I can see this cleat hitch (the thing the boats tie up to when docking). You can see the Euromast in the right back ground...
The Erasmus Bridge (Easmusbrug)... and the KPN telephone company building with is pretty much directly across from my building. Quite the unique tilted building.
From the bottom...
About 1 boat looking like this passes in the river right outside my window every minute. They are packed with sand. The Netherlands (Holland) is 35% reclaimed (man made) land, and they build this land with something... zand (sand).
Cleat hitch #22... used and abused over time. It's just down the way from where I live.
This place has THE best ribs I've ever had. 18 Euro, all you can eat... simple, and delicious. oh, and this one is about a 4 minute walk from my place, dangerous.
Old dutch buildings and new buildings on Whilhelminaplein (see lower about Wilhelminaplein).
Across the water... some kind of industry with a solid dutch mural on the water.
Every 2 years Rotterdam hosts an international baseball tourney called "The World Port Tournament". Rotterdam is known for the having the biggest port on the west coast of Europe... I can see all these cranes from my window.
Wilhelminaplein... it's the little sort of spit/island (see "where I live" above). I had to take a pic of this and post it because, Wilhelmina is my mom's actual first name. The tree pot in the pic says Wilhelminapier, taken at the end of the spit. I don't know what exactly her and this area have in common, but she was most likely named after it since she is from 15 minutes from here, and now I live here so, yeah!
This picture is for my sister. She would love the area right next to my apartment. This old warehouse is actually connected to my building... and it looks likes it's been closed and shut down for the past 40 years. Check out my sister's blog by clicking the link above to see what kind of artwork she makes... amazing.
Wilhelminaplein... it's the little sort of spit/island (see "where I live" above). I had to take a pic of this and post it because, Wilhelmina is my mom's actual first name. The tree pot in the pic says Wilhelminapier, taken at the end of the spit. I don't know what exactly her and this area have in common, but she was most likely named after it since she is from 15 minutes from here, and now I live here so, yeah!
This picture is for my sister. She would love the area right next to my apartment. This old warehouse is actually connected to my building... and it looks likes it's been closed and shut down for the past 40 years. Check out my sister's blog by clicking the link above to see what kind of artwork she makes... amazing.
One of the main Rotterdam bridges.
Pic taken from the midpoint of the Erasmus bridge, towards downtown.
My gym. It's about 6 km's (4 miles) from my place. It doesn't look like much from the outside, but inside is a very private, but fully equiped gym, where strength and conditioning coach Hans Kroon kicks my ass. Google his name and you'll find some pics of him, he's absolutely jacked, and about 50.
There are a couple of these around Rotterdam. Full-on store quality vending machines. They have fresh bread, some even sell bottles of liquor. Milk, pudding, yogurt... something you'll never find in north america.
This one is for Shorty. We are big fans of 'Meer Coots', these birds, which are found all over the place in Holland. These two are a couple, and the one on the top is just leaping off the little dam-ish thing they made. They are priceless, and vicious!
A very dutch looking area, the boat in the middle is a terrace for a little cafe. I bike past this area every day on the way to Neptunus.
If I panned to the left just a bit you'd see the above picture's terrace boat. This is a canal that is designed just for working boats to get from Rotterdam to Den Haag (The Hague) and the ocean, about 20 minutes away by car, about 50 by bike, and I have no idea how long for boats, probably 2-3 hours, they crawl. Looks kind of like Venice, but at the far right you can see the red bike path a travel regularly.
This one is for my folks, they should recognize the music making... I don't even know what it's called. Some guy pulled this thing in, and it's like a mini-show with very loud dutch music blasting the whole time. You can see only about 5 people taking it it in front of the war museum. Shorty and I also got to take in one of these... things at Keukenhof.
Swan on a suicide mission. Haha, naw, I saw him doing a little tap dance right before I took the picture. My dad (who happens to be a research scientist, with a focus on birds) taught me a thing or two in the past about some birds. So, I understood what the swan was doing with his little tap dance. He was pounding the mud below him trying to get any worms, or food to be visible so he could chow down on it when he dug his head into the water,
It wouldn't be a complete photo album of any part of Holland without a bevy of bikes somewhere. I see this everywhere.
Pic taken from the midpoint of the Erasmus bridge, towards downtown.
My gym. It's about 6 km's (4 miles) from my place. It doesn't look like much from the outside, but inside is a very private, but fully equiped gym, where strength and conditioning coach Hans Kroon kicks my ass. Google his name and you'll find some pics of him, he's absolutely jacked, and about 50.
There are a couple of these around Rotterdam. Full-on store quality vending machines. They have fresh bread, some even sell bottles of liquor. Milk, pudding, yogurt... something you'll never find in north america.
This one is for Shorty. We are big fans of 'Meer Coots', these birds, which are found all over the place in Holland. These two are a couple, and the one on the top is just leaping off the little dam-ish thing they made. They are priceless, and vicious!
A very dutch looking area, the boat in the middle is a terrace for a little cafe. I bike past this area every day on the way to Neptunus.
If I panned to the left just a bit you'd see the above picture's terrace boat. This is a canal that is designed just for working boats to get from Rotterdam to Den Haag (The Hague) and the ocean, about 20 minutes away by car, about 50 by bike, and I have no idea how long for boats, probably 2-3 hours, they crawl. Looks kind of like Venice, but at the far right you can see the red bike path a travel regularly.
This one is for my folks, they should recognize the music making... I don't even know what it's called. Some guy pulled this thing in, and it's like a mini-show with very loud dutch music blasting the whole time. You can see only about 5 people taking it it in front of the war museum. Shorty and I also got to take in one of these... things at Keukenhof.
Swan on a suicide mission. Haha, naw, I saw him doing a little tap dance right before I took the picture. My dad (who happens to be a research scientist, with a focus on birds) taught me a thing or two in the past about some birds. So, I understood what the swan was doing with his little tap dance. He was pounding the mud below him trying to get any worms, or food to be visible so he could chow down on it when he dug his head into the water,
It wouldn't be a complete photo album of any part of Holland without a bevy of bikes somewhere. I see this everywhere.
Do you see the red arrow in the middle of the picture? Yeah, well that me working with microsoft paint and a picture at the same time, for the first time. That's where I live. You can see the KPN building just to the left, the two massive construction cranes just to the right (which pound poles into the ground so freaking loud from 7:30 am until 6:30 pm) to the right. Middle of the pic far right is where Gaucho's (see above) is. And you can see the bike path to the left of the pic.
That's it for Rotterdam, hope you enjoyed a small peak into what I get to see everyday. There is so much more, but I didn't want to stop on my bike that often.
That's it for Rotterdam, hope you enjoyed a small peak into what I get to see everyday. There is so much more, but I didn't want to stop on my bike that often. Tomorrow is gameday, I'm starting against the Amsterdam Pirates for my second start of the year, I'm pumped and ready.
Til' soon.
4 comments:
You're right, I LOVE that building. And I love the other pictures...yay home. Yay Holland. Yay Wilhelmina.
Hey Leon,
First, I want to say I followed your career a bit the past couple years and it's been a pleasure. I have ac ouple questions regarding playing in the Netherlands and getting a Dutch passport. If you have a second, please email me at Fritz33x@hotmail.com.
Thank you and good luck,
jd scholten
The music making thing is called "draaiorgel" or in English barrel organ. It's a very annoying part of Dutch folklore.
Really like your blog.
Leon,
It are nice pictures and they gave a good impression of Rotterdam and your place were you are living.
The musicmaking apparatus is called in Dutch 'Draaiorgel'.
This is an old instrument and formerly its was taken out to all the streets and the people make fun when the 'draaiorgel'passed and make his music.
I hope you have more information now about the 'draaiorgel', if not do not hesitate to ask me about this apparartus.
Kindly regards and enjoy your stay with us in Rotterdam.
Dick van der Noordt
Trainer DOOR Neptunus
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