Rotterdam - A Taste of Modernity

Most of the European cities I have seen have an element of history written in their architecture and layout. The buildings are centuries old but painstakingly restored and modernized so as to retain their character.

Rotterdam is exceptional in this regard with its strikingly modern architecture. I hear this is because Rotterdam was heavily bombed during World War II forcing the city to be rebuilt completely in an updated style. As the largest port in Europe, Rotterdam is a significant part of commerce and trade in Europe.
The Euromast tower dominates the skyline of Rotterdam.  I saw adventurous tourists trying to climb this tower with ropes (not an activity for the fickle-minded).  From below the tower, these daredevils looked like beads strung on a rope.
From the riverside, we can see ships anchored on the port offloading after the long journey.  

Another interesting sight is the Spido boat taking tourists around for a view of the harbor.  We could see many Spido boats going back and forth but we chose to take a cruise on the Pancake boat instead.
The Erasmus bridge is another modern feature of the Rotterdam skyline.  We went under this bridge while on the Pancake cruise.
This picture was clicked while we waited at a signal.  The road in the front opened up to allow the boat to pass.  I got out of the car to watch the bridge open slowly and took this snap.

The buildings in Rotterdam reflect the ultra-modern and sleek architechture of Europe.  Rotterdam is also famous for cube houses...well they are houses shaped like cubes. 

We also drove around the old part of Rotterdam harbour.  It looked like a marina full of private boats.
The "Pancake Cruise"was the highlight of our trip to Rotterdam.  For a fee of 12 Euros per person, one can have a hour long cruise and eat as many pancakes as you wish with a myriad of toppings.  The toppings range from the obvious maple syrup, honey, sugar etc. to eggs, bacon, fresh fruits and cream.

Unfortunately, we did not book tickets in advance (via the internet) like the many people who turned up for the cruise.  We bought tickets on the spot after the reserved passengers boarded.

The lower deck is most sought after since the pancakes are made and served there.  We were on the upper deck since we got our tickets later.  The view from the upper deck was fantastic but we had to go down to the lower deck to get our share of pancakes and toppings.

 
There are boats plying on the river in yellow and black (standard taxi colours).  These are water taxis ferrying passengers within the city... yet another mode of transport unique to Rotterdam.  

By dusk, we noticed the decorated boats gearing up for the day's evening cruise.  I remember that there was a floating Chinese pagoda restaurant anchored closed to the Euromast tower.

Rotterdam is an excellant example of the the versatility of Europe with its  high-rise buildings, cube houses, amazing port facilities, ships, boats, water-taxis, floating restaurants, the Erasmus bridge and the Euromast tower. 

We took some time to take a promenade along the harbour to catch the refreshing breeze.   At the end of the day, I was glad to be able to visit this great city.