Ascension Day/Rotterdam’s Remembrance day

Tomorrow is another day filled with events! Read on for an overview on what to do tomorrow!

The Official Program of Rotterdam’s Remembrance day:

14^th of May, next to being ascension day, is the official remembrance day of the bombardment of 1940, during the second world war. This year marks the 75^th year, enough reason for an extensive program!

Statenweg / 10.00 – 10.30: The program starts at the monument at the Statenweg, near number 147. This is the remembrance of the ultimatum given to the city. Major A. Aboutaleb will start of the day.

Laurenskerk Rotterdam/ 12.00 – 12.45: Remembrance, followed by a walk to Plein 1940

Plein 1940 / 13:00: Remembrance of the bombardment at the monument ‘The Destroyed City’ by Ossip Zadkine.

13:29-13:39 : All (church)bells will ring within the fire limit as remembrance of the duration of the bombardment.

Onderzeebootloods Heijplaat / 14.00 – 17.00: Exposition ‘The Attack’ about the may days in 1940, start of WO II.

Laurenskerk Rotterdam / 14.30 – 15.30: free entrance to the performance ‘l’Histoire du Soldat’ of Igor Stravinsky.

Hal Rotterdamse Schouwburg / 15.00 – 16.00: official handing over of the book ‘Rotterdam and the bombardment – 75 years of memories and forgotten memories’.

Museum Rotterdam ’40-45 NOW Coolhaven/ 16.30 17.30: presentation of the neon-artwork by Dick Rutten.

Binnenrotte, behind Laurenskerk / 21.00 – 24.00: fire limit run. A run following the 12 km fire limit.

Food Truck Festival

Unfortunately, the speeches of remembrance day will be held in Dutch. However, there are still enough other things to do where the language barrier won’t be an issue! One of these instances is the Food Truck Festival Trek. This Festival will take place in Rotterdam from the 14^th of May till the 17^th, after which it travels to Utrecht, Maastrich, Enschede, Nijmegen, ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Amsterdam and Den Haag!

The Food Truck Festival is a free festival, paradise to all foodies. This ‘gezellige’ festival offers a wide variety of food, from sushi to sate. Not yet hungry? Don’t worry! The Festival is completed with music, live acts, shows and an overall good atmosphere!

The Food Truck Festival takes place at Vroesenpark and is open on Thursday and Friday from 14.00 – 23.00; on Saturday from 12.00 – 23.00; and on Sunday from 12.00 – 22.00.

Shopping

Do you want to do some shopping on your day off? Most stores in the city center are open from 12.00 onwards!

Would you want to live in Rotterdam? Check Domica Rotterdam for more information!

Circus City Festival

This week there is a very special festival taking place in the city, fun for all ages, so perfect to take your kids to! With the city as its background and podium, the Circusstad (circus city) Festival will take place at Schouwburgplein. The whole square will be filled with multiple stands, acts, food, drinks and much much more will fill up the days from the 6^th of May until the 10^th of May.

Do you still think of dancing elephants or funny clowns when you hear about the circus? The circus city festival is a modern take on the circus! Imagine free runners, acrobats, hip-hop, dance and theatre all taking place at the same festival!

And if you feel really adventurous, you can join the act! Always wanted to swing the trapeze? Be part of a human pyramid? This festival you can!

In the evenings the acts will take place in the Luxor Theater and the Rotterdamse Schouwburg. Here as well the visitor will be surprised with multiple international acts.

Enough fun for the whole family!

Would you like to live in Rotterdam? Check DomicaRotterdam for your new home!

Wine bars in Rotterdam!

Last Monday I already wrote about where you can enjoy a nice beer. Of course I understand that not everybody enjoys a nice cold beer, and there actually are a lot of wine lovers. That’s why today I’ll present you a list of wine bars in the Rotterdam!

1NUL8

Probably the most well-known wine bar of the city. Located on the corner of the Meent and the Rode Zant this wine bar is literally in the middle of the city. The tall windows gives you a great view of the busy street, and with the warm and cozy interior you feel right at home. You can enjoy a nice breakfast, lunch, dinner or just a drink. Especially on Fridays the bar is completely filled up!

Winebar Janssen en van Dijk

One street further is the wine bar Janssen en van Dijk. Mostly French orientated, you have a wide selection of French wines. This bar is much smaller than 1NUL8, which provides a cozy atmosphere. Of course you can also enjoy a nice meal here!

Het Eigendom

Located on the fun and always busy Witte de With is the wine bar Het Eigendom. You’ll be in the middle of this out going street, and you’ll notice that a lot of these people will pay a visit to Het Eigendom. When entering you’ll immediately notice the wall that’s filled with beautiful bottles, that goes up the high ceiling. If you want to throw a party, you can also rent the top floor that looks out over the rest of the bar.

Due to the spacious bar, that gives the interior a nice finish, the bar Is a real eye catcher in this street! Their wine menu has 135 wines from which 35 are also sold per glass.

Would you love to live in Rotterdam? Take a look at our website Domica Rotterdam!

 

Beer cafés in Rotterdam

Of course we all like an after work drink (on any given day), but sometimes it’s a little hard to find that one beer you really like in a normal café. So, for the days you’d like a little more choice in your beers, I present you a few beer cafes in Rotterdam.

Locus Publicus

Located at Oostplein, a little outside the center and the beginning of Kralingen, is Locus Publicus. This lovely beer café has over 200 different beers. On tap there are 15 beers that are changing frequently, from which 6 are international.

In the winter the fireplace is burning and the house cat is not afraid to curl up on your lap.

They also understand that you might want to try a few beers, but that whole glasses can be a little too much. That’s why they also organize beer tastings. Here you can taste a few beers to your own choice and enjoy the snacks that come with it!

Proeflokaal Reijngoud

The proeflokaal Reijngoud opened its doors in 2012 on the corner of the Schiedamse Vest and the Witte de With. The Proeflokaal is a real no-nonsense café.

They have 16 beers on the tap and more than 100 different bottled beers. That’s not the only thing you can enjoy there, because they also have good typical café dishes. These are all prepared with: you guessed it, Beer!

De Haagse Bluf

Especially in the summer the Haagse Bluf has the perfect location at the Haagseveer (near the Meent). Their terrace is located at the water, and because they provided their terrace with enough heaters and all the chairs include a blanket, you can stay outside till the late hours.

Again there is no shortest of beers, and you can have a beer tasting of 3 or 5 glasses.

Next to having a drink, you are here at the right address for cheese fondue! They have up to 10 different types of cheese fondue in their assortment.

Would you love to live in Rotterdam? Take a look at Domica Rotterdam!

NYE in Rotterdam

Christmas has passed and new year’s eve is just around the corner. Even though the Christmas market is still there, the snow is on the streets, the actual question is what to do with NYE in Rotterdam!

Oliebollen

Begin your night with the typical Dutch snack: the oliebol! Throughout the whole country millions of oliebollen are eaten, a fried boll of dough with raisins enjoyed with some powdered sugar on top. In Rotterdam Richard Visser is the Oliebol legend. For the last 9 years he has won the national oliebolcompetition, by making the best oliebollen. This year is the first time he got 3^rd place, but still got a 9.5 out of 10 average. You can get his oliebollen on the intersection of the Heemraadssingel and the Vierambachtsstraat. A little heads up: these oliebollen are extremely popular so make sure you’ll be there early!

The firework show

Throughout the country there will be multiple firework shows at midnight. In Rotterdam however, is the largest of the country! For the seventh year on a row the firework show is located on the Erasmusbrug. From 23.00 onwards ten thousands of visitors will gather on the Boompjeskade. Here you can enjoy a oliebol while a musical countdown is played to midnight.

Boat parade / cruise arrangement

Rotterdam is known as the harbor city, so NYE cannot be celebrated only on land! On the water the new year will start as part of the parade! The boats will be lovely decorated with multiple lights, and they’ll sail on the Maas. The boats will leave from the Willemsbrug at 22.30, they’ll sail to the Erasmusbrug and start as part of the parade at 23.00. You can of course take part of this festivity!

Would you stay even longer on the boat? You can also book your NYE cruise! You’ll start 2015 with the best and most beautiful view of Rotterdam. While sipping your champagne and enjoying your oliebol you can view the show in all luxury that’s needed. With live entertainment and a warm bed within hands reach nothing can go wrong on your NYE.

Would you love to live in Rotterdam? Take a look at our website DomicaRotterdam for the apartment you’re looking for!

Christmas in Rotterdam

Christmas Circus Ahoy

For the past 44 years there has been a Christmas circus in Ahoy. This year isn’t any different! There will be a beautiful show with lots of humor, sensation and surprises. As the largest and oldest Christmas circus of the Netherland, they have of course quite a track record. This year promises a very special show. The circus presents you  the very best circus acts of the whole world.

Christmas City Walk

From 20 to the 24^th of December there is a daily (and free) Christmas walk with the Rotterdam guide Eveline van Wanrooij. The walk takes you to the most beautiful and fun places that Rotterdam in Christmas has to offer.

Every day the city walk stats at 15.30 and on the 24^th at 14.30. You can reserve yourself a spot at Rotterdam Info.

Christmas Market

From the 6^th of December till the 4^th of January there is a cozy Christmas market on the Lijnbaan and Binnenwegplein. Here you can enjoy some tasty Christmas treats, or buy some last moment Christmas gifts. It’s a Christmas market that lives and breathes Christmas!

Ice Skating

There is nothing more Dutch than ice skating! That’s also why there are a few skating rinks in the city. And the best? These are also open during Christmas!

The first skating rink is located in Rotterdam Kralingen, at the hockey club Leonidas. They have a 400-meter track and a 800m2 fun track. For only 5 euro’s entrance fee you can skate all day! They are also opened with Christmas, but mind the different closing times!

At Plaswijckpark (Rotterdam- Schiebroek) they have a whole winter wonderland set up. You can either go ice skating at the 100 m2 skating rink, or enjoy one of the many Christmas themed adventures that the park has to offer. For €11.20 p.p. you can have a day fill with winter fun!

Would you love to live in Rotterdam? Check Domica Rotterdam!

The Port of Rotterdam

If you say Rotterdam, the port comes to mind immediately. It’s not only that the port has a prominent function within the economy of the city, it also has a rich history!

Rotterdam was founded around 1260 CE, this small town surrounded a dam at the river the Rotte (hence the name Rotterdam). The little port attracted enough business for the city to grow. The port became important for fishery in the 16^th century.

Unlike Amsterdam, the port of Rotterdam wasn’t that popular during the colonial trade. This was because it was too difficult to reach since there wasn’t a direct connection with the ocean. The growth of the port began in the second half of the 19^th century. When the German Ruhr-area began to industrialize, it became of great importance for the Netherlands to optimize the reachability of the port. The Nieuwe Waterweg (the new water road) was the solution.

During the Second World War, the port got bombed as well, but during the reconstruction there were some major investments. It made such a fast growth, that the port had trouble with the amount of ships. This is why the Botlek-area was constructed.

The increasing economical interest in petroleum oils, became the reason for even more growth for the port. The Europoort got constructed, for this a part of the ocean got laid dry. From 1962 till 2004 the port of Rotterdam was the largest of the world.

Currently it’s placed 4^th from the world, after the ports of Sjanghai, Ningbo, and Singapore. Rotterdam has still the largest port of Europe. As I said before, there are multiple possibilities to have a tour through the port. Definitely worth a visit!

Would you love to live in Rotterdam? Check our website Domica Rotterdam! 

The SS Rotterdam

Water and ships are well known to Rotterdam with its large harbor and one of the best-known ships of the city is the SS Rotterdam, an after war passenger ship. The ship was used for the Holland-America Line (HAL) between 1959 and 2000. Currently it’s completely renovated and is permanently docked as a multifunctional centrum at the 3e Katendrechtse Hoofd in the Maashaven in Rotterdam.

The original plans for the ship were made before the second world war. Back in the day the HAL was still very popular, and they needed a ‘running mate’, but because of the war the plans were canceled and altered in the 50’s.

The design used in the 50’s was based on the knowledge that the HAL wouldn’t last forever. Like more designs of the city, this was again a groundbreaking design in the world of ships. The ship consisted of two classes, which were divided horizontally by walls that could easily be moved. Instead of a traditional chimney the boat got two modern smoke canals, and a streamlined profile. This would be the model for later cruise ship designs.  

Nowadays the ship is property of Westcord Hotels, which also owner of Hotel New York. Just like Hotel New York is there much to do at the ship! For example, there is a large part of the ship you can visit without entrance fee, which makes it accessible to just visit for a drink. In the summer is the Lido terrace opened, where you can lie in a beach chair near the swimming pool, enjoying your drink in the sunshine.

If the weather doesn’t allow that, or you feel more for a fancy dinner, you can also try the 4 different restaurant spaces that have a variety of dinner possibilities, high teas, Friday afternoon drinks or lunch! Next to that you can also visit the ship with an electronic tour, that tells you everything about the history of the ship. Would you love to experience even more? You can also stay the night in one of the 254 suites.

Would you love to live in Rotterdam? Take a look at our website Domica Rotterdam. 

Rotterdam in the Spotlights!

Rotterdam is in the international spotlights for the second time this year, by winning the titel of European city of the year 2015. The winning city is picked by The Academy of Urbanism in London and the choice is based on seven criteria: attraction, local character, economy, durability, wellbeing and accessibility.

This is not the first time that the city proves its international popularity. At the beginning of this year, Rotterdam was placed 10^th by the New York Times of the 52 places to visit this year. This is probably because 2014 is an important year for the city. With the (re) opening of popular attractions of the city. For example, the new Central  Station opened on the 14^th of March, the new Market Hal opened last month and in February the Kunsthal reopened its doors.

The Academy of Urbanism consist of more than 500 scientists, politicians, and specialists in the field of urban and regional developments. Its because of this that The Academy doesn’t focus only on the previous year. They investigated the archives and came to the conclusion that the city has developed in a notable way.

According to the jury rapport, they were impressed by the openness of the city, there are only a few places that are inaccessible. Rotterdam characterizes by its young, open and tolerant community that supports innovative architecture, urbanism, and new business models. Next to a strong vision and master plan there is a positive “let’s do it to see what happens” culture, says The Academy.

Ronald Schneider, the alderman of the city, accepted the award. According to him the city “deserved” it. The direct competitors of the title were Aarhus in Denmark and Turin in Italy. Marseille was last year’s winner.

Read next Thursday about Rotterdam Cultural Capital 2001.

Would you love to live in Rotterdam? Check Domica Rotterdam for more information!

The city by bike

 

Going for a walk is obviously a healthy and fun way to explore the city. The internet and the tourist office of Rotterdam will be able to supply you with all the needed walking routes possible…. But, what’s more Dutch than to go for a bicycle ride?

Rotterdam has a lot of attractions spread out on a large surface, that’s why it’s almost impossible to see them all by foot. Cycling makes it much easier. There are multiple options to spend your day by bike.

1.       Internet/VVV

You can go to the tourist information office, or just look up a route on the internet. You can pick just a route through the center of the city that takes you by all the top attractions, or when you’re less in the mood for the urban ride, you can also go for one of the nature routes.

With the help of Fietsen in Regio Rotterdam you can even build your own route! All you have to do is choose what you want to see during your trip, and the websitedoes the rest!

2.       Cycling route with guide

Naturally, there are also bycicle tours which include a guide! These arrangements are available from 2 hours to a whole day program. Again, you can choose exactly what you want: Do you want to see the inner city? The Old and new buildings of the city? Or are you more interested in the harbors of Rotterdam? The day arrangements are provided with lunch, coffee and a drink at multiple popular places of the city.

Naturally, you can also rent a bike! Look for more information on Rotterdambycycle.

3.       Dinnertour by bike

We wouldn’t be Dutch if we didn’t use the bicycle for everything! We cycle to that one dinner, or to the other bar we are supposed to meet with friends. Now you can also enjoy a 3-course meal at 3 different locations! All you have to do is cycle to the other location in between. You can do this with a guide, who in the meantime tells you some nice facts about the city.

Or you can divide your company in teams and race each other to the next restaurant.

There are so many fun things you can do by bike to explore Rotterdam even further! Did you already think of a pub-crawl by bike? Or maybe even a treasure hunt? The possibilities are endless!

Would you love to live in Rotterdam? Check Domica Rotterdam for more information! 

Shopping in Rotterdam and the Koopgoot

The perfect place to go shopping in Rotterdam is definitely the Beurtraverse, or as called by the Dutch: de Koopgoot, which translates into the not so flattering name: “The Shopping Gutter”. The traverse, built in 1991 till 1996, underpasses Rotterdam’s most expensive street the Coolsingel.

The Beginning

The traverse used to be a subway station (the Beurs) and a walking passage, to reduce the amount of people crossing the Coolsingel and improve the traffic. Unfortunately not many people choose this way, so they made plans to expand the Rotterdam gutter into a shopping mall.

And now?

The ‘underground’ shopping mall connects two of the busiest shopping streets of the city: the Hoogstraat and the Lijnbaan. You can enter ‘the gutter’ by either side via the stairs. Midway there is an escalator, but you can also enter one of the large shopping malls such as H&M or the Bijenkorf and exit on the bottom floor. Usually the smaller stores only have a shopping area on the ground floor, this way you can continue shopping without the hassle of the busy traffic at the Coolsingel.

In the summer, childrend can have fun refreshment due to the ‘running’ water fountains that emerge from the ground at the Koopgoot. As far as public transport goes, the subway station is still located in the middle of the gutter, but there are also tramstops at the Lijnbaan side.

The Perfect Shopping Route?

From the Lijnbaan you can enter the Koopgoot, walk the Hoogstraat and end for a drink at the new Markthal! Would you like to have some more exclusive shops? You can better start at the Markthal and make your way to the Van Oldenbarneveltstraat. This street is also near the Koopgoot, but offers a wide selection of luxurious and exclusive shops and restaurants. This is doesn’t mean you can’t go there with a smaller budget; the Oldenbarneveltstraat is very divers in its shops.

Would you like to live near the Koopgoot? Check out Domica Rotterdam for more information! 

The Spido Rotterdam

As third on the list of most popular attractions of Rotterdam is the Spido. The standard  harbor tour takes 75 minutes, but there is much more to it if you want to! The Spido celebrates its 95^th birthday this year, and with that it’s one of the oldest attractions of the city!

From 1931 on the Spido was connected with the touristic Rotterdam. Back in the day there was an airport located in the Waalhaven, this attracted a lot of tourist. The Spido would take on the transport over water. In the war the airport got bombarded, but the Spido stayed. In those days the so called ‘volkvaren’ started up. The Spido took care of bringing employees to their work and would bring them back after.

From 1936 the harbor mail service started. This mail service took care of delivering mail to sailors who were on journey and had a stopover in Rotterdam. That was not the only thing they did for the sailors! They also functioned as a taxi company between the ships and the main land, but they also took care that the sailors were brought back to the ship in time.

As with everything, time changes, and in 2012 the Spido undertook an enormous reorganization that lead to the current Spido Rotterdam. Today this harbor touring doesn’t only include the regular tour, but they have multiple themed tours that are also customizable to the wishes of the customer. This gives way to the perfect business event, but also for the perfect family party or just a day out.

Next to the regular tours there are also day tours to the Tweede Maasvlakte and various fishing tours for saltwater fishing or freshwater fishing. These arrangements are a combination of the boat tour multiple stops at the main land.

If this doesn’t fit your idea of a nice day arrangement, you can also combine the tour with other attractions in Rotterdam, such as the SS Rotterdam. Or you can choose for a high tea arrangement, where the tour is combined with a luxurious high tea.

The Spido shows Rotterdam from a whole different point of view and makes it a memorable day every time again.

Would you like to live in Rotterdam? Check Domica Rotterdam for more information! 

The Euromast

The most populair attractions of Rotterdam are the Zoo Blijdorp (Click here and here for the blogposts on the Zoo), the Spido and the Euromast. Today I’ll tell more about the Euromast!

This beautiful tower has deep roots in the Rotterdam soil. Literally. With it's concrete foundation of 1.900.000 kg it stays stable. This is needed to place the center of gravity as low as possible. Especially since the walls are made of 30 centimeter concrete.

The tower was built because of the Floriade in 1960, a horticultural exhibition, that took place at the park. In that time, the tower was 101 meters tall, and with that it was the tallest building of the city. However, this position didn’t last too longe. With the city building more and more buildings they exceeded the length of the Euromast. In 1970 the tower was extended with the Spacetower, that made the tower another 85 meters higher, and with that gave back the title of tallest building of the city.

The crow’s nest hangs on the 100 meter, and took 5 days to be placed there. When the crow’s nest opened in 1960, two restaurants were located there. The first being De Rottiserie, a first-class restaurant, with silver cutlery and a luxurious ambiance. The second restaurant was the public restaurant that had an all-around view. On the bottom floor there was a café where you could order microwave meals, which was pretty special back then.

In 2004 the Euromast had gotten a bit outdated. There came one restaurant with an international menu and a renewed decoration. Nowadays you can also stay the night on a 100 height. And if that’s not enough, you can also abseil down!

Are you looking for a place near the Euromastpark? Check our website Domica Rotterdam for more information! 

Station Rotterdam Central

With a rapid increase of visitor the Central Station also becomes more important. The attractions Rotterdam has to offer has been visited about 1.5 million times in the first six months of 2014. To compare this with 2013 this is an increase of 3.1%. On the 14^th of March this year, the new station was finally opened by King Willem-Alexander. The aluminum point of the station is already called Station Kapsalon, referring to the Rotterdam Shoarma meal “de Kapsalon” (an aluminum dish with fries, shoarma, cheese, garlic sauce and lettuce).

 

Before the Second World War there wasn’t a Central Station. Rather, there were four different stations in and surrounding the center of the city. Finally, in 1954 there were plans made to build a central station. The architect Sybold van Ravesteyn (yes, this is the same Sybold van Ravesteyn who designed the Rotterdam Zoo) was appointed to design the station. On the 21^st of May 1957 Central Station Rotterdam was officially opened.

Unfortunately, the station didn’t last. Due to the junkies, and the increasing number of visitor, the old station had to go. There was a high demand for more space, since the calculated amount of daily visitors would be on 320.000 in 2025. Therefore they made plans for renewal in 2004, the rebuilt was planned to take 10 years.

During the rebuild, the old building had to be demolished. To artfully say goodbye to the old building the station letters “CENTRAAL STATION” were used to spell out “TRAAN LATEN” which translates into “To shed a tear”. The final closing of the station was on the 2^nd of September 2007. In between the time of the closing of the old station, and the opening of the new, there were bright blue temporary buildings that held a few stores for the travelers.

The new building, luckily, holds more luxury. The new hall is six times larger than the old one, and there are multiple stores that will provide a fine lunch or any groceries needed on the way. The only remains of the old station are the old letters and clock that are again displayed on the front of the station. From the new Central Station you can access the Trams, subway and the trains.

You’ll be surprised by the new ‘entrance’ of the city, it offers you all the luxury needed for your travels and at the same time gives you a wonderful impression of architecture that the city has to offer.

Would you like to live near the station? Check our website Domica Rotterdam for more information! 

The Blijdorp Zoo, part 2

Last Tuesday I wrote about the history of the park, but with about 1.6 million visitors a year the park is still thriving. Today we’ll see what you can do in the park!

From 1988 onwards the park has a ‘master plan’ in which they decided to reconstruct the park, and divide it into continents. By doing this they can place all the animals per continent where they originate from and make the residences as realistic as possible. Until today they’re building an adding to the park.

Oceanium

The Oceanium opened in 2001 and added 11 hectares to the whole park. The enormous aquarium offers a wide selection of different sea creatures. You can walk through a tunnel surrounded by water and sea life. No need of beautiful weather to visit the zoo anymore! With this large range of sea life you can stay indoors all day!

Extra fun for the kids!

The park put in extra effort in the playground (the Oewanja Kidsjungle). The parents can sit next to the playground enjoying a drink, while still keeping an eye on their little ones. This is not the only thing that the park has to offer to kids! They can play in the public lab, climb through the belly  of a whale, jump over floes, climb into a giant egg and much much more!

Birds, birds, birds!

The park has a huge amount of different birds. There are multiple aviaries. There is one for meadow and migration birds, of which is one part dedicated to the birds that also live in the Netherlands, and the other part is dedicated to the south-European birds. Next to that there is also a aviary with different types of vultures.

To make it even better, there is a daily show called the “free flight performance”, they trained more than 20 different species for this.

Amazonica

The last development of the park is the gigantic butterfly house, the Amazonica, which opened in 2013 (back then the largest butterfly house of Europe). As visitor you can walk freely between the beautiful plants while the most beautiful butterflies fly around you. In the middle of the butterfly house they built a basin where they house different types of reptiles and fish that also originate from the amazon.

So who’s visiting the zoo this weekend?

Would you like to live in Blijdorp Rotterdam? Take a look at our website, DomicaRotterdam, for more information.