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Copyright © 2003 by Manfred P.. All rights reserved.

June 16, 2003

Gliding Through the Countryside

A Train Ride from Amsterdam to Rotterdam

by

Manfred P.

Keywords: Netherlands, Holland, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, tourist, travel trip report, travel log, travelogue.

As I look through the window the countryside zips by me. I am relaxed. I sit on the second floor of a double-decker train and look down onto the pastures, villages, bridges, and houses.

I am actually reading a book, but the countryside is more fascinating than I thought and I get more and more distracted. I haven't been here for several years and a lot of the impressions have been covered up or forgotten inside my memories. More and more my eyes drift from the lines in the book to the trees and buildings outside my window.

The mixture of old and new architecture is amazing and fascinating. I recognize again that the Dutch have a love for modern glass buildings. It is a short 1-hour ride from Amsterdam to Rotterdam, but long enough to revitalize old fainted feelings and notions of the Netherlands.

The old red brick buildings, square and classical in design, contrast with the sparkling glass towers, modern in material, modern in shape, and modern in form. The sun is reflected from these light green or silver glass buildings housing modern high-tech factories, offices of multi-nationals or local banks that try to outdo each other in their presentation and public image. In the village centers stand the cathedrals or town halls, built in classic style, with tall square brick spires topped with small green copper roofs which in turn are topped with a gilded figure or cross. Occasionally even an old restored white windmill with brown wings shows up and disappears as it flies by the train window. In the village and town outskirts are the modern glass "temples" of the 21st century. The mix of old and new is charming and quite unique.

There is also a lot of nature. The open spaces between the villages are filled with cow pastures and the famous Dutch cheese comes to mind. Cows and horses roam around. From time to time we cross a river and I am a bit envious of the people bicycling along the bike trails that follow the scenic rivers in this nice green environment.

Being on the train I also get to enjoy the sensation of being far away from traffic and cars. The train is very silent and the ride is more than smooth. It impresses a simple mind like mine. I don't feel like "riding a train". I feel like gliding effortlessly through the countryside.

Obviously the countryside is flat and criss-crossed by channels and waterways. Another one of these famous Dutch trademarks.

In Rotterdam I get off the train. First things first. On top of my to-do list is to buy my favorite Dutch sweets which as mentioned were absent from my culinary delights for several years. I walk into a supermarket and ask for "gevulte koeken", practicing one of the few Dutch words I still remember. I get half a dozen of those as well as a dozen of waffles with honey, also a very typical pastry. You can tell; I am such a sweet tooth. It is hard for me to live a single day without the necessary portion of sugar in form of sweets. But the supermarket also reminds me that Dutch not only have great sweets but also great spicy sauces. Their past as colonial power in the days when Dutch sailors fought with the British and Spanish for trade routes and control of foreign countries is the cornerstone of today's dished. Remember Indonesia or Dutch Guinea? What comes to mind are spicy hot dishes, curries, and well seasoned chicken. Here in the supermarket I find aisles full of hot sauces in all colors. Tempting, but with all these choices it is hard to pick one.

Rotterdam seems to be dedicated to architecture. There are international architecture award ceremonies here (Industrial Architecture Bienale), an architecture museum, a design school and a lot more. Add to that a Nature Museum with the full skeleton of a whale and a Classic Car Exposition with European cars from the 50s (VW Beetles, Citroen 2CV, etc.) and you have enough museums to keep you busy for two or three days. I don't have so much time, so I do all of this in two to three hours. And for those who are night owls, like any other large Dutch city Rotterdam also has a red-light district with clubs and dozens of coffee shops sprinkled all over the center of town.

I just pass a single night here in Rotterdam and tomorrow I will head to Cologne, Germany. Guess what mode of transport I have chosen? Yes, you are right, it will be another journey by train.

So, what are you waiting for? Get on the train, give it a try and see how nice and effortless it can be sometimes to do sightseeing.

    

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