Delft '26 Day 11: Ferry to Kinderdijk

Two young men at the edge of a canal hold up pieces of dirt while the other writes down data — Caden and Matthew inspect soil and vegetation at Kinderdijk.

May 27, 2026

Morgan Adams, Civil Engineering

This story is one of a series written by students in the Gonzaga in Delft program, a course from the Civil Engineering department exploring sustainable practices of the Netherlands.

The morning started at 9:30 am with a train ride to Rotterdam, where we caught a ferry to Kinderdijk. During the ferry ride, most of us headed outside to enjoy the gorgeous views, warm sunshine, and fresh Dutch air!

11 young people stand in the sun with the skyline of a European city behind them

When we arrived at Kinderdijk, we split into groups for a scavenger hunt that led us through the landscape of windmills, waterways, soil, and vegetation. Along the way, we learned how Kinderdijk was engineered to pump water into the Lek River and protect the surrounding land from flooding.

Three students sit on a bench in front of a tall grassy field and windmill in the distance — Addie, Fran, and Will take in the whimsical windmills and shimmering water.

Students sit on the edge of a waterway looking at a row of gray buildings floating on platforms in the middle of the water

From there, we took the ferry back to Rotterdam to visit a floating office and floating homes. Melissa Verwest explained how the floating office and homes stay afloat, how they are built to be sustainable, and how they help Rotterdam create more space when land is limited.

Afterward, we made our way back to the train station, with some returning to Delft and others stopping for a snack at the Rotterdam food court. In the evening, a small group ended the day with a late swim in the Delft lake. After walking eight miles under the sun, nothing felt more perfect than cooling off in the water!

Students play in shallow water of a beach under a sunset sky