I spent three weeks in Rotterdam, city that my great-grandfather left in 1912. Land of my Dutch last name: Schoenmaker (literally shoe-maker...the kids from middle school were right, for once). Unfortunately my self-taught Dutch didn't pay off: beyond the bare bones 'please' and 'thank you', people generally responded in English.
Erasmusbrug (Erasmus Bridge) with separate lanes for pedestrians, cyclists, tram, and cars
Industry // Holland America Line
Erasmusbrug
Vrijmarkt (flea market) on koningsdag (King's Day) in front of the Markthal building in the center of Rotterdam. Luck for me I arrived the day before this national holiday celebrating their king's birthday.
Another flea market in a different neighborhood of Rotterdam, where this section of the tram line was temporarily closed for the market.
Kort Hoogstraat, the street of the former photo studio where my great-grandfather had his portrait taken before leaving the Netherlands. It is now a shopping district near Metro Beurs.
View from above (from the Euromast) of the Nieuwe Waterweg canal and Erasmus Bridge
Rotterdam skyline. The smaller building with orange lights along the water is Hotel New York, where my great-grandfather most likely boarded the ship that brought him to the United States.
Delfshaven borough from above
Westzeedijk roundabout/intersection
Maastunnel downramp + Euromast balcony
De Zandweg, a mill near the Zuiderpark in Charlois neighborhood
Tram stop along one of many green spaces in Rotterdam <3
Tree-lined street in Delfshaven
Delfshaven harbor // In contrast with the rest of Rotterdam, Delfshaven was not bombed during World War II, so you can still see historic architecture here
Delfshaven
Delfshaven
Escalator down to the bicycle and pedestrian Maastunnel access. Length of tunnel: 1,2 km (3/4 mile), connecting the north and south banks of the Nieuwe Maas canal.
Drawbacks (pun intended) of living near so many canals = traffic delays
Erasmusbrug
Rotterdam Centraal train station
MORE ON THE BLOG:
Portugal: Sintra
Portugal: Lisbon, Part 1
Portugal: Lisbon, Part 2