Exploring Rotterdam
Trip Start
Mar 14, 2006
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Trip End
Mar 15, 2007
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Rotterdam, Netherlands
Friday, July 7, 2006
The place where they live is a 4 story stone apartment building with about one room wide and two deep. Entranceway has two lovely baked tile depictions of summer and winter with art deco design up to about the 20 foot level. In what we would call the basement is the kitchen, storage, sitting room and dining room. First floor the guest room, toilet and Nora's sitting room and Grada's working room. Second floor, Hester's sleeping and sitting room. Third floor is Grada's sleeping room as well as Nora's sleeping room, a second toilet and the bathroom. Out back is a lovely garden area about as wide as one of the rooms. They do not grow a garden per se but it is a lovely place to go out and just rest in. All the homes in the area were built in the late 1900's, and early 1920s. Many of them, theirs included, is listing somewhat towards the "singel", the ditch or drain - I did not quite get it straight which. This is apparently because the history of that part of Rotterdam was very boggy until they started to drain it. This happened at various times between the 1700s and the 1900s. They also built a series of ditches or drains which would allow the spill over of water from one into another. The canals were, of course, part of the waterway system as well but they were for commercial purposes.
I walked down their street along the singel (noting that it is a dog friendly place) and admiring the resident heron, to a place called "Nieuwe Binnenweg" which in the early parts has some houses and businesses from the late 1800s and early 1900s. Many of the buildings are newer and while they have tried to keep to the older styles, they have not succeeded. At some point you come to another singel (Westersingel) which has lots of statues to people beside it. Carrying on along the Oude (old) Binnenweg I began to notice that all these buildings were new. Apparently this is where Rotterdam was bombed during the war. No old buildings any more within about a two mile area - well, maybe the vestiges of one or two.
I was looking for a bank which would change traveler's cheques for me. Well, they don't. I went to about 5 banks and they all referred me to another bank. Finally I was directed to the post office where they do change traveler's cheques - albeit, as they told me, the US dollar (which was the traveler's cheques I bought many years ago) was very low right now. I got about 30 Euro for $100.
It started to rain in earnest so I found a place to have lunch, called the "Hazz-Bas": I had a pannenkoekken with cheese and mushrooms and it was delicious - even if I am not a pancake person. Added sprinkled sugar and stroop (syrup) and it was just great. Carried on walking about and walked past, I think, the Staadt house where people were getting married - at least a lot of celebration seemed to be going on and there was a horse drawn carriage going up and down the street. My sense is that the horses are not too well treated. They were clomping up and down the bike path, which is not wide enough for the horses - just wide enough for the carriage.
Headed down towards Laurenskerk, just outside of the bombed areas. It was bombed but not completely destroyed - hollowed out, I'd say. It was built during the years 1449-1525. In 1572 the church became a place for Protestant worship. On May 14, 1940 it was badly damaged during the bombardment on Rotterdam. In 1947 restoration was started with laying of the foundation stone in May 1952. The church tower is owned by the city or Rotterdam and the church itself is administered by a special foundation. It is the main church of the Dutch Reformed Church of Rotterdam.
It is the biggest historic Rotterdam building and is built in the Dutch late Gothic style with very wide lofty aisles and timber barrel-vaults: more related to "Hallenkirche" (church hall) type than the Basilica. It has decorated capitals, mausolea, memorials, chandeliers, copper choir screen. It has a contemporary baptismal font and three organs (all built by the Danish Marcussen Company). The basis for the main organ is one solid piece of Italian marble. There are bronze doors which are the design of an Italian sculptor who also designed those for St. Peter's in Rome and Salzburg Cathedral. The themes of the Rotterdam ones are the "evils of war" and "The blessings of peace". Every Friday a prayer of peace and reconciliation is said in the Peace Chapel at the same time as it is said in other main churches in Coventry and Dresden. These are the three cities and three churches badly damaged by acts of war. While it is an enormous and amazing church, I found it almost devoid of warmth. If there was an altar, it was hard to find. It was bit and awe inspiring but I am not sure where God was in it.
In a square in front of the church is a famous statue of Erasmus, a citizen of Rotterdam. I was most impressed with this and, other than the number of cranes, new buildings and civic works going on around it, found it an amazing statue. I believe it was the first completely bronze statue standing on its own in Europe.
After this I began to walk back along, first of all, "Coolsingel", then turned along the "Westblaak" to the "Westersingel". It is a new part of town and has lots of shops, curved glass covered walkways, buildings and street lights. At that point I was getting quite tired and thought I was heading in the right direction as I went up that street thinking I was going to see works of art against the singel. I must have come into the area too far up water as I did not see any. All of a sudden I was in a place called West Kruiskade, which seemed very Chinese. I cut through a park and waggled my way back down to Nieuwe Binnenweg and finally home.
Shortly afterwards, Grada came home and we went out shopping where I took photos of many typically Dutch items such as chocolate on everything! Cakes and all things sweet.
On our walk we bought fresh herring, mackerel and other goodies and Grada pointed out such historical places as the corner with three historical Cafes: the "Café Out Of Time", one called just "Café", and two others. They were all built in the early 1910's I think just as that area of town was developing. Very Art Deco in style though they are now completely different clientele.
Grada and Nora prepared the new herring for me by slicing it small. It is a typical Dutch treat at this time of year and I really enjoyed it. It is a bit oily but lightly marinated in something, I think. A bit bony though it is not supposed to be. I ate almost my entire share of it. Took a picture of it as well. We sat outside until it got too cold to do so.
