Days 4-5: "The other"-dam

Most people would not immediately put Rotterdam on their list of places to visit in Europe. Truth be told, it wasn't on my list either, but the conflagration of coincidences we choose to call fate had conspired to bring me there, as I found an extremely cheap flight on Basiq Air.

It turns out, Rotterdam has quite a few gems for lovers of modern architecture. Rotterdam hadn't chosen to reinvent itself as the most modernised city in the Netherlands, so much as it was forced to by a devastating German carpet bombing attack during "Dubya Dubya II". An act all the more sad because it occurred after the Dutch had already surrendered to the Germans. In any case, most of the pre-war buildings had been destoyed and the face of Rotterdam was changed forever. Outstanding architecture includes the Willems Bridge, the KPN Telecom Building, the Sonneveld House, the Netherlands Architecture Institute, the Cube Houses and of course the Erasmus Bridge. I was particularly excited to see the Cube Houses as I remember them so clearly from my college Architecture courses, and of course the Erasmus Bridge is a mecca for all bridge lovers - easily the most beautiful bridge in the world. Unlike Copenhagen, Rotterdam had very little Olde Worlde feel to it, except for maybe the Old Harbour or Delfhaven areas which are very much like Copenhagen's Nyhavn (which ironically means "New Harbour").

To end my time in Rotterdam, I decided to take the obligatory trip to the top of their observation tower, the Euromast. The Euromast was pretty much like any other communication/observation tower in any other city, except that when I got to the door, I noticed several thick ropes hanging from the sky. And then, looking up, several people rapelling down from its twenty-something story top. So, I did what any sane person would do and joined them. The Dutch call it abseiling, and it turns out that the company that does this usually only operates on weekends but was there that day for a private corporate event, so I really lucked out! Fed with a steady diet of Fear Factor, I was completely prepared to be terrified, but I found it was really a breeze to lower myself over the edge of the wall and look down on the tiny little ants below me. A real thrill, I hope I can put up pictures soon!

Rotterdam soundtrack: 100% hip-hop, my own mix. Rotterdam had a very vibrant "street culture" and the kids hanging out on the street had a lot of attiude. It was fun to put on my headphones, pull up my hoodie and do my best impression of a punk hanging on the streets of Rotterdam.