Rotterdam

I was beginning to feel very comfortable housesitting in France and Great Britain, so I decided to stir things up a bit and accepted a 3-day housesit in Amsterdam. The only trick was I had an 8-day gap between housesits, so I added in some holiday days in cities I’ve always wanted to visit.

First up was Rotterdam. A port city, Rotterdam was bombed heavily in World War II so there’s lots of exciting modern architecture – and I’m an architecture geek.

I stepped out of the train station and was immediately blown away by the size and scale of the surrounding buildings.

There’s also lots and lots of public art. Don’t get any mistaken ideas – this is a statue of Santa Claus!

I took a boat tour of the port in the morning and was amazed by the size and scale of its activity. Let’s face it – I live in landlocked Saskatoon, where shipments are by truck or train! I’ll try not to bore you with facts, but 300 million tons of goods enter and leave the port every year with 32,000 seagoing vessels and 150,000 inbound vessels, which can travel all the way to Lake Constance in Switzerland on the Rhine River! The port itself covers 105 square kilometers.

Erasmus Bridge

De Rotterdam, Rem Koolhaas

From the port, I walked over to the Markthal as I was really curious about the dramatic building that combines residential apartments with a public market. The market, unfortunately, was a disappointment as it was primarily tourist-oriented stalls and quick lunch spots.

The Netherlands are a delight to visit if you’re a pedestrian – although the cyclists are a little dangerous! There are so many crosswalks and I never had to wait more than a few seconds for a walk light.

You know you’re a Prairie dweller when you’re astounded by the amount of water and boats in every which direction.

I had less than 24 hours in Rotterdam, but it was so much fun. I could definitely have spent more time here.