A few weeks ago, on Tuesday and Wednesday, Greg attended a finance conference here in Amsterdam. He was a presenter and a panelist, and it went really well. He really enjoyed meeting some new people at the conference that he plans to stay in touch with. The conference also hosted an evening event at the House of Bols in Amsterdam on Tuesday night. House of Bols calls itself "a cocktail and genever experience", revolving around the history of Lucas Bols distillery, taste/smell/feel experiments, and bartending fun. What a neat way to treat conference attendees!
Near our apartment is a swing that Ben and I visit at least once a week. About 3 weeks ago, on the way home from swinging, Ben tripped over a bicycle wheel and fell to the ground. Edward (a Thomas train) was in one hand, and a snack in the other - so he had no hands left to break his fall. He ended up with a very bloody lip, poor guy. All healed by now, so we made another visit. No injuries this time (thank God), just lots of giggles!
Near our apartment is a swing that Ben and I visit at least once a week. About 3 weeks ago, on the way home from swinging, Ben tripped over a bicycle wheel and fell to the ground. Edward (a Thomas train) was in one hand, and a snack in the other - so he had no hands left to break his fall. He ended up with a very bloody lip, poor guy. All healed by now, so we made another visit. No injuries this time (thank God), just lots of giggles!
Last Saturday, March 21st, we traveled by train (1 hour) to Rotterdam. The weather forecast was dry and sunny, and it stayed that way all day! We arrived around 10 a.m. and headed for the Euromast. The Euromast is a tower that was built in 1960 and is now 185 meters tall (was only 100 meters tall in the 60's, but additional height added in 1970). We only went to the 100 meter (328 feet) mark, but the views were incredible. We saw the Erasmus bridge, the harbor, and the 'skyscraper' city of Rotterdam. Such a different look and feel than Amsterdam. My guys were pretty brave - Greg had to work himself up for a peek over the edge, but Ben gladly stuck his little head out for a look.
It was now 11 a.m., and Greg's co-worker, Pauline, was meeting us at the base of the Euromast. Pauline lives in Rotterdam and had offered to be our "tour guide" for the day. Fabulous!! We took the tram to Delfshaven (Delft Harbor), a pretty corner of the city that the German bombs of WW2 missed. It was very 'Amsterdam-like' with the canalhouses and canalboats.
At the end of the canal was a working windmill that still produces flour. Pauline and I climbed the steep stairs to see the flour pouring into sacks. Another set of stairs up, we saw the grinder. I can appreciate that this was probably amazing technology back in the day - it was pretty cool. Then, another set of stairs up, we walked out into the sunshine and stood on the platform. Even though it was much lower to the ground, it felt much scarier than the Euromast. The floorboards were widely spaced, the railing very open, and huge windmill blades spinning around. Yikes! But I got a nice picture of the canal that we were walking along.
From Delfshaven, we rode the tram back into the city center - and this is where we really appreciated having Pauline with us. She walked us by a very bizarre statue - Santa, leprechaun...you decide. We stopped into her favorite bakery, Specker, for some fabulous apple pastries and traditional Easter marzipan/walnut treats. Then to her favorite ice cream place, Capri. Ben was thrilled with this part of the tour!
We walked by the town hall and then through the Beurstraverse shopping mall - better known as the 'Koopgoot' (Buying/Shopping Gutter) because it is below street level. Pauline mentioned they had some flooding problems when it first opened - whoops! Then past a really beautiful church (didn't catch the name), through the Blaak open-air market (one of the largest in the Netherlands), to see the library (structure with yellow piping) and the "Pencil House" next to it.
By now, we were getting hungry for lunch, so we walked toward the Oude Haven (Old Harbor). On the way, we passed by the Kubuswoningen (cube houses), built in 1982. Much of Rotterdam was bombed during WW2, so the city is full of modern, unique architecture - not all of it as crazy as this. Pauline told us that years ago, she almost bought one of these! My only Rotterdam regret is that we ran out of time to explore the inside - I just can't figure out how one would live in a house set at such a funky angle. We walked along the Old Harbor and found a place to have pannekoeken, yummy!
All good things must come to an end. We had a great day, and we loved that Pauline was willing to spend the whole day with us. We enjoyed Rotterdam; there is much more to see than what we could in just 7 hours, so we hope we did it justice. We have heard some sayings about Rotterdam, Amsterdam, and The Hague (where the government is located)...
**The self-image of Rotterdam is that of a no-nonsense workers' city. In that sense, there is a healthy competition with Amsterdam, which is often viewed as the cultural capital of the Netherlands. There is a saying: "Amsterdam to party, Den Haag (The Hague) to live, Rotterdam to work". Another one, more popular by Rotterdammers, is "Money is earned in Rotterdam, divided in The Hague, and spent in Amsterdam".**
To finish out the weekend, we enjoyed a 'make-up' birthday party for sweet Kaia on Sunday. As the guests were arriving, we noticed that of the children in attendance, Kaia was the only girl. Not a bad way for a gal to ring in her 2nd birthday...surrounded by handsome boys. :) Kaia and Ryan were the cutest 'ring around the rosie' partners I have ever seen, and she and Ben enjoyed being loud with the party kazoos.
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