Friday morning! For some of us (Steve and Andrea) this is the end of the holiday. For others they continue for more fun (Bob & Tracy) and for Bart and I we get one more night in the Netherlands and will spend some time with Bart’s family in the Rotterdam area.
Steve gets the credit for this fabulous photo. This was the view from their apartment window first thing in the morning in Delft. So beautiful! Anne provided us with a huge spread of food for breakfast, and we always packed a lunch to take with us for the day. Bart and I were reminded of “Stroop” and how lekker (good) it is. We will have to go to Dutch Toko and pick some up when we are back in Canada. Our host Anne gave us a tour that morning in her husband’s office (attached), where they had pictures and models of the renovation process for this canal home. They did a terrific job with the renovation. If you are thinking of staying in Delft, Anne’s B & B comes highly recommended!! Bye bye Bob and Tracy! Have a great time in Portugal and then cruising once again to England! Safe travels! When we arrived we each picked a key color. Bob & Tracy got this 2-story garden house! Bye bye Steve and Andrea as you go back to Schipol Airport and fly home today! I picked the red key and we got the 3rd floor appartment! and Steve and Andrea got the 2nd floor apartment! We all felt like we “scored” since they were all very lovely!
Bart’s family (Vonnetje & Inne) picked us up in Delft at 9:30 a.m. and took us back to their home in Barendrecht which is near Rotterdam. Ome Hans & Tante Ineke, Tom and Maureen, Eric also met us there. We had coffee/cake, wine, and for lunch we scored again!. We were served lekker crochette broetjes! Some of the family drove quite a distance and it was so nice seeing everyone. Irene and Ed had to cancel last minute which was too bad we didn’t get to see them. Next time!
Tante Inneke and Vonnetje walked Bart and I to the local cheese shop and Albert Hijn – to get cheese and drop to take back to Canada. Yum yum!! Thank you!!
Vonnetje and Tante Ineke took Bart and I to the local cheese shop in Barendrecht! We picked up lots of cheese to take back to Canada!!
After lunch the group of us travelled to Rotterdam where we took the Spido boat tour of the Rotterdam Port. The Rotterdam Port is the largest seaport in Europe, and the 2nd largest in the world (East Asia is the largest). It handles so many large containers! It was quite something to see right up close. The port stretches over a distance of 40 kilometers.
During the World War 2 the German bombing destroyed most of the City Centre and left 80,000 people homeless. Therefore much of Rotterdam was destroyed and was rebuilt. Rotterdam is famous for its modern architecture, with landmarks such as the the cube houses, the market hall, the Erasmus bridge and its many skyscrapers.
We took a boat tour through Rotterdam – on the Spido! All of us!! Tom and Maureen, Eric, Inne and Vonnetje, Ome Hans and Tante Ineke, and Bart and I. We had a great day together in Rotterdam! Too bad Irene and Ed were not able to join us – they were missed!! Sadly, most of Rotterdam was bombed during WW2, so there are many newer buildings. Some cool architecture on the left. The 6 of us travelers were hoping to have Dutch Pannenkoeken in Netherlands, but it didn’t happen. Here in Rotterdam, you can take a tour while you eat Pannenkoeken! They have these speedy water taxis in Rotterdam! After watching how fast though go, I am not sure I would want to go on one. Apparently they used to go even faster, but after one “went down” they reduced the speed!The port in Rotterdam is one of the biggest in the world.
On the boat tour we pass the S.S. Rotterdam, which now is a hotel. Bart and I are staying on their this evening. We are also having dinner on there with our family. The cool thing is that in 1960, Bart’s Pake and Beppe (Grandparents) took this ship to Canada for a visit. Wow! It was a luxurious boat. It did transatlantic crossings from April to October, and then did cruises to New York City from October to April.
We pass the S. S. Rotterdam on our boat tour. The Euromast is the tower in Rotterdam. It is a restaurant and a tourist spot where you can take the pod (just above the restaurant) to the top (it goes up and down). The thing with the green roof – it the Maastunnel, a biking and walking tunnel that connects the banks of the Nieuwe Maas (river)Cheers to being on the S. S. Rotterdam. That is the Spido boat that we went on to tour the Rotterdam harbour. How nice! We all ate in the restaurant on the S.S. Rotterdam! The grand staircase on the S.S. Rotterdam!Our executive room. 60 years ago it was the officers cabin. View from the S.S. Rotterdam!We enjoyed a night cap and live music in the bar on the S.S. Rotterdam!We also went for a short night walk outside of the ship!Good Morning Rotterdam! We had a great breakfast on the ship and we were able to pack a lunch for ourselves too! I want one of these in my house!!They have original trunks donated by people who travelled on the S.S. Rotterdam, which took them across the Atlantic. We actually have Bart’s Mom and Dad’s trunk (similar to these) that they travelled with from the Netherlands in 1952 when they immigrated to Canada.
A tour of the ship was included in our room stay. It was very interesting and they had many volunteers along the tour, that used to work on the S. S. Rotterdam. We found out that Bart’s Pake and Beppe came to Canada at the time for 6 months, as it was a cheaper rate on the ship to travel for 6 months. It was also cheaper at the time to take the boat than to fly. It took them 8 days to cross, and then in September 8 days back. From what we saw on the tour, they must have felt like they were treated like royalty!
When the ship stopped sailing, it ended up in the Bahamas and was going to be left for scrap. Rotterdam was fighting to get it back to where it originated from and where it was built – Rotterdam Port! It finally came back and about 13 years ago, the ship was opened up as a hotel. It is a beautiful place to have events, weddings, etc.
The Queen’s Room! They use this now for banquets/parties!Original piece of art (all real animals)!The card room!The smoking room! The benches are cool – see the first one on the left. The back can go both ways! So nice that all the original art is still intact. Many artists are recognized for participating to the design. I loved these fishes that went all the way up the staircase and then all across the balcony in the grand ballroom. The grand ballroom! The perfect place for a wedding!The grand ballroom!Original card tables. I want one of these! The cup and ashtray holder pull out of each corner. Gorgeous original floor. The design – when you stand in the middle and talk, it is an echo. Cool!View from the deck of the S.S. Rotterdam!Our room was right smack in the middle – the 2 sets of 3 windows. We were the set of 3 just to the right of the middle. Proud to be Canadian Dutch!!a beautiful day in Rotterdam!Old and new buildings! The one on the left is the Hotel New York. This is where Holland Amerika sailed out of in 1960 when Bart’s Pake and Beppe took it to Canada! The Hotel New York! Thank you to Vonnetje and Inne who gave us a great walking and driving tour through Rotterdam! In this picture you can view all 3 bridges of Rotterdam! The oldest part of Rotterdam!The cube houses! Can you imagine living in those? Very artistic!Huge Hospital in Rotterdam! There are lots of medical students in the City. Bart and I are happy! On our last day we find Suikerbolle (sugar bread) served on the S. S. Rotterdam! At the Airport we found lots of Dutch Herring. Bob, should we have taken some back for you? and frozen bitterballen, frikkandellen, and corchettes! If I had more hands, I would have taken more back with me! Mixed emotions sitting at the airport. So happy for our trip but sad to have to leave the fun! But also happy that we will go home and see family! We travelled light on the way there……so we could bring LOTS home!! The vase I purchased in Delft, and the tulips (that look so real) in the Bloemmarket (Flower Market) in Amsterdam! This will be a great memory of the day we cycled through the tulip fields. Wow!! Looking back at this first picture, it seems so long ago! What a fabulous jam-packed 2-week holiday we had! Steve and Andrea and Bob and Tracy were great travel buddies. We saw so much together that we will always share great memories of a fabulous trip. So….where next?!! and the planning starts again for the next Europe trip!
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