Monday, June 27th: Paris, France to Rotterdam, Netherlands
Rose: Reuniting with Anne and seeing the Rotterdam skyline at night.
Thorn: Saying goodbye to our tour group and tour guide. It is like saying goodbye to family!
Following a tearful goodbye breakfast with our tour group, we were off to Rotterdam! We managed to secure a taxi from our hotel to Gare du Nord and arrived at the train station with plenty of time to spare. At the train station, we were a little confused. Susan asked a stranger for guidance, and after talking to her for a few minutes, we found out that she lives in a town only one hour away from us. Wow - its a small world after all!
TIP: Being naive Americans, we assumed you needed to arrive early to the train station like an airport. News flash: you do not. It maybe took a total of five minutes to locate our train and go through security. If you are there twenty minutes early, you will have plenty of time to find your train.
Upon arriving at the Rotterdam Central Station, we found Anne and met her boyfriend, Ethan. They gave us a quick tour of Rotterdam before going to the Euromast. Rotterdam was by far my favorite city! It is the perfect mix of old Europe meets modern Europe and so unique compared to America. I especially enjoyed the canals and harbors. . . quite a difference from the corn fields and cattle pastures of Minnesota. In fact, Rotterdam is the one of the largest shipping ports in the world! It also was very clean and had a nice Metro that we frequently used.
We ate lunch at a café near the top of the Euromast. This gave us absolutely breathtaking views of the Rotterdam shipping harbor and the skyline. Since the Netherlands is so flat, we could even see skylines of other cities. It was unbelievable! We also got to walk on the outside observation deck and ride the Euromast to the top. I would highly recommend this if you are visiting Rotterdam. Viewers are blessed with both an interesting commentary and fantastic views as you spin to the top.
After the Euromast, we checked into our room at the NHow hotel in Rotterdam. This was definitely one of the most modern hotels of our trip; nonetheless, it was the most commercialized and reminded us of America. The bed was comfy and the views were spectacular, but it was a traditional chain hotel similar to a Westin or Marriott.
Next, we took a water taxi to the other side of the city before wandering all over Rotterdam. Anne showed us all her favorite sites and scenes, including my new favorite place: the Markthal. This is an enormous market filled with food vendors at every turn. I was fortunate enough to indulge in the best food of the trip there: buttery, warm, powdered sugar coated poferttjes. INCREDIBLE.
We enjoyed dinner with Anne and Ethan at "Umami." It was definitely one of the most unique meals we had the entire trip, and certainly pushed us outside of our comfort zone. Umami was a three course "Asian inspired with a French twist" dinner. You could pick two small plates at each course, and they were all delectable! Each spice perfectly melded to make fireworks in your mouth.
Our day in Rotterdam was wonderful and it ended with the most stunning view from our hotel room that I have ever seen. I was speechless. The bridge and its incredible architecture lit up the sky and to see the city line from our perspective was unbelievable. Pictures couldn't do this sight justice! I suppose I have to settle for mental pictures instead.
Thorn: Saying goodbye to our tour group and tour guide. It is like saying goodbye to family!
Following a tearful goodbye breakfast with our tour group, we were off to Rotterdam! We managed to secure a taxi from our hotel to Gare du Nord and arrived at the train station with plenty of time to spare. At the train station, we were a little confused. Susan asked a stranger for guidance, and after talking to her for a few minutes, we found out that she lives in a town only one hour away from us. Wow - its a small world after all!
TIP: Being naive Americans, we assumed you needed to arrive early to the train station like an airport. News flash: you do not. It maybe took a total of five minutes to locate our train and go through security. If you are there twenty minutes early, you will have plenty of time to find your train.
Upon arriving at the Rotterdam Central Station, we found Anne and met her boyfriend, Ethan. They gave us a quick tour of Rotterdam before going to the Euromast. Rotterdam was by far my favorite city! It is the perfect mix of old Europe meets modern Europe and so unique compared to America. I especially enjoyed the canals and harbors. . . quite a difference from the corn fields and cattle pastures of Minnesota. In fact, Rotterdam is the one of the largest shipping ports in the world! It also was very clean and had a nice Metro that we frequently used.
We ate lunch at a café near the top of the Euromast. This gave us absolutely breathtaking views of the Rotterdam shipping harbor and the skyline. Since the Netherlands is so flat, we could even see skylines of other cities. It was unbelievable! We also got to walk on the outside observation deck and ride the Euromast to the top. I would highly recommend this if you are visiting Rotterdam. Viewers are blessed with both an interesting commentary and fantastic views as you spin to the top.
After the Euromast, we checked into our room at the NHow hotel in Rotterdam. This was definitely one of the most modern hotels of our trip; nonetheless, it was the most commercialized and reminded us of America. The bed was comfy and the views were spectacular, but it was a traditional chain hotel similar to a Westin or Marriott.
Next, we took a water taxi to the other side of the city before wandering all over Rotterdam. Anne showed us all her favorite sites and scenes, including my new favorite place: the Markthal. This is an enormous market filled with food vendors at every turn. I was fortunate enough to indulge in the best food of the trip there: buttery, warm, powdered sugar coated poferttjes. INCREDIBLE.
We enjoyed dinner with Anne and Ethan at "Umami." It was definitely one of the most unique meals we had the entire trip, and certainly pushed us outside of our comfort zone. Umami was a three course "Asian inspired with a French twist" dinner. You could pick two small plates at each course, and they were all delectable! Each spice perfectly melded to make fireworks in your mouth.
Our day in Rotterdam was wonderful and it ended with the most stunning view from our hotel room that I have ever seen. I was speechless. The bridge and its incredible architecture lit up the sky and to see the city line from our perspective was unbelievable. Pictures couldn't do this sight justice! I suppose I have to settle for mental pictures instead.