Back in February Alaina asked me to marry her, and of course I agreed! Although we’d identified an ideal date, we hadn’t narrowed down the location beyond choosing the Netherlands rather than the UK. We had scheduled a few days to try and correct that; she’d been in Holland since the weekend, and now that I’d arrived, we could take a look at some of the options she’d identified.
Fortunately, this turned out to be straightforward – a venue we visited on the second morning of searching immediately grabbed both of us. We initially worried that was too fast a decision, but as we continued to look at alternatives nowhere else felt as compelling. So by the next day we had agreed that was the one for us!
That means you will be spared any more tales of wedding planning, and instead get to join me for a spot of sightseeing. Throughout 2015 and 2016 the cultural event “Rotterdam celebrates the city” has been marking its 75 year recovery from the devastation of the second world war. The reconstruction has created a progressive city with an impressive architectural landscape. One of the first buildings to be completed was the Groothandelsgebouw (literally big trade building, more precisely wholesale building / offices); whilst beside it sits one of the most recent, Rotterdam Centraal Station.
As part of the event a 180 step scaffold staircase, "
De Trap", was set up, leading from the station square to the top of GHG (the original concept called for a giant escalator!). It was only in place for a few weeks, but fortunately my visit overlapped with the last few days (well, fortunately for me- Alaina had already trekked up the steps twice with friends before I arrived and insisted on a third viewing). Architecture can make or break a city for me, but Rotterdam has become a firm favourite and it was good to get a unique perspective on it:
De Trap
Ascending the stairs
Stationsplein
Skyscraper detail
Station roof
If this looks nothing like the Holland of your imagination, rest assured we also spent plenty of time wandering in the district of Delfshaven – where you can fulfil your windmill and canal quota (as well as find good food):
Delfshaven