We all have heard how Amsterdam has the ability to transport one back in time. While walking along the streets buildings from the 17th century lean forward to greet you while small waves lap along the sides of boats in the canals. However many are unaware of Amsterdam's sister city, Rotterdam.
Rotterdam boasts to be the largest port in Europe. The city is a quick hour-long bus ride from Amsterdam's Sloterdijk Bus station. Now, most people may think that Rotterdam has the similar blast to the past charm that the streets of Amsterdam have, but they are wrong. During World War Two, the city was all but obliterated by bombs. Now 70 years later the city is an icon of modern architecture.
One day I was sitting and eating lunch with my fellow international friends when we had the idea to plan a trip to Rotterdam. Unknowingly we booked the trip for a lovely weekend day, thinking that we would be able to easily spend 8 hours there doing activities.
Now for anyone that is wishing to do a day trip to this city, I would recommend that you book a bus ticket. It may take the slightest bit longer than a train but you will save almost 20 euros.
Once you arrive you will realize, like us, that the city is very spread out, tennis shoes are advised. Also, make sure to pack a reusable water bottle and a windbreaker.
Our first stop that morning was a little cafe in the Cool District. Like the name suggests this is essentially the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco. There were numerous hipster bars and cafes to pick and choose from. You will also see that in the local area, there are a few museums. Unfortunately for us, they were close when we got there. However, there are several artistic displays located behind the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen.
From there it is just a quick walk through some quaint neighborhoods to the waterfront. Here we decided that since we have the time it would be nice to cross the Erasmusbrug, the large bridge that spans the length of the channel.
On the other side, we were met with more tourist attractions, like the floating garden. I think that it was interesting to see but it is only a drive-by attraction. I can imagine when the weather gets nicer that it would be nice to sit and have lunch on one of the many docks and benches, but as it was a rather unusually cold day we decided to keep walking.
Anyways we are wandering around completely lost in some neighborhood that for the most part is really sketchy. Being the normal person I am, I started spouting off ways that we could potentially die and how our bodies could be disposed of. To say the least, everyone decided that we should hurry and find food fast. We stumbled upon this little square with Fenix Food Factory written on the side of a warehouse. At that moment I was so hungry that even if it wasn't for the public I would have found a way to break in.
Just so you know the entrance is located in the center of the rectangular building, not at its ends. Don't make my mistake and walk into a restaurant, that I could not afford on my meager student budget, severely underdressed, and have to awkwardly walk/be escorted out.
In the Felix factory, you will find a bunch of little cafes and eateries that offer a range of culturally different goodies. Some of the group tried a hummus assortment while others tried "American BBQ". I found this little bakery in the corner and bought one of the best sourdough bagels of my whole life.
Afterward, we crossed the Rijnhavenbrug to a little park across the way. If you want some killer photos in Amsterdam I would 100% recommend going to the Memorial Park by Hotel New York. This site offers an amazing view of the waterfront and city skyline. I attempted to fly my drone, but the strong winds were too much for my little baby so I grounded it after only a few seconds of flight.
If you don't want to walk back across the bridge then you should consider catching a water taxi. I can say this was the best thing Rotterdam had to offer. I love boats so I think that having a water taxi is so cool. For only 4 euros you can catch a taxi to stop 45 at the Maritime Museum.
From there we walked around some neighborhoods, none of them very exciting, looking at all the different modern designs.
At one point during our wander we did happen across a square where the day's farmers' market was just closing up. Luckily we had enough time to hurry and get some coffee and sit on the benches.
The day was drawing to an end. My feet were terribly sore. I was tired and it was starting to get cold.
We made one final stop to eat some dinner before hopping on the bus and heading home. Warning while in the colonies water may be given freely without charge, in EUROPE they freaking charge 1 euro for the smallest cup of water. Like this thing wasn't even 6 oz. Thank you lord I was smart enough to pack my handy dandy H20 bottle.
Well, that concludes the day.
The biggest take home tips are :
1. Dress warm, bring a windbreaker, and tennis shoes
2. Have a water bottle
3. Take a water taxi, walk the bridge, and eat yummy food at any of the food halls
4. Unless you plan on going to museums do not spend 8 hours there. There isn't that much to do but there are quite a lot of modern buildings to look at but after a few hours it gets old
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| Erasmusbrug |
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| the gang :') |
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| at the farmer's market |
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