Medi aCover age2016 Tor ont oSun
The Toronto Sun n Wednesday, January 27, 2016
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TRAVEL
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Reinventing Rotterdam CHRISTINA BLIZZARD Toronto Sun ROTTERDAM — It’s young, it’s hip — and it’s a city on the move. That is the vibe you get from this modern, upbeat and futurelooking metropolis. Heavily bombed during World War II, Rotterdam was forced to rebuild extensively. It has done so with architectural innovation, forwardthinking and a strong emphasis on the environment. Bicycles are the transportation of choice, but you’ll also see lots of electric cars — and parking spaces with plug-ins for recharging. While the city looks mostly modern, Rotterdam is an engaging mix of old and new. There is still a lot of history to check out and some great restaurants, from funky inexpensive noodle bars to high-end fine dining. Art lovers will enjoy the photography museum and the Boijmans Museum. Nederlands Fotomuseum contains most of the Dutch national photo archives and hosts international photography exhibits. The museum focuses mainly on historic and documentary photography, but also has a strong emphasis on the artistic. See nederlandsfotomuseum.nl. The Boijmans is one of the Netherland’s oldest museums and contains a mix of contemporary art and breathtaking works by Dutch masters such as Bruegel the Elder and Rembrandt. There are also works by impressionists and modernists such as Monet, Van Gogh and Mondrian as well as surrealists such as Dali and Magritte. Oddly, the most innovative part of the museum is its unique coat-check system. Pulleys hoist your coats to the ceiling. It’s worth the price of admis-
NEED TO KNOW GETTING THERE
n Rotterdam is 30 minutes by train from Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport. The train station is in the airport. n KLM Royal Dutch Airlines flies to Amsterdam from Calgary, Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal and Edmonton. The airline allows passengers to stop-over in Amsterdam provided their ongoing flight is with KLM, so if you’re heading elsewhere on the airline, you can take in Rotterdam for a few days en route. See klm.com.
SLEEPOVER
n The super-modern, four-star Nhow hotel is part of a “vertical city,” and has sweeping views over Rotterdam’s Maas River. See nhow-rotterdam.com.
CHOW DOWN
n FG Noodle Bar is an off-beat eatery where diners can mix and match their own ingredients. The chef then creates a soup or stir-fry from the chosen ingredients. See fgnoodlebar.nl. n Bazar’s decor recreates a middle-eastern market. The food is varied, from couscous to kebabs to falafel with vegetarian options. Try the mint tea. See hotelbazar.nl. n If your tastes tend to the Great Gatsby era, try the New York Basement at Hotel New York. It specializes in cocktails reminiscent of a decadent time. There’s an oyster bar, steaks, lobster, etc.
Innovative Dutch city has retro-cool vibe photos by CHRISTINA BLIZZARD/TORONTO SUN
Rotterdam’s innovative Markthal is housed under a huge arch containing apartments. Inside, shoppers will find a tasty selection of cheese and other edibles as well as flowers. sion itself. See boijmans.nl. The city’s strong culture of ground-breaking architecture is evident in its famed cube houses. Designed to be a safe bridge between new housing projects along the old harbour, architect Piet Blom spoke of this unique collection of homes as his “forest” of tree houses. Blom tilted the traditional house design on its side and put public space underneath. Tourists can get a look inside as one of the homes is open for tours.
See kubuswoning.nl. (Canadian architect Ben Kutner and partner Jeff Brown were inspired by Rotterdam’s cube houses and in 1996 built a cluster of three along Eastern Avenue in Toronto.) Another stunning building is the nearby Markthal. The spectacular arch that encloses the indoor market is actually an apartment building. Shoppers at Holland’s largest indoor market will find glorious flower displays — of course — as well
LEARN MORE
as shops selling everything from cheese to chocolate to fresh produce.
For information, see markthal.nl.
n See rotterdampartners. nl and holland.com. n Don’t speak Dutch? Not a problem. Almost everyone speaks very good English.
FLOATING HOTEL A TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE Ever wanted to experience the elegance of a bygone era aboard a gracious ocean-going liner? You can do that right in the heart of Rotterdam — without ever going to sea. The S.S. Rotterdam — the
largest steamship built in the Netherlands and once the flagship of the Holland America Line — has been turned into a floating hotel in the city that gave it its name. Launched in 1958, the ship
could carry 1,440 passengers and a crew of 740. In the era before transatlantic flights were the norm, this grande dame of the seas spent its early years crossing the Atlantic between Europe and New York.
Times — and travel — changed and Rotterdam became a cruise ship. Its first itinerary was an 80-day ’roundthe-world tour from New York. When that career ended, the ship made an emotional return
to Rotterdam, and in 2008 reopened as a hotel. Now restored, you can experience the luxury of a ship that once hosted royalty two ways: Stay aboard or dine in one of its two restaurants, and
pretend you’ve returned to an era when travel was luxurious. At the informal Lido Terrace you can dine on deck with a city view, while the Club Room features fine dining. — Christina Blizzard