Adventures of Davina

And off we went.. To Rotterdam with our two new Dutch companions. Rotterdam is an amazingly industrial city, with modern skyscrapers hanging out with historic buildings and the machinery of the shipping industry. It is a city full of art.. from big important sculptures and bridges, to street art - it was a feast for the eyes.


We got of the tram we took from Schiedam right in the heart of bustling down-town Rotterdam. This is a major metropolitan area, and reminded me a bit of New York.
Sculpture on the outside of the City Hall.

Tulip Vendors - these were the only tulips I saw while I was there. When is Tulip season? I obviously not here at the right time!

Public Works Building from the first quarter of the 20th century. Ordinarily, I don't take photos of big office buildings of this style - however - this one had a feature I've never seen before. Bullet Holes.



We went into the City Hall - the main reception hall has an incredible neo-classical interior dome and arches with coffering. So beautiful, even our Dutch tour guide took a photo.




After building up an appetite, we left the City Hall and got a toasted sandwich - a Tosti! It was akin to a cheese and tomato panini - delicious! It really was the right taste..
I popped into the tourist information to see about taking a harbor cruise to see the big shipping lanes, on the way out, I snapped this photo of a stylized map of Rotterdam. Thankfully, there was no "you are are" arrows - I really think it's lovely as a work of art.
We turned towards the harbor, walking down the main canal towards the bridge. There is a maritime museum along the banks of the harbor, so we looked around at the old machinery of sailing and shipping. Like all big urban centers, there was a bit of tagging - but check out this lovely work of street art on a litter bin.





As we continued our journey, we strolled through a "walk of fame" area with hands and feet of famous celebs. Along with them, were these charming blue and white tiles of beavers. So cute!

Because I notice things with the word "Bowling" - this sign caught my attention. I tried to suggest going to see this - as it was playing - but three out of four in my party said "umm.. no." So instead I took a photo - and looked it up online - here's a link to the trailer.

I had forgotten that Rotterdam was the home of the Erasmus bridge. This is called locally "The Swan" and it is THE architectural landmark. It's 2,600 feet long, and has a 456-foot tall pylon. It opened in 1996 by the Queen Beatrix herself! We took a boat ride and chugged right underneath it.

I found it a little bit funny that we were getting onto a boat named "James Cook" the name of a friend of mine. Even funnier to me - the boat is a "Tangerine Spido" - Like the song by Caviar - video.



And then more window shopping - touring - and soaking up the views of the city!






And then there are the little things - we popped into a store to get water - and here is a delightful sign for language classes.