Leaving Kinderdijk by water shuttle, we took an Uber to Rotterdam Centraal station for about an hour train to Amsterdam Zuid station. Our hotel is fairly close so we pulled our suitcases across the cobblestones.
Richard covered many of the sights of today, so I will let him speak for all but a few favorites. For Richard’s ReLive video, click here: https://www.relive.com/view/vQvyk4WBNK6
6.01 miles on a beautiful sunny day.
Rotterdam was mostly destroyed by Nazi bombing May 14, 1940. In 15 minutes, over 700 people were killed and 85,000 people were left homeless. Hitler threatened that he would next bomb The Hague and Amsterdam, so Holland capitulated. The result is that Rotterdam is a new city now with modern architecture.
Amsterdam is not far behind with its interesting architecture and art.
Vondel Park was a favorite spot to walk on previous visits to Amsterdam. We booked a hotel on one of the streets running parallel to the park, and enjoyed a Saturday afternoon walk with many of Amsterdam’s locals. One difference over the years is the number of bicycles—make very sure it’s clear before stepping into the bike lane!
Much of Amsterdam has a distinctive architecture for 17th century houses. Majestic homes were narrow and tall with ornate gables and decorative pulley hooks at the top to hoist furniture. The home on the right is dated 1633 over the doorway.
This beautiful mall was quite a sight on our way home.
One last evening view after a beautiful afternoon and evening in Amsterdam.
4 Responses
Looked like a fun few days. Where are you off to next?
Dan and Wendy
A couple of days to sightsee in Amsterdam, then off to the Iceland cruise.
What an adventure! Memory may not serve me well, but as I recall, I visited Rotterdam but twice. Once as a 6-year old, and then again as a 7-year old where we got on a ship to come back to the U.S. in 1955. Rotterdam was still piecing itself back together, as it took a few years to develop into today’s modern Dutch city. Rob
The scenes after the Nazi WWII bombing are amazing—destroying all the city in 15 minutes! No wonder everything is new. I’m glad so many architects were able to practice their craft with distinctive buildings.