Schiedam

It seems I never published this post, but here are some pictures of Schiedam, a small town right outside Rotterdam. It's small, cute, quaint and full of windmills. I had the chance to go to the very top of one of them. It was a challenge, since I'm terrified of heights, but it was definitely worth it. We also had a delicious dinner at this fancy French restaurant called Stadhuys B.V., which I recommend you go visit with an adventurous mind.

Schiedam is also home of the tallest windmill in the world, the Noordmolen, which is now a Dutch restaurant (first picture). We went there for dinner once but it was closed, so we missed the food. But on one of my lonely sight-seeing I got to go inside and it still has its windmill escence.

And... Schiedam is the #1 world gin producer.

Back in America

Been absent for a few days but I'm excused because I had my deadline and then Keegan, Justin, Camille and my mom flew over to the NL to spend my last days there with me and travel. They arrived on the 29th of October, and from that day through the 8th of November, we travelled non-stop:

Oct 29th - Amsterdam

Oct 30th - Rotterdam

Oct 31st - Leiden, Delft, Scheidam

Nov 1st - Rotterdam

Nov 2nd - Brugges

Nov 3rd - Brussels

Nov 4th - Antwerp

Nov 5th - Gouda, Utrecht

Nov 6th - Den Haag

Nov 7th - Amsterdam

Nov 8th - flight back to Phoenix, changed planes in Philadelphia

Phew! We're still exhausted of all the walking and the jet lag! And all the weight I had lost during those 2 months I was by myself in R'dam, I might have gained them back when my family arrived... Oh, well, I'll post some photos in a bit.

Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen

Rotterdam has enough art around the street to keep me amused (I'm on a mission to get photos of all the quirky monuments/statues/random art around the city), and to top that off, it has great art museums. A museum is a great way to escape from the rainy weather that characterizes the Netherlands (my friend Dutch Marieke often calls it the "flat-froggy/toady country), and the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen is no exception. Current exhibitions are the "All eyes on Kees van Dongen" (huge exhibition, almost all of his paintings and a lot of info on his lifestyle), the Yayoi Kusama's Mirror room (which I LOVED!), the Collection H+F Fashion on the Edge, etc.

The museum is not expensive at all (15 euros full rate, 10 euros for students, free on Wednesdays). Part of it is being refurbished (as I said, everytime I come to Europe, SOMETHING is being refurbished) so some areas are closed. You can still see the section of the surrealists and the impressionists, which were the ones I was interested in the most. Unfortunately, I didn't get to see the Warholes. The patio is beautiful, so whenever it's not rainy, I do recommend going out and having your lunch/snack there.

You are allowed to take photos without flash. Here are some of the one's I took.

Rotterdam Zoo (Diergaarde Blijdorp)

The Blijdorp Zoo is supposedly one of the most beautiful museums in Europe. It is a little expensive for my taste (18.5 euros, no student discount), but it is definitely worth the time. It's HUGE and it is beautiful. I had never seen toucans, rhinos, flouresecent blue butterflies, nor baby elephants. I was a little disappointed that the polar bear exhibition was not available, and the gorilla's were hidden somewhere in their habitat, but the butterfly exhibit and the oceanium made it better. Here are some photos:

Getting there with no car is a bit of a hassle. You have to get to Rotterdam Centraal, then take the bus that goes towards the Rotterdam Airport (it's either 33, 44 or 40), get off on the Blijdorp stop, cross the street, and then walk to the entrance. There is no direct metro/subway and I didn't see any tram around. Same thing when getting back.

TIPS: I recommend you wear comfortable shoes (it is a long walk inside the zoo). Most of the exhibition is inside, but still bring an umbrella and several layers of clothing for the unpredictable Rotterdam weather. I got really hot walking around the Oceanium or inside some other exhibitions where the temperature has to be warmer for the animals sake, but then stepping out to the cold to continue with the next area was quite a shock. Also, I found food to be quite expensive (about 4-5 euros for poffertjes, seriously?) so bring your own lunch. Although there are several vending machines and small cafés inside.

So, in a nutshell, Blijdorp zoo is definitely a great way to spend the day in Rotterdam. But if you don't have enought time and you want to experience more traditional parts of the Netherlands, skip it. This is not the only zoo in the world.

Music I'm obsessed with right now...

I just got back from the Boijmans van Beuningen art museum and I've got some cool pictures, plus some pictures of Leiden, but while I'm editing them, I'll just share some of the music I've listened to here and other songs that are currently rotatin in my (Keegan's) iPod.

- "Not giving up on love" by Dutch DJ Armin Van Buuren and Sophie Ellis-Bextor (remember "Murder on the Dance Floor"?) She is ridiculously gorgeous in the video and the song is super catchy. I like. Here's the link for the video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nh5R6VBn63E

- "Kickstarts" by Brittish rapper Example. Most non-U.S. rappers SUCK, although some French rappers have their own cool style, but this is a cool pop-y song. BTW, YouTube this South African rapper called Die Antwoord and his song "Enter the Ninja" and you'll find an example of the LAMEST thing ever on Earth! Anyways, enjoy the video. I highly recommend it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9yGcKlYAiw&ob=av3e

- "You've changed" by Sia (she's Australian). Cool song, great stop-motion video. I have to say I'm not a huge Pop fan, but for some reason, the Pop music that's popular in this side of the globe is not lame, not corny, not mushy. I'm sorry but I hate Mexican (and almost all American) Pop music, even though it's not bad music, it's just too lovey-dovey for me. Here's Sia.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLPPlRDOZx0

- "Bang Bang Bang" by Mark Ronson & The Business Intl. Je te plumerai la tête! This dude is a genious and I can't get tired of this song. Seriously!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzE5dS6fnFk

- "Waiting for the End" by Linking Park. You can't go wrong with LP. Wow. That's all I have to say.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KU6sdX1PkFg

- "Fuck You!" by Cee Lo Green. Don't know why this song came out in Europe before it did in the U.S. I had already memorized the song and video by the second week I was here in the NL and just a week ago I saw it was starting to chart in Billboard. Keegan hadn't heard the song either. Oh, well, its fucking smart, and fucking amazing. And I love the video. :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pc0mxOXbWIU

- "Impossible" by Anberlin. This is the second Anberlin song I've listened to, and so far, I really like their style. "Feel Good Drag" is one of my favorite songs and some sort of personal song, and it's featured in the new Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, which makes it even more exciting! (I'm a hard-core Rockband-GuitarHero addict; me on the guitar or voice and my brother on the drums, we kick ass! LOL jk)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjE_2fFMnG0&ob=av2e

- "Alors on Danse" by Stromae (Belgian). This is just a really catchy song. Nothing too amazing about it, just catchy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHoT4N43jK8

- "Pack up" by British Eliza Doolitlle. This just sounds like a song my friends would love! I like the rythm. It's altogether cute and I find the lyrics very smart.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzY0-I4Gq5w&ob=av2e

And some songs that aren't that new or that European, but are constantly in rotation:

- "Nightmare" by Avenged Sevenfold. Keegan turned me into a huge A7X fan and now I can't get tired of them! I might tattoo a death bat on my ass, JK!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94bGzWyHbu0

- "Give me a Sign" by Breaking Benjamin. Sigh! Love it...
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=give+me+a+sign&aq=f

- "Letter from a Thief" by Chevelle. God, this is one of my favorite songs and I've played it non-stop for the last what? 6 months? Second 0:19... damn, he's hot! :P (sorry, babe!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caSWa3vtUlk

- "Lay me Down" by The Dirty Heads. Every time I listen to this song I get theary eyed 'cause it makes me think of Keegan and I miss him like hell! It kinda reminds me of us, in a weird metaphor... And with verses like "it's hot outside, lemme go swimming in your eyes" or "it's just tequila and the beach, it's quite salty when we kiss"... darn, it's such an unconventional love song! Love it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGYxiIspEBc

"Dog Days are Over" by Florence & The Machine. Not a new song (released in 08, re-released in April '10) but it's everywhere right now, and her voice is unbelievably beautiful.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWOyfLBYtuU&ob=av3e

- "Neutron Star Collision" by Muse. I'm no Twilight fan (it's OVER THE TOP Teeny-Bop corny, although I've watched the first two) but this song is just, wow... wow... it's powerful.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTvgnYGu9bg&ob=av3e

- "Cooler than me" by Mike Posner. It's been my BlackBerry ringtone since July but now I'm getting annoyed by it because MTV NL plays the video like, 20 times in 2 hours. Doesn't mean I don't like it, I do, I'm just now starting to get tired of it. BUT I have a different version of the song on my iPod, so that makes it bearable.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7S_H1KDjW9Y&ob=av3n

and finally...

- "Roger that" by Young Money. My brother and I LOVE this song, especially Lil Wayne's part. I miss my lil fucker, so I listen to this song constantly.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifyF1Iy89fQ&ob=av3e

And that's my eclectic "Two Months in Rotterdam" playlist... add some Brandon Flowers, some new Pearl Jam, and some Vampire Weekend and off you go! Let's go sightseeing.

Amsterdam

Such a wonderful city! Right now it's on my top list, on the #2 spot (Paris is #1). I still have a lot to see there, but so far I've only been there three times, and only for a few hours. Most of the streets are divided by canals, so you can move around on land or on water, although water is a little more expensive. At night, the city lights come up, and every bridge has a set of lights that are beautifully reflected on the water.

It is a very colorful city and definitely not for the narrow-minded. Coffee shops (shops that sell cannabis, or "pot", whatever you wanna call it) are everywhere and so are prostitutes (I was greeted by one on my way to the Anne Frank Museum), although they all conglomerate on the Red-Light District. The girls all inside their little rooms, standing in front of the window, under a red light, flirting in their skimpy clothes, one window after the other. They look like scantily clad Barbie dolls on shelves at Wal-Mart (that is if you keep away from the Big Mommas section). And even though they may seem very inviting and open, DON'T EVEN THINK of getting a picture of them. They're surprisingly camera shy (the only thing they're shy at, I guess), and you could get in serious trouble.

There is this one peculiar street that is so narrow only two people side by side can go through, so there is a line of people coming and another line of people going, and there are windows with red lights on every side. Go in there if you want to see a** and ti**ies and a bunch of lame dudes who have to pay to get some... LOL! I find it hilarious, but also, very sad...

- Boating through the Red Light District.

- Walking into the seedy, dirty area of town LOL.

If the weather sucks, spend some time in the Sexmuseum (4 euros, smaller and cheaper than any other museum), filled with erotic art, gags, and the history of sex through the eyes of different cultures. Seriously, you will laugh your socks off with the pornographic photo collection from 18 and 1900's. If you thought threesomes and dildos and strap-on's were from the degeneration of or time, think twice! Just be careful when going up the stairs or walking through the hallways, you might be surprised by some moving mannequins.

- Thi is from inside the sexmuseum. The mannequins here are wearing authentic lingerie from last century.

- Oh, and one more thing! They call it the Red Light District because the lights on the bridges are red. Duh!

On my friend Marieke's birthday, we went boating around every canal in Amsterdam, drinking, listening to music and having yummy snacks. The boat was orange, even Dutchy-er! Amsterdam is even more beautiful by night, when they turn the city lights on and they reflect on the water. It has a very cozy feeling.

- This is DAM square. Most buildings here are under refurbishment right now and it doesn't look that amazing. The monument on the back is for the Dutch people who perished during WWII.

-

Picture of the canal next to the Westerkerk, you can see the main triangle of the the Homomonument on the left.

- Inside the Oude Kerk, the oldest church in Amsterdam. It's located in the middle of the RLD, and it is surrounded by prostitutes. Behind it, Belle (the monument for respect to sex workers all over the world) is waiting for the next customer. Interesting facts about this church: Rembrand and his first wife Saskia got married here, and her mausoleum is inside.

- View of Amsterdam from outside the Central station.

- The children-friendly NEMO museum.

- Part of downtown Amsterdam. You can buy souvenirs here.

- The Vondelpark. It's huge and it's gorgeous. Marieke and I had rosé prosecco, cheese, and stroopwafels here while we catched up.

I still have a lot of sightseeing to do in Amsterdam, so I'll continue on this subject on another post. I'm waiting for my family to come in and go together to the Anne Frank museum, the Van Gogh museum, the Iamsterdam monument, etc. For now, I leave you with a picture of a handsome lil' elephant sailor. Knock yourself up!

A lil' more of Delft

Haven't been doing any sightseeing in Delft, classes absorb most of my time there. But here are some pictures:

- Yummy waffle and stroopwafel stand in the street. Cheap, delicious food to go!


Waffle! OOoooh! So sugary and crunchy!



- Beestenmarkt. Moo!

- Kaas (cheese) store:

- Behind the New Church, this house is supposedly on the movie "The girl with the pearl earing" about Johannes Vermeer.

- Inside the Vermeer museum. I highly recomend it. It's 7 euros to enter, or 5 if you're a student ;)

- Gorgeous view of Delft.

- The Moolen de Roos. It's under refurbishment I guess...