Rotterdam

Yesterday was a sea day. We were traversing the North Sea, which is known for having very rough seas in a storm. The captain decided to leave our previous port early and put the pedal to the metal. (So to speak. Passenger ships aren’t all that fast.) It worked. We got into port before the storm caught up with us. Today we had mild temperatures and plenty of sun.

A hundred bikes?

Rotterdam likes bikes. We saw several places that had a huge number of bikes, probably close to 100. There are two sets of street crossing signals — one for pedestrians, one for bikes. Attention! Use the appropriate signal. Streets have at least three lanes: one for cars, one for bikes, and one for pedestrians. It is not advisable to be in the wrong lane. I purchased a coffee cup that said Amsterdam, bike capitol of the world. I didn’t realize I had the wrong city until later.

Attention! This signal is for cyclists

Rotterdam was almost totally destroyed by German bombing. Only three buildings survived. One of the three is the church. You can find a picture of the exterior on the web site. (Follow the link, as always.) We didn’t go inside the church because admission was way too high. Rotterdam is a pretty city. You can also see a most impressive draw bridge, a modern iconic bridge, and kaleidoscope.

Undamaged by German bombing

There were two strange buildings next to each other. One unfortunately had all the windows installed upside down. How sad for the inhabitants. But that was nothing compared to the cube houses. One cube house is used as a tourist attraction. What a horrible house! Stairs were very difficult to use. Handrails weren’t always available. Just getting groceries upstairs would be quite difficult. Rooms were small. There were few windows. These houses are the opposite of open and sunny. They claim that all the houses are inhabited.