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.      

"Den Haag" or The Hague - Seat of the International Court of Justice

"Den Haag"(The Hague) has a reputation for being very international owing to the many institutions located there. The city is always in the news in connection with the International Court of Justice or International Criminal Court.

While in Hague, I realized that the international nature of Hague was different from that of Amsterdam. Amsterdam is exciting, highly touristy and inviting. In stark contrast, The Hague is a sleepy town without the toursitic pomp of Amsterdam.

We reached Hague after a few hours drive from Brussels. We fumbled a bit on finding the entry point to the city from the highway. We got some brochures outlining the attractions in Hague from the tourist office.

We walked around the city for sometime observing the architecture and lifestyle in Hague. It looked like a cosmopolitan city with many expatriates in town for work purposes (not for tourism).


In the centre of the town, there was an enclosure with sand sculptures of the buildings in Hague...nothing spectacular but interesting indeed.


The Dutch government buildings are based in The Hague although Amsterdam is the official capital. This complex of buildings, called Biennhof, houses the Parliament and the Prime-Minister's office of Netherlands.

The Government complex had an ancient castle-like look with beautiful architecture and canals all around.


The fountain in the inner compound of the complex had lovely carvings of golden colour.

I found The Hague to be only mildly interesting as I didn't feel that there was much to see there compared to all the media attention the place gets.

However, I must say that the architechture is impressive and the city is green and picturesque. The tram lines cris-cross the old and cobbled streets lined with cafes. This gives Den Haag the feel of a picnic spot rather than that of a genuine tourist destination.

Once Upon a Time...

It's been a long time (over a year or so) since I have blogged. There are good reasons for this long break from writing.

The year 2008 was very hectic for me on a personal and professional level. After the chaos and mayhem of the previous year, I am back to my relaxed pace of life in Brussels. I thought it would be interesting to put down a few lines about the year gone by.

Although last year was quite tough, it was also a year of many milestones. I completed the assignment at work. The assignment that got was open-ended...meaning I had to create protocols and patterns from scratch. It was a role-based assignment requiring a lot of patience and creativity. I lost my cool at times during the the ups and downs of the assignment...but in the end I am satisfied with the results.

I also completed my evening French course. It was difficult to manage the classes, work and the travel all together. I didn't get so much time to study for the many tests but I managed to pass and scrape through the level.

On the personal front, I had an absolutely wonderful time. I got my first baby a couple of months ago. I am thrilled and overjoyed to have this handsome baby boy in my life. I am currently revelling in the joys that only motherhood can bring.

Frank and I managed to squeeze in a bit of travel during the weekends or holidays the past year. We visited the historic "Den Haag" (The Hague),ultra-modern Rotterdam and the charming Tournai.

So here it is - a short summation of all that happened during this long break from blogging. As always, I will update the blog with a little more details about the places we visited in 2008!!