"Meeting 10th August" Rotterdam Travelogue by irisbe

This is the map ATLC marked to show the meeting place... or is it just a mark that it is safe to come '-)

Thanks ATLC for letting me borrow your map!

p.s. ATLC has something with green flags, I tell you!

<b>And yet another nice statue when we were approaching the City Hall.

<b>As Rotterdam has been severely bombed during the WWII, the city had to be rebuild again.
It has to be said that I was pleased to see the modern buildings architecture!
No boring huge flats, but inventiveness was used!
Even the huge buildings in glass still weren't boring because the playfulness of the sun, blue sky and clouds made its facade change every minute.

<b>In front of the Saint Laurens church, Erasmus was still reading in his book, ignorant to all the people passing and posing at his feet.</b>
Funny that I just read a handwritten letter of him a few days ago! That comment soon will be is on my Belgium-Leuven page, still under construction at the time I am typing this.
He was gossiping that Luther made a nun pregnant and she gave birth to a child.

<b>At the other side of Erasmus is the Saint Laurens church.
Building was started at 1449 and finished at 1524.
In 1572, the church switched from Catholic to Protestant.

14th of May 1940, a black page in history!
Rotterdam got bombed and the church didn't escaped this ravage and got severely damaged!

In 1947 restoration was started en the "first stone" inauguration was held in May 1952.

Restoration was made in several steps, transept part in 1959, chorus 1962, middle 1968, which made the works complete.

<b>The main organ was operational again in 1973.

It has three organs in total, all designed by the Danish company Marcussen.

The main organ is supported by a huge massive piece of marble from Italy (picture)

The tower of the church got finished in 1986.

<b>The church is built in late Dutch Gothic.
It is named after Saint Laurentius who has died a martyr dead in 258 in Rome.
The legend goes that when the Roman emperor wanted to steal the treasure of the church and demanded Saint Laurens to tell him where they were kept,
Laurentius pointed at a large group of poor people and replied: "There is the real treasure of the church".
The emperor seemly was not satisfied with this answer and the rest is history!

<b>We walked over the street market direction Station Blaak.
Again we were confronted with the daring new architecture of "new Rotterdam".
I am sure these designs might have been topic of heavy discussions but I think it is positive that the architects took the decision to create something out of the usual.
I like the colors of this building!
It houses the library (thanks Pieter-Jan for this info).

We met up again at the Maarten Toonder new statue (put there in honour of).
The details are in the "tips".
It is getting 2 pm already!

Here is a detail of the statue, one of the figures out of the cartoons of Maarten Toonder.

Martin_NL and half of the Goingplaces (LOL don't know if this is the "going" or the "places" hehehe)
are having a sit-in to attract ATLC’s attention we very urgently needed a chair and a drink '-)
When the traffic started to get jammed and half Rotterdam was getting stuck ATLC decided it was time to take us to the cube houses and get a drink over there!
aaah ! Splendid idea!
There were already little spy planes flying above our heads to check the cause of this jam! There were disguised as commercial planes pulling commercial flags.
Or maybe those had something to do with the parade that went through the streets of Rotterdam?

<B>What a good idea of Anke Thea to let us join each other at the cafe/restaurant Engels that is just across the Central Station and the Metro final stop (C.S.)!</b>
It was easy to be found by every one.
Here is a picture of a part of the group.
We met there at 11 am and while waiting till noon for other members to join, we had some drinks.

ok... I should tell you how we (Diamonddog,B-CARO and me) traveled:
We parked our car at Slinge and took the metro to Rotterdam Central Station.
We were so occupied trying to find out what card we needed to purchase that we sure must have looked like tourists! LOL... we were so concentrated we thought too late of having a picture made here!

I realized we must have looked like Belgians on their first trip abroad '-)

Suddenly it popped up in my mind that this might have been the reason why Belgians never sailed out to discover new worlds like the Dutch did hehehe.
If we already have difficulties getting the right ticket out of the machine, how on earth would we ever discover places in the Pacific Ocean? '-)
I bet the Dutch are good at mathematics! Must be with such a complicated metro schedule instruction LOL
or... it is a conspiracy and they only have been told which button has to be touched depending on the place you live and departs from and leave the head breaking puzzling to innocent travelers like us '-)
aaah just kidding!

The ticket we took was 2,20 Euro, or, 4 bathroom visits at Engels and 20 eurocents and covered 3 areas (3 strips).

It was a very easy way to travel and no bothering to park your car in an unknown city where at the same day a huge parade was held.

<b>Near the Blaak you get to see those famous cube houses!
Their construction started in 1982 and completed in 19984. They are designed by the Dutch architect Piet Blom (1934-1999) who made his first drafts already in 1973/1974.
Another of these types of houses was built earlier at Helmond.
Both projects are surrounding a harbour and form a harmonious unit with the other buildings.

The concept of this popular called Het Blaakse bos, Blaak forest, is to create a village within a town, a safe oasis where several functions can take place in every unit of the complex: a cultural centre; a playground down stairs; a promenade level and upstairs the private units. The inhabitant has a great view because of the sloping windows.
Its popular name refers to the fact that it seems that when you are living in a cube (at the top) it reminds one of living in a tree-hut, which is accessable through the pole (the trunk).

The whole complex got renovated during 1997/1998: the roof; some windows and the escape-doors were replaced and the lower sides were repainted

Entrance: 3 bathroom visits at Engels and 0,25 euro.
.

<b>When you go up to the promenade level you will enjoy this beautiful panoramic view at Oude Haven and Willemsbrug.

<b>The cube-house is an architectonic experiment. It is a consideration of form, aesthetics and spatial effects, rather then given importance to functionality and practical purpose.
</b>
That latter is a remark I heard of many visitors and popped up into my head as well: you don't have much space to put away your things and furnishing the place is a bit of a difficulty when it comes to functionality.

<b>The surface of the pole (the trunk) has the shape of a hexagon. The pole is build upon three concrete pillars with concrete stonewalls in between.</b>

Form every spot on the house you can see through to other rooms, other levels. In one word the house is very transparent.
So to my opinion it is splendid to live there on your own but less suitable to live there with a family because there is a lack of privacy.

<b>The cube (top or tree-house) looks like it is tilted and placed with one of its points on a pole, so that three sides are facing the ground and the other three are facing the sky.
The angle between the floors and the walls is 53,5 degrees, so that the cube is slightly pushed in.
The cube itself consists out of a wooden skeleton, mounted to the edges of the floors. Outside and insides are covered with screwed cement/fiberboard of 18 mm with rock wood isolation in between.
The windows are double-glassed and wire-glassed.

The cube has three floors:

The living space, triangle shaped, and containing a kitchen, a dinner table, a toilet, a fixed store cupboard and a space that could be used as a study room;

An intermediate floor, which consists two bedrooms, a bathroom and a small central hall;

The top floor, three-sided pyramid shaped (picture) with 18 windows and 3 hatches around. This room can be used along the desire of the inhabitants.

And the outlook at the top level, futuristic!

I still have a doubt...a question...
in Belgium it is said Saint Nicolas is coming over the roofs on the back of his white horse to deliver toys to the children that behaved well and didn't tortured their parents the past year.
If am sure this holy man visits the Dutch children too...
but on this roof?

Poor horse LOL
Poor man LOL

<b>The Blaaktower</b>, designed by the same architect as the cube-houses.

At the Oude Haven (Cube houses) you can enjoy a drink on the lovely terras.
At the Oude Haven (Cube houses) you can enjoy a drink on the lovely terras.
<b>The place's name is "Plan C".</b>
Here the bathroom is "gratieeeeeees" LOL
So I went twice '-)
You need to think "economic”!

Oh I don't know what scared me on this picture! Must have been the photographer '-)
Just kidding!
Maybe I almost dropped that umbrella, and no... it was not raining, it was just to add some colour on the picture.

<b>Here ATLC is going to pose for a nice picture!

Be careful now! it is pretty close to the water!!!
but it will be a grand picture... hold on... a little stap back pls... yes that's it... don't move!
1... 2....

<b>And some other members at the meeting
... and some other drinks '-)</b>

But I decided to keep it to one drink!

Drinking has a certain result: you have to use the bathroom frequently and being there once, it had cost me already 0,50 Euro cent! Oh my goodness, never knew I was carrying around that much value in my blatter! Wows... they must be kidd(ney-)ing!
Even if the colour resembles... do they really have to charge it as if it where gold?!

...3 !
Klik!!!
hey? where did she go? oh didn't we hear a huge plons in the water '-)
oh this is a disaster!
she has the map LOL
without her we are going to be lost in the big city!
'-)
we might have to go over to "Plan D"
'-)

With a wet map and ATLC dripping with water, we went from Oude Haven to the Maasboulevard. What nice view!

<b>At the horizon the Erasmusbridge and left to it the KPN building, showing moving images at its front by means of lights going on/off.
At that time I saw a figure dancing.

<b>At the boulevard you had all those flags and there was this board to help you to identify your own national flag '-) </b>
LOL
should you never have paid any attention at school of course!
I found mine twice but the designer must sure have made a mistake: on one of them the lines went horizontal!

what?

hehehe
OFCOURSE!!! I am just kidding!

<b>Turning my head I was struck by the beauty of the skyline of this part of Rotterdam! </b>

This called for a painting!

So I unwrapped the 1 square meter canvas that I took out of my mini backpack.
I took my 24 colour tubes, my sponge, and painter chair and support frame out of it as well. Nailed the canvas on the frame. Put it on a standard I luckily had put in my backpack just before leaving home and I started painting.

LOL and no! My name is not Mary Poppins '-)
I don't have an umbrella!
The umbrella earlier on the picture was not mine but Pieter-Jan's!

We all went on the <b>Spido boat</> (more info about the boat and prices on the tips page).
We had plenty of space! It really was a nice boat!
Well still is, we didn't do anything to change this '-)

I think we were so many we almost occupied the whole deck '-)

I know the buildings are tall in Rotterdam, but that tall Sandra?? What where you looking at? LOL

And them we went off for some site seeing at <b>the Spido</b>.

<b>Past noon! High time to get off our</b> lazy bums <b>and walk down the Westersingel, a green ribbon in the city that borders water. In and around the water: all works of art!
Very nice!

I should have listened more attentive to the tape LOL
I forgot what houses these are :-)

Time for another painting?
'-)

The sky didn't look very promising and soon we would feel the first drops of rain.
But it would stay with that few drops for as long as we were on the boat.

Container parks, loading, unloading.
It has to go fast!

container terminals

and another groupspicture!

aaah... this happens when the photographer is only 1,54 m tall (short?) and every one jumps up a chair! It ain't fair LOL
and yes they were really sightseeing! the water was not that wild they had to hang over the railing!

<b>I think these two are discussion a piece of art '-)
Maybe they were trying to read the words that were formed on the surface of the water, made by little bubbles?
Or where they talking about something else? mmmm
I am intrigued LOL
I mean I am curious on what was actually written on the water hehehe any one knows by now?

Goingplaces: Paula and Robert!

Lucky the table covers were waterproof maps :-)
so we could see where we were going!
The one with the green flag pinned on is the one on which ATLC marked her house hehehe
'-)
I think ATLC has something with green flags!

We walked over the <b>Erasmusbridge</b>...
Some feet starting to hurt..., our steps less determined, it was almost like the bridge was moving underneath our feet '-)

Going up in the sky.........

At the other side we arrived at the <b>Wilhelminapier</b>.
At the end of that kay you arrive at the <b>Koninginnehoofd</b> where you can find <b>Hotel New York</b>:
A place with rooms to rent and a lounge to have drinks, snacks or complete meals.

Here were the former headquarters of the <b>Holland-America Line</b>.
The HNY is a trendy meeting place :-)
We had a good drink and delicious snacks!

After the bites and the drink and the rain, we crossed the Maas again to <b>Veerhaven</b>, a really nice looking little harbour at the Scheepvaartskwartier. Here you find quite some fancy millions worth yachts.
We crossed the Nieuwe Maas by <b>water taxi</b>, fast little boats holding max. 8 people for € 2.30 per person (one way).
It was fun!
Although it could be dangerous if some of the passengers knocks almost the driver from his chair... well more exactly even the chair got almost knocked down '-) hehehe
What a fun it was!

Then we had a little walk through the <b>Shipping Trade Quarter</b> where grand old houses reminds us of the rich history of the shipping trade.

We took a group photo on the corner along the river Maas, with <b>the statue of Tsar Peter the Great</b>.
But helas my memory stick didn't allow any more pictures so you will have to look for this photo on the other member's pages!

Going up <b>Scheepstimmermanslaan</b>, onto <b>Westersingel</b> and back on <b>Schouwburgplein</b>. The little bit of rain didn't harm! Most of the day was passed and we were looking forward to have a nice meal in one of ATLC's favorite restaurants!
It was a meal of plentitudes, too much and we couldn't handle the huge amount and that only for 15 euro/person!
Well done ATLC!

Here are our leftovers!
Want some?

A special thank u to Iris for the way she see us dutchies, a new tradition huh? lol

its great to see pics from the meetings so soon:-)
greets <b>Catnl

ATLC</b> : answer d) and I see some nice butts! LOL!

<b>Gili_S</b>: They didn't feel well and are leaning outside over the fence

<b>It was really enjoyable to walk here!

<b>the bridge was a great opportunity to take a group’s picture!
Mind that accordingly to the photographer the persons on the pics might slightly differ '-)
So do go check the other member's pages for additional pictures!

<b>Our walk continued to the Schouwburgplaats.
It is a hyper modern area where you have a movie complex, a theatre and... How nice a whole area with benches and tables and chairs where you can sit for a bite and a drink.

You can also order your sandwich with fresh herring or a Surinamese sandwich (which I did mjammie!) and eat it while walking along (which I didn't LOL! I sat down with a good cold Hoegaarden!)

So while we were finishing our drinks, ATLC went to see if we could hire a horse drawn tram. But because of the parade held that day, it didn't ride.

No problem to our organizer! Rotterdam has more to offer then a horse tram!
She decided to buy tickets for the Spido boat trip along the harbour and buying them at the tourist office she saved us some money! 2 bathroom visits and 0,15 Euro cents/ticket!

<b>At 1 pm, after finishing our drinks, we headed to join ATLC near the City Hall, where she was waiting for us with the boat tickets.
On our way we past some nice shopping streets, decorated with statues.
I loved these little bears! But who wouldn't?