A daily dose of Rotterdam since august 2019
While waiting for my turn to enter a store (a long waiting line these days) my eyes wandered over the nearby buildings, and I noticed this entrance to the old library, from 1923 according to the gable stone, the interbellum, an interesting time for me in terms of art, architecture, music, etc. What is your year or period in history?
Maybe you remember this photo? I often walk past this place and especially in the evening with the hanging lights and the benches around the trees it is a nice place to see and photograph! Its the shopping center De Groene Passage, at the corner of Goudsesingel / Mariniersweg. No repetition but just a nice place to see, so therefore again but differently 🙂
This is not someone who wishes everybody love for Rotterdam but a shopsign on the central station of Rotterdam! This shop sells all kind of stuff connected to or with Rotterdam, hats, calendars etc. you name it! No advertising just a tip for visitors! And the most valuable of Rotterdam is unfortunately not for sale, myself! 🙂
Every country has their own kind of mailbox (brievenbus) and this is ours. A redish/orange colored one. There are two drop-in openings, one for local mail and one for the rest of the country or abroad. There are about 25.000 left in the Netherlands and about 339 are located in Rotterdam. And you can find the photographed one at the Meent, beside the former postoffice. I still use the postal mailservice regularly to send but receive almost nothing besides bills per postal services 🙂
Every city should have a museum about the city, here in Rotterdam we have a museum about the city, the Museum Rotterdam! Its right in the center of the city with everything about the history of the city and they have temporary exhibitions such as “ALL ROTTERDAMMERS, Migrant workers through the lens of photographer Robert de Hartogh” etc. You can find the museum at the Meent, and their website here (in english).
Everybody can use some happiness on the mondays and what is making your day brightest dan ever? Yes, you guessed it, a happy mole! This one (his home is at the Sint Jacobstraat) is harmless to your garden but ruins the monday blues!
Update: Made by artist Mausz Tune
Inspired on a poem of the Rotterdam poet Ramsey Nasr (link Dutch only). You can’t walk past it without looking and reading the stanza! It is made-up street language. The Rotterdams language as spoken in 2059, a mishmash between the Rotterdam slang, street language and poetry. You can find this mural at Delftseplein.
Remember friday night, shopping night? This is the same spot but the picture is taken from the other side, facing the location where I stood then. I like this photo for the festive lights reflections in the stairs and sidewalks, it was a rainy monday evening but I was there!
This picture is taken in the neighbourhood where I live, Heliport. Walking home I noticed the lights and all the stairs who have chosen their own way so it seems…
The theme day photo yesterday was taken while on my way to the south of the Netherlands. Beside the bench I shot also this picture of a corner and one of the many entrances to the great hall of the station (the new station, opened in 2014, here a photo of how it used to be, the 1957 version >>), nice light, nice fall weather and a very nice travel companion, what else could you wish for?? Have a great weekend and if traveling, goede reis!
First of the month again and themeday again! Theme is “brown” so the last days I was scanning for a photo op with a brownish je ne sais quoi… And the photo op occurred when I traveled by train to another beautiful town here in the Netherlands – Maastricht… Our brown travelbags on the brown bench in the great hall of Rotterdam Centraal, the mainhub for trains to all directions of the Netherlands! I was on my way to horizons and the picture to the world by means of my blog!
This is also Rotterdam. I found this car parked nearby home. Its a vintage Citroën, I don’t know the details exactly, but the model is a Traction Avant produced from 1934 to 1957! In France, the Traction is known as “Reine de la Route” (“Queen of the Road”).
Yes, go ahead! Shake the hand of this tree! And its a warm hand (37 degrees Celsius – 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit or normal body temperature)! Made out of bronze you can find this tree in front of shopping center De Groene Passage, at the corner of Goudsesingel / Mariniersweg. The tree symbolizes the relation between human and nature and is made by the artist Hans Lemmen in 2001. The name of this artwork? You guessed it: the tree!
This is the Erasmus University College building, located at the Nieuwe Markt (the New Market). This building was the former Gemeente Bibliotheek (municipality library) 1923 – 1983. In 1983 a new building was built at the corner Hoogstraat / Binnenrotte in a style that is reminiscent of Centre Pompidou in Paris (I show you a picture later). And from 2013 till now about 750 students attend here the Erasmus University College, the undergraduate college of Erasmus University Rotterdam. At the right you see a glimp of a fountain, that is a subject for another day!
Although a nice design, lights and a chair for everyone nobody is home in this kitchen / diner in the Pannekoekstraat (pancake street)! Thats because its not somebody’s real house but a shop window with examples of design. I liked the museum look of it so ended up photographing it! Is it Rotterdam? Yes, the shop or design bureau is called Depot Rotterdam. No advertising just a nice picture…
This morning while walking trough the still quiet city centre I spotted this woman in her little place in the sun. She enjoyed the moment before the city woke up again. Sunday at its best.
Its a friday night and beside a night on the town its also a shopping night. Shops in the center of the city are open till 21.00 hours. Festive lighting is coming into place for the coming months as you can see in this picture of the nicknamed “Koopgoot” – slang for buy (koop) ditch (goot). I didn’t buy anything tonight but enjoyed the ambiance. Have a nice weekend!
Looking for a few photo opportunities this tree in front of the main library of Rotterdam caught my eye. I liked the light through the leaves and on the bench. So here it is, not the best picture but for sure a atmospheric one, and do not forget, this tree can become a book one day…
Here in Rotterdam the shops decorate the windows and throughout the city there are parties with the theme Halloween. Halloween (also known as Allhalloween, All Hallows’ Eve, or All Saints’ Eve) occurs on the day before All Saints Day. It is a day that is dedicated to remembering the dead, including saints (hallows), martyrs, and all the faithful departed. Halloween is a holiday celebrated annually on October 31 in the United States and throughout the world. Walking by this shops window I thought of halloween, the red blooded shoes leaking over the stand, scary!
This is the Stadhuisplein (Cityhall square) right in front of the cityhall. Its free of traffic and has many cafes and restaurants and is popular with tourists and locals alike! And if there is a big victory of one of the local footballclubs thousands of people celebrate here. I didn’t spend the evening here, I just shot this photo for you and went home to put in on the blog…
Instead of the promised rain and grey skies this saturday was reasonable sunny as you can see in todays photo! This is the “Markthal” or in english market hall 🙂 located at the Grote Markt, near station Blaak. The inside is full of stalls, small and big with all kind of food. There are restaurants and takeaways. Also contains the largest work of art in the world, the 11.000 m2 Horn of Plenty. The arch of the market hall contains appartments. Mainly tourists visit this spot, in groups with a local guide because of the design etc. Building started in 2009 and the hall opened in 2014 so this year it was celebrated, five years already opened! I celebrate this at home, have a good weekend!
I photographed already a ornament on the facade of the city hall but I didn’t show you the city hall! Here it is (the front of the city hall it is). With proudly displaying the flags of Rotterdam and the Netherlands. If you look closely you can see exactly the time I took this picture, not the day, about two weeks ago, sorry!
Looking for a picture opportunity I walked by this giant cola can! Obvious for people walking for hours in the urban desert and having a giant thirst! You can find this can if you need it at the Binnenwegplein…
Living history here in the center of Rotterdam, the socalled “Lijnbaanplataan” or translated “Lijnbaan plane tree”, nominated as tree of the year 2019 and named after the location where it grows now. But this location is the second life location of this remarkable tree. Planted in 1851(!) in the garden of the former Coolsingel hospital the tree survived the bombs and fire of the war in 1940. The hospital itself was severe damaged. In the 1960s the inner city was rebuild and new shops were build around the tree and former gate of the old hospital. A reminder of the recent past!
Update: Unfortunately the tree ended second place in the “Tree of the year 2019” with 9212 votes. First place: Noord-Brabant: Heksenboom (witch tree) in Bladel (9840 votes).
These footsteps are not mine but from who else I don’t know! They disappear at the side of the road, maybe the person stepped into a car or flown away? I came across these (painted) steps while walking down the Goudsesingel to work, maybe a leftover from a advertising campaign? Truly steps into the unknown!
Using the tram or lightrail in Rotterdam has its advantages. You don’t have to look for a parking space, it is relatively cheap and the stops are almost everywhere. But now and then work is needed because of wear and tear at the rails. I took this shot near Rotterdam Centraal, the hub for public transport in Rotterdam. Work is in progress and the deadline is near, october the 20th. So in a few days we can enjoy fresh rails for the coming years. I keep track of the work and show you a shot of the result!
Yes! The weekend started today but the weather didn’t feel like it belonged to the weekend! Rain, rain and a bit of rain and the weather forecast for saturday and sunday aren’t better. But a few days off is a good prospect, so have a good weekend!
Tonight while visiting the main library (grote bibliotheek) here in Rotterdam, taking the escalator to the 4th floor this view through the windows caught my attention. A view on Rotterdam with at the right the Grote of Sint-Laurens church, in the middle a greenish building – the world trade centre and on the left a glimp of the Markthal, a now architectural tour de force of Rotterdam. Liked the view, hope you like it too!
Taken near my house I liked the colors of the trees and the light of october. Last days and the coming days much rain so for me much photo opportunities!
Apparently about 150 years ago we started eating baked potatoes or fries! And every dutch civilian eat 18 kilos of fries (in dutch you say “patat”) a year! Here in Rotterdam where there is a market there is a chip truck, easily recognizable by the blue checkered appearance. And here’s one of the several lists of where to find the best fries but you have to check that yourself! Took this picture at today’s market at the Binnenrotte and no I didn’t buy fries (this time)…
Maintenance of a building can be boring and when working with a lift that is on the sidewalk with a wooden fence around it for safety you can just as easy “lift” the fence to a work of art! I saw this near the subway this morning on my way to work. Its not a piece of art Sotheby will put on auction but makes life cheerful!
At home we have a dog but not as old and locally famous as this dog “Fikkie”. In 1963 “Fikkie” was donated to the city of Rotterdam by the Rotterdamsche Studenten Corps. After wandering through the city for a few years and even was stolen he finally found his permanent place (in 1992) at the Oude Binnenweg. Adopted in 1999 by the socalled XVIIe Lustrumcommissie Fikkie is assured of good and permanent care! And with this positive item I wish you a good weekend!
Tonight I passed this shop, full of cigars! Inside there’s a lounge where a few gentlemen smoked a cigar together with some small talk. I liked the smell and yes I know that it is not fashionable these days to smoke but…
Last evening it was raining, there was wind and a almost empty street. Even the colors faded. Only a blue light above a entrance put some color in this image. This street scene is shot at Willemsplein, near the river Maas. In daylight many tourists and buses, at night almost deserted!
When I saw this on the Erasmus bridge I had to photograph it for this blog. Starting this blog and hoping to reach people over the world as they do with their blog is the goal, so this message is for you!
And its the first of the month, themeday for CDP! And the october theme is orange. And while walking the dog nearby our house I spotted this delivery boy of “Thuisbezorgd” the local delivery service for food delivery ordered online with one of the many participating restaurants. And is it orange or not! 😉
Remember this picture? Today I was in front of the top! Not in a helicopter but in front of a model that is in the hall of the church entrance 🙂 Next time I climb the stairs of the tower of the Grote of Sint-Laurens church to show you the view of Rotterdam!
Today I met a friend at the Westerpaviljoen, corner Mathenesserlaan and Nieuwe Binnenweg, and while waiting I shot this rather Parisian photo. And so there is proof that Rotterdam really counts internationally 🙂
Walking home from work it started to rain. Autumn is really here! Up in the attic and looking through the window I saw this rainy evening view over the neighbourhood roofs with some of the city centre buildings. I like the mood of this picture and being home, dry, warm and knowing that tomorrow is a day off!
This sticker was put on the pole of a traffic light. Its a poem of a sort. I try to translate it to English:
Missed
I miss him. I miss him. I miss him.
I miss him. I miss him. I miss him.
Now I have to wait fifteen minutes for the next one.
As a employee of the public transport in Rotterdam I like the humor of it. Written by Doris Schakenbos who writes many of them, you find more here>>
Picture of the poem taken by Sarah Richter and kindly send to me!