Rotterdam
After two days in Amsterdam, our threesome of sojourning cocktail-consumers took an intercity train to Rotterdam. Founded in the 1200s, Rotterdam got it's name from the 'Dam of the Rotte River' which drained the land the city is built on. Rotterdam is now an industrial center and has Europe's largest seaport. I didn't expect much, but in the end I absolutely loved this city.
Upon arrival, Svetlana suggested we visit the ‘Rotterdamse Centrummarkt'. An open-air market in the center of town, you can purchase anything from fresh off-the-boat fish to watches and electronics. Svetlana was insistent, in spite of my questioning, that we should purchase a bottle of champagne at the nearby ‘Albert Heijn’ (the largest supermarket chain in Holland). She has excellent foresight…
Adjacent to the market is the ‘Grote of Sint-Laurenskerk’ (Saint Lawrence Church). The church was the first stone building in Rotterdam and one of the few buildings to survive German bombing in the Second World War. It now acts as a museum and community centre.
Being utterly predictable, and in fantastic physical condition, we decided to climb to the top of the church bell tower. I had vivid memories of climbing Duomo di Milano in Italy with these ladies, but I think we were either in better shape this time or more sober, because we made it to the top with no heavy breathing.
At the top, we took in the fabulous views of Rotterdam. Svetlana then pulled from her bag three glasses and the bottle of champagne she had bought earlier. I can’t begin to tell you how wonderful it is to share a bottle of bubbly, yes we drank the whole bottle, with your best friends at the top of a church bell tower in a European city.
After consuming the bottle of champagne on hallowed ground, we got even more courageous and decided to take a boat to Kinderdijk (according to Doina, pronounced “Kjjjjjjiiiikkkkk”, we later found out it’s pronounced “Kinder-dyke” from a local). Doina proved that her organizational skills with trains transfers to boats, and found us a port and a ferry.
I adored Kinderdijk. You know that iconic photo of Dutch windmills? That was taken in Kinderdijk. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Kinderdijk was built as a system of 19 windmills in the 1740s to drain the confluence of the Noord and Lek Rivers. Being a windy day, we got to see the windmills going full-steam. It was seriously impressive, the noise they make is incredible.
After I bored the ladies to death with my nerd-gasm for 18th century windmills, we caught the ferry back to Rotterdam. We went back to the market and bought a shit ton of food and booze, and proceeded to our evening’s accommodation: a boathouse in Rotterdam Harbour.
I am not going to lie, the houseboat was pretty darn cool. I wish I could tell you what happened, but I don’t remember any of it because I was paralytically intoxicated. Let’s put it this way: Doina had to check my pulse during the night, multiple times, because she thought I had died. Very embarrassing, but all I can say is that I have much better friends than I deserve!
The next day I woke up in the houseboat and literally, not figuratively, had no idea what continent I was on. Facing probably the worst hangover of my life, me and ‘The Angels’ packed up. We caught a train, that almost made me vomit for the third time that morning, to The Haag metropolitan town of Delft.
Delft is a very interesting place. Essentially a 'college town' for the local technical university, it is also a popular tourist destination as it's the home to the artist Jan Vermeer and has connections to the House of Orange-Nassau (current ruling family of the Netherlands). It is also stunningly beautiful.
The streets look like something out of a painting, and we spent the first hour or so exploring. We then had a picnic by a gorgeous canal and watched the leisure boats go by. At that moment I felt we were living the "European Dream".
After an ice cream in the city center, we had to head back to Amsterdam as Svetlana had a plane to catch. Before leaving Delft, I drove the girls crazy by forcing them to let me photograph one last windmill...
Doina and I spent one last night in Amsterdam and flew home the next morning.
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