Day 8 - Liège to Amsterdam

Saturday 3rd September 2016
Sunrise 6:55am – Sunset 8:23pm

Weather Forecast:   22 partly cloudy

Steps:                   10,702           7.38 km

I had a very restless night last night, even though the bed was very comfortable.  I woke up around 5:45 and as the wake up call was due at 6:15, just got up anyway.  Toast and orange juice was all I had for breakfast this morning.

Departure was at 8am and we were away on time.  The last time I checked the weather forecast no rain was mentioned but just after 9am it started to rain. Thankfully, by the time we pulled off the highway for a comfort stop at 9:50am, it had stopped.

                                                                               

We arrived in Rotterdam just before 11am.  Rotterdam is a major port city in the Netherlands' province of South Holland. The Maritime Museum's vintage ships and exhibits trace the city's seafaring history. The 17th-century Delfshaven neighborhood is home to canalside shopping and the Pilgrim Fathers Church, where pilgrims worshiped before sailing to America. After being almost completely reconstructed following WWII, the city is now known for its bold, modern architecture. We had a look at the modern Cube Houses. 

The Cubic Houses

are a curious and magnificent architectural wonder located in Rotterdam, Netherlands. They were conceived and constructed by architect Piet Blom in the 1970s. Blom was asked by Rotterdam town planners to solve the dilemma of building houses on top of a pedestrian bridge, and, having built similar houses earlier in another town, Blom chose to repeat the design in Rotterdam.  Structurally, the cubes sit tilted on a hexagonal pole. They are made up of concrete floors, concrete pillars and wooden framing. Inside, the houses are divided into three levels accessed via a narrow staircase. The lower level is a triangular area used as the living room. The middle level houses the sleeping and bathing area, and the highest level is a spare area used either as a second bedroom or another living area.  Completing the tilted design, the walls and windows are all angled at 54.7 degrees, providing excellent views of the surrounding area. The only drawback – aside from claustrophobia is that despite a total area of 100 square meters, the angled structure means only a quarter of that space is actually usable.  Aside from the uniqueness of the asymmetrical design, the cubic houses are meant to represent an abstract forest. According to Blom, the triangular top of each individual house is supposed to represent an abstract tree, which, when connected with its neighbor, becomes a sea of trees in a yellow, manufactured forest. 

Photos can be found here.  http://all-that-is-interesting.com/cubic-houses-rotterdam

We also visited the market place apartments. 

You can read all about it here.  http://www.mnn.com/your-home/remodeling-design/blogs/rotterdams-razzle-dazzle-market-hall-meets-apartment-complex-opens

I can’t see anything like this happening in Australia.  Fascination to see.

Within the same area, is another building, also designed by Piet Blom which is referred to as the ‘pencil’ building. 

http://www.failedarchitecture.com/dredging-the-dutch-city-part-1-rotterdam/

We left Rotterdam around 11am and headed to Delft.  

Delft, a canal-ringed city in the western Netherlands, is known as the manufacturing base for Delftware, hand-painted blue-and-white pottery. In its old town, the medieval Oude Kerk is the burial site of native son and Dutch Master painter Johannes Vermeer. Once the seat of the royal House of Orange, the 15th-century Nieuwe Kerk houses the family's tombs and overlooks Delft's lively market square.

Cyndy and I had  lunch in the main square of the Old Town.

The group then visited the  Royal Delft Pottery showrooms and factory.

After that visit, it was off to the Hague, where we arrived shortly before 3pm.    The Hague is a city on the North Sea coast of the western Netherlands. Its Gothic Binnenhof complex is the seat of the Dutch parliament, and 16th-century Noordeinde Palace is the king’s workplace. The city is also home to the U.N.’s International Court of Justice, headquartered in the Peace Palace, and the International Criminal Court.  

We had a photo stop at the Parliament, 

then to the Peace Palace for the same.  

After that, it was on to Amsterdam, where we arrived at the hotel around 4.30ish.

Cyndy & I were not doing the dinner optional, so agreed to meet in the foyer and go walking around the local area

to suss out a place for dinner.  We found a café/bar (there were plenty of restaurants to choose from) a few blocks away from the hotel and had a light meal there.  Back to the hotel after that.  A late start tomorrow.