Other states, other lives, other souls

Ed note:  This itinerary is taken from a 10 day, four city trip in the Netherlands led by myself, half Dutch, and a friend, 100% Dutch, in mid-October, 2015.  Just a warning about the timing:  By mid-October  you are in shoulder season, when the prices are lower. It can be rainy then, and we experienced cloudy skies and frequent rain.  Choose your poison.

Like Reykjavik, Iceland, Amsterdam is a stopping point for many tourists headed to Europe or Turkey or West Africa.  If you want to spend a few days in the Netherlands, here is an itinerary that is different than the usual Amsterdam experience.  It will give you a quick picture of two sides of Holland—the traditional preservation side, and the wildly experimental architectural design side.  Amsterdam is the former and Rotterdam is the latter. An afternoon trip to Kinderdijk ties the two old cities together as early adopters of wind and sea power to harness the lowlands.

The Netherlands suffered in many ways during WWII and the Nazi occupation.  Rotterdam is the largest port in Europe and dates back to the 1200s. The city center was levelled by the German Luftwaffe in 1940 and was faced with a rebuilding effort after the war.  Other cities, such as Amsterdam and Utrecht, did not suffer much destruction due to early surrender to the German army by the much smaller Dutch forces. They retain their centuries old canal buildings and canal culture.  In the 1980’s, Rotterdam embarked on a policy of bringing life back to the windy port through architecturally designed buildings and high rises.

In 2015 it was voted the European City of the Year by the Academy of Urbanism.

Day one:  Take the train from Amsterdam Central Station to Rotterdam at noon. Trains are very inexpensive and frequent. The trip takes at most one hour and costs about $14US or $17Euros.  Bikes can be rented cheaply at the Rotterdam station and are in decent shape.  We stayed at a very hip but modestly priced hotel (Citizen M) which is right on the port and gets you in the mood for boho modern.

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From there you can walk easily around the port, view a good sampling of modern architecture, and have a late lunch at the splendid new covered market.   Happy hour and simple buffet-style food is available at the Citizen M hangout bar for your last meal of the day or breakfast.

Day two:  Take your bikes on the water taxi to Kinderdijk where 14 old style windmills can be viewed from outside and inside.

Several of them are still in operation.  The water taxi takes you through the port, where ships from many countries can be seen.  In late afternoon head back to the hotel to shower and then visit one of the restaurants around the port.  Big ports, like Shanghai, San Francisco, New York, and Rotterdam have a “citizen-of-the-world” feel that comes from facing outward toward other countries and ways of living. End your day snuggled up in your cruise ship style cozy bed with a raft of IPad-controlled TV shows or a free classic book taken from the library near the bar.

Day three:  Drop the bikes back at the train station and head to Amsterdam at midday.  Walk or rent bikes again to your quirky hotel in the central city or Van Gogh hotel and hostel, near several museums.  Ride through the Vondelpark for a mellow time or take one of the dedicated bike lanes at rush hour in the streets for that adrenaline rush. Turn in your bikes at the train station and then walk the streets near the canals, stopping in some arty or vintage shops you might see. Stay away from the train station area which feature junk tourist shops. Stay out of the brown bars, which is where the British ruffian boys get stoned and drunk and wander the Red Light District casting bad vibes hither and yon.  Unless you are into that sort of thing, and then you are probably not reading this blog.