Thursday morning – a beautiful day in Rotterdam. Our adventure today was to prove very interesting and different. First off, we loaded onto our coach and did a quick tour of the city ending up in the more or less downtown area. From here we headed to the roof of a building to see what they are doing on it and to view the city in general.
Many of the buildings are relatively new, as the city of Rotterdam was pretty much destroyed in WW II,so there are not as many historical buildings to visit. As the skyline has developed, there is a movement afoot to do something productive with the roofs and try and recapture some of the rain water that falls. Our adventure today was to see what is happening on a couple of these roofs and to learn about the progress they are making in reclaiming rainwater.
Our first stop was on top of a seven-story building where a garden has been created. We took the elevator to the top, plus some stairs, and found a coffee shop with the ‘garden’ around it. Called Op Het Dak, it is quite a unique spot. The indoor area, which seats about 45 people, leads out to a green and lush rooftop terrace where organic vegetables, edible flowers and herbs are complemented with dining tables and a great view of the Rotterdam skyline.
After visiting the roof, we stopped on the first floor (2nd floor for those of you in the US, as the ground floor of buildings in Europe are “0” not 1) where we went out onto a walkway that crossed over the street, went around another building that included a section to the old railway area. The old railway station and the tracks are being modified to create a green area with various trees, bushes, flowers and other lovely spots.
Sitting about 20 feet above street level, the narrowest and longest roof park in the Netherlands is being designed. Hopefully the final design will be inviting and be filled with colorful and fragrant landscape.
It is being constructed on the old rail line where the old train tracks will route visitors through the diverse landscapes of the park, hopefully connecting various neighborhoods in the area. The “airpark” will offer space for walking, relaxing, grabbing a cup of coffee or a bite to eat, and even community gardening. Still very much a work in progress it reminded us of the New York’s High Line Park which was created from old elevated train tracks.
On the way back to the boat, I noticed this wall painting going on. I don’t think anyone else on the bus noticed it, or at least they didn’t mention anything. Kinda neat really.
After visiting the various gardens we headed back to the boat for some R&R and to get ready for our “Orange” night.
Orange is the national color of the Netherlands, for the House of Orange-Nassau that has been the reigning monarch here for nearly 500 years. It’s common to wear orange at national celebrations such as King’s Day (April 27th each year). The Mystery Cruise decided to have its own little Orange Party and it includes a Silent Disco in the Lounge.
Everyone was given a headset – and there were three different music channels to choose from. Thus, if you start to sing along, it could very well be a different song from what someone next to you is listening to. Very funny at times.
Tomorrow we head to Antwerp to have some chocolate!