More Rotterdam!

To do my time in Rotterdam justice I decided to do a second post. Above you see the beautiful Merlijn. This is Henk and Jantien's (Katinka's aunt) ship that they converted from a barge to a wonderful passenger ship to conduct bike tours in Holland and Germany. It was such a treat to stay on such a lovely ship.

Here is the only working windmill in Rotterdam. Fortunately, I was visiting the area on a day that it was open. Since both workers were busy they just let me look around on my own. It was so cool! I climbed four different ladders to get to the top where the actual grinding was taking place. It was interesting to go each level and see how it fit into the whole process. I was able to go out on the deck and have a great view of the harbor. One of the workers explained about the windmill and mentioned that it was a great day because the wind was blowing well.

This is Delfshaven, which is an area in Rotterdam that is historically known for a couple of reasons. But most interesting to me was that this was where the Pilgrims left from before going to England and boarding the Mayflower. (Yes, the Pilgrims were originally from England, but they first went to Holland before America.) It was a nice area along a canal, with the windmill at the opening of the canal.

Jantien took me up to The Hague one day and she showed me around the city that she used to live in. Pictured is where the International Criminal Court is held. I found this particularly interesting because I have read about it in my studies. While we were in The Hague we also went to the Dutch Parliament and actually sat in for part of a session. My favorite part of The Hague, though, was the Panorama Mesdag. It is a beautiful painting of the beach there. You should definitely google it.

Jantien and Henk were so generous to have me on their wonderful Merlijn. I had a great time with them and cannot thank them enough for their hospitality.