with something called “satay”, a savory peanut sauce.

She let me borrow her bike for a spin so that I could go to the Saturday farmer’s market.

The Waga locals are comfortably yet smartly dressed. The young women were wearing dresses or nice trousers. It is not socially acceptable to walk around in “athleisure” wear anywhere but the gym.

I walked into some various shops and cafés on the main street:

When I stopped for another snack, two older ladies began talking to me in Dutch by complimenting my hair. We started an English conversation. One of the ladies, a former teacher, was enthusiastically talking to me about my trip; the other kept admonishing her in Dutch to let me eat my sandwich — “Laat haar eten!” Both were drinking fancy Italian latte macchiatos.

My conversation partner was enthusiastic about me going to Berlin and said that it’s very fashionable, and much better than Paris, which she said was “like my parents — antique.” When I said I was going to Bavaria next, she said, “Why?” She apologized for her poor English, but like most Dutch, she could speak it very well. Both were wonderful and friendly!

After this, I biked around town, which was stress-free and a ton of fun. In the Netherlands, bikes are given large lanes and their own traffic lights at busy intersections. Helmets are rarely used because of how safe biking generally is. In the event of a crash between a car and a bike, the motorist is almost always held at complete fault for the accident.

A highlight in Wageningen’s long history is the important contribution it made during WWII and how greatly it suffered. The old Wageningen city center was destroyed by artillery fire in 1940, and subsequently occupied by Germany; the city was a battle site twice during the war. By 1942, most of the couple hundred Jewish refugees and residents were deported to death camps (Sobibor and Auschwitz in occupied Poland). In 1944, a wave of arrests were carried out of citizens involved in the Dutch Resistance. In April 1945, the retreating Germans blew up the town’s church towers. Next month in May, German capitulation was signed at the Hotel De Wereld in Wageningen. This event is now celebrated with parades and festivals every May 5 as the national holiday Liberation Day; the capitulation agreement document now resides in the Wageningen town hall.

Meanwhile, Wageningen University is widely regarded as the world’s top agricultural, life science, and environmental science research institution. The nearby floodplains of the river Rhine and national park ‘de Veluwe’ are popular biking destinations.

Are you wondering why I haven’t said anything relevant to the title of this post yet? Well, as I was walking by the hotel, I heard singing and witnessed this bizarre display.

Finally, I ended the outing with a visit to the Kringloop, or local thrift store. I was most impressed by the collection of teacups in the basement.