A virtual tour of my Rotterdam

Rotterdam’s newest and already the most popular attraction -the Markthal at night – inside is the biggest art work of the Netherlands

The last few days, spring has been in the air. The sun is shining, temperatures are in the double-digits, crocuses, narcissi and tulips are blossoming everywhere and a small army of orange jackets is trimming bushes all over the city. Other, less appealing signs of spring are the intense smell of fermented manure being sprayed on the fields and me getting a hay fever, but that’s not the point here. The point is that Rotterdam is firmly on the map as a tourist destination in its own right. In the last couple of years, the city I live in has scored big-time in international awards and “top destination” lists. And the publicity is bearing fruit – Rotterdam is literally swarmed with tourists. I am seeing more and more of them, gaping at the sight of the Markthal or standing at a street corner trying to figure out the map in their hands.

Spring is in the air and on the ground

For the past 3 years or so I’ve been doing my best trying to help visitor find the best spots in Rotterdam by contributing to Spotted By Locals. But I’ve recently thought about it and realized its all very nice writing about spots, but that I think there’s more to it. I would actually like people to have the opportunity to experience Rotterdam the way I experience it – in a coherent, connected fashion. So whether you’ve been following my writings at Spotted By Locals or not, if you’re just visiting Rotterdam or lived here your whole life, let me take you on a city trip along my favourite spots. I’ve put them together in 3 “theme” days, so that if I inspire you, you can either get just the main highlights in 1 day, venture outside the city centre if you have another day, and should you be staying for longer, perhaps see a bit of the greater surrounding. Click on the day headers for the map of the day.

Day 1 – Downtown Rotterdam

Centraal Station – befitting Rotterdam’s reputation as architectural capital of Europe

Cube houses at the Oude Haven

Since you’re probably arriving by train, don’t forget to look back as you exit the spectacular shining new Centraal Station. From here its a short walk to the Dudok, to start the day with a cup of coffee and Dudok’s iconic apple pie. If its Tuesday or Saturday, you’ve got the chance to experience one of the biggest outdoor markets in Europe, on other days the brand new Markthal is a good alternative. After exploring the market(s) and the weird architecture Rotterdam is so famous for, Seth’s Poffertjes are a perfect spot to lunch and do some crowd-watching. Walk to the river and cross to the Noordereiland over the Willemsbrug, that offers a panoramic view of the city’s skyline. Stroll along the south bank of the Maas past the Erasmus bridge (aka the Swan), not forgetting to pay your respects to the Holocaust victims at Loods 24. Take the water taxi at Hotel New York, moving back to the north bank, to the Veerhaven. If the weather is friendly, go up the Euromast for an unrivalled view of the city and the harbour, on clear days as far as the sea. And if its raining, take an indoor trip around the world at the Wereldmuseum. By now its probably dinner time. If you’re made of money, you can dine at the Michelin-starred restaurant of the Wereldmuseum. Those on a more reasonable budget can dine at the Wester Paviljoen, where you can also close the night with drinks. If, after all these efforts, you’re still up to it, in the wee hours Rotterdam gravitates towards the Witte de Withstraat, where De Witte Aap is the focal point.

The view from the Euromast is spectacular on a clear day

Day 2 –  Ol’ Rotterdam (or what’s left of it)

Dragon boat race on the Kralingse Plas

Somewhere in Kralingen…

As you might know, the centre of Rotterdam was pretty much levelled by the Luftwaffe in 1940. And what was left standing was torn down under the disguise of “urban renewal”. The old town was replaced with glass, concrete and steel and these are, in their turn, being replaced by even more glass, concrete and steel. But outside the city centre, the “old school” Rotterdam is still there. But first, its back to the Dudok for a solid breakfast to start the day. Its one of the few places that serve breakfast, so there’s not much choice anyway. Simit Saray just down the road is perhaps a bit more budget-minded. From here, take the subway to Voorschotenlaan, at the heart of Kralingen, Rotterdam’s rich suburb since about forever. Walk through the alleys following the pattern of ancient waterways to the Trompenburg botanical garden (don’t miss picture-perfect Slotlaan), where you can spend some time exploring the pathways. If you can find the tea-house, you can have lunch here in classical Continental style (which requires a lot of patience). Weather-pending (it’s a recuring theme, isn’t it?) take a detour to see the Kralingse Plas pond and perhaps feed the zillion ducks there, walking through a neighbourhood where kids on lunch breaks play tennis rather than football, I kid you not. Mme Masette is a wonderful spot to enjoy the sunset with a cup of coffee or a glass of wine (they’re good at selecting those) before heading back to the centre through Rubroek, practicing your bird-watching skills along the way. Back in the centre, all you have to do is decide whether you’re in the mood for French, Spanish or Italian – and go to Pierre, Barcelona or Due Tonine. But regardless of where you dine, end up at Bokaal.

Day 3 – Beyond the city limits

Boompjes promenade

The Water Bus is the best way to get to Kinderdijk

Its time to see some of Rotterdam’s surrounding country side, and the best place to go to is of course UNESCO World Heritage site of Kinderdijk with its classic windmills. Rent a bicycle, get your groceries at the nearest supermarket and sit at the Boompjes for a breakfast in full view of the river. Board (with your bike) the Aqualiner water bus to Kinderdijk. Touring the windmills will probably take the best part of your day, but if you haven’t had enough pedalling, you can disembark on the way back at the Stormpolder and cycle the extra 10 km to Rotterdam. Back in the city, cross the Earsmusbridge again to the Kop van Zuid, and choose your spot to enjoy the sunset – Hotel New York, the rooftop terrace of nHow or just sitting on the quay wall. The Lantaren-Venster filmhouse is an excellent place to say farewell to Rotterdam, closing off with a dinner, a movie and/or a concert.

Hotel New York is flanked by modern high-rise

Its a boat… its a bus… its… SplashTour! Hotel New York’s water taxi is on the background.

I hope you enjoyed this virtual tour of Rotterdam and perhaps will be inspired to visit for real.

Yesterday I woke up to a white morning

It seems that the European winter is teasing me. In the end of December I’ve complained here about the lack of proper snow in our parts. And as if to show what the Dutch winter can do, yesterday morning I was surprised to wake up and see a properly white winter. The city was covered in 4-5 cm of pure, crisp, dry snow under a clear blue sky. Of course, by noon most of it was gone and what was left melted together into deadly patches of ice. But I still managed to capture the magnificent views from my balcony.

To put things into perspective, this was a very local snow event. The map below shows the extent of snow cover in the Netherlands yesterday. Most of the country appears to be snow-covered. But the orange parts indicate a patchy snow cover of less than 1 cm, so only the green areas are really snowy (Rotterdam is in the lowest most left green patch).

Snow cover in the Netherlands on Thursday, 5th of February 2015 (source: KNMI). Numbers indicate depth of snow (in cm), 97 means less than 1 cm, 98 means broken snow cover.

 

Let it snow in Europe (or not…)

Winter in Europe sounds so romantic… Snow-covered castles, jolly Christmas markets, evenings by the fireplace – all the ingredients of a Disney classic.

Winter in Europe as you imagine it would be…

The not-so-cold truth is, that Western Europe, the destination most people associate with a European vacation and with the classic images of castles and such, has a mild oceanic climate (see map below). In plain language this means winter weather here is best described as “disgusting”.

Climate zones of Europe (from http://go.grolier.com/atlas?id=mtlr026)

Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, Vienna – in January, the coldest month, typical weather in these European capitals is just above or just below freezing. Precipitation is mostly rain, occasionally wet snow, and only accidental snow cover to give you the opportunity to make that classic photo.

This week’s snowfall in my neighbourhood – pretty, isn’t it?

This is what it looks like up close…

Snow in Western Europe rarely stays for long. It usually starts to melt immediately as it falls, leaving you wading in ankle-deep muck. As the temperatures drop below freezing during the night, semi-molten snow and fresh rain freeze on the surface, turning the roads into an icy death-trap for pedestrians and motorists.

I wouldn’t dream driving over this skating ring, I barely dare walk here.

Even in the Scandinavian capitals Oslo and Stockholm winter is by no means a guarantee of snow due to their location on the sea shores. I’m not even talking about the Southern regions of Europe – the chances of seeing snow in Rome or Barcelona are close to zero, and you will probably spend most of the winter there being cold and wet nevertheless. In many parts of Europe, winter is indeed full of snow and frostbites. Its just not the parts your are likely to visit as a tourist. Take a look at the map below, showing average January temperatures in Europe.

Europe, temperature-January (from http://go.grolier.com/atlas?id=mtlr029)

The darker areas are colder, and parts that are below -5 Celsius are likely to see permanent snow during most of the winter. Mountain areas (like Schwarzwald, shown in the first photo) will probably be snowy regardless of their location. But most of Europe to the West of the line Warsaw-Belgrade will probably be freezing cold but rather grey and very, very moist. For the Americans among you – Seattle is probably your closest weather “parallel” to North-Western Europe. I don’t mean to discourage anyone but if you plan on a snowy trip to Europe, you better be going to Zermatt or Moscow. And check out the handy charts at http://weatherspark.com/, like the ones for temperature and precipitation in Amsterdam shown below. As you can see, November to March will be either cold or freezing, and there’s a high chance of rain at some point of the day. Welcome to Europe and have a nice stay!

Fraction of Time Spent in Various Temperature Bands in Amsterdam.

Probability of Precipitation at Some Point in the Day in Amsterdam.