A couple of years ago, I wrote that visiting Liechtenstein to watch their national team play might have been a high for me in terms of human eccentricity. After suffering as the victim of many jokes based on my bizarre choice of holiday destinations, I had little intention of topping that feat; until now. It was not as though I blindly placed my finger on a map of Europe and decided to go to the first place I would select. But the prospect of experiencing life as a student in another country was perhaps too good to turn down. Research done and bags packed, it was time to leave London.

A short plane ride and 3-hour train journey later, I arrived in Groningen. Located in the Northern part of the Netherlands, it is the largest metropolis in this part of the country with just under 200,000 inhabitants. Of these, it has been speculated that 50,000 are students of the city’s two main universities, thus providing an interesting and diverse cultural mix for a city of its size. Rated as the “best city centre” in the Netherlands in 1996, Groningen is also oddly renowned as the “World Cycling City” where 57% of journeys are made on a pedal-pusher.

In true continental fashion, Groningen is dominated by a main square, the Grote Markt (the Big Market). The square itself is not only the main hive of activity, but also holds within it the scenic Town Hall. Overlooking the main square is the Martini Tower, aptly named perhaps due to the languid and plentiful consumption of alcohol that the city’s students are renowned for.

Quintessentially for a Dutch town, the city centre is bound by a canal and dotted with buildings of varying styles and facades of architecture. No urban area in this country would be complete with a customary Red-Light District; in that regard, Groningen is no different to the cities of neighbouring region the Randstad. Unlike the Randstad however, Groningen is not known for its ability to attract tourism, nor does it represent the economic wealth displayed elsewhere in the country. Although large deposits of natural gas have been discovered in the surrounding environs, Groningen remains poorer and shabbier compared to other Dutch cities.

Whilst not prominent with any notable monuments, Groningen still does offer splendour with its weekly markets, expansive cafes, bars and restaurants, and its vibrant atmosphere. With its lack of proximity to other sizeable urban areas (Amsterdam and Bremen in Germany, being the nearest), Groningen remains an important city for the northern part of the Netherlands.

Groningen’s principal raison d’être is its university: Rijksuniversiteit Groningen (the State University of Groningen). Founded in the 17^th Century, the university is the second oldest in the country after Leiden University and has a fine history of academic tradition in the Netherlands. Although not on the same scale as universities in London (and perhaps the UK in general), Groningen is home to a growing number of international students from all parts of the globe. Courses are offered mainly in Dutch, with a growing number of Master’s degrees being taught in English.

Settling down in a new place is no easy task. Perhaps it was erroneous on my part to have preconceived the idea of getting to grips with life in Groningen within a week or two. But, it took me far longer than this. Some Asian and African countries are notorious for their red tape when conducting simple administrative procedures. However, if a worldwide competition were to be held on bureaucratic wrangles, the Netherlands would most certainly excel at this.

Life in Groningen has been much slower and laid back in comparison to London. Culturally, the difference has also been noticeable in a number of ways. Whilst pints of beer are the drink de rigeur, glasses of beer are consumed here instead. One aspect that has tended to bother me more than anything else is the fact that shops remain closed on a Sunday – save for the first Sunday of each month. Cited due to legislation based on religious notions, it has meant that Saturday shopping is an absolute must.

That said it has not been all doom and gloom. Groningen is famous within the Netherlands for is raucous, student-centred and dominated nightlife; given the lack of an official closing time, many bars and clubs are prone to remaining opening until the small hours of the morning. Although I have yet to experience partying until breakfast, I do appreciate the fact that one can achieve a state of inebriation fairly cheaply and can rest with the knowledge that there will be no need to catch a night bus home at an ungodly hour. If the state of hedonism offered in a place could be measured as a physical quantity, then I am of the opinion that Groningen would rank at the higher end of the spectrum.