Days 16+17

Day 16+17 [Last Day in Rotterdam, First Day in Den Haag]

Thursday/Friday June 14 - 15

Thursday was my last full day in Rotterdam, and I spent the entirety of the day at the NAi, doing research in their library and archive room.  It really is a great place to do work, and the collections go on forever.  Definitely the most comprehensive architecture library I've visited, and the ones on the shelves only comprise about a quarter of their whole collection.  I worked just about until the library closed at 5pm, after which I asked the people at reception about getting a ticket to Monday's debate about Olympic planning - the one Henk Ovink told me to make sure I came.  The strangest thing happened - no one knew what I was talking about.  It seemed to not exist on their computer, and there was no mention of it online, no way to purchase a ticket.  They told me to email the info.nai and so I did, but I haven't heard back yet.  I know that I'm not going crazy but I feel like I am.  I couldn't have been imagining or dreaming this up.  I saw the advertising for it on the LCD screen at the post-lecture open bar in the NAi café after Tuesday's lecture; and then spoke to Henk Ovink about it, who confirmed the time with three other people.  It's not like it wasn't open to the public either, since they made a mention of how the speakers had to be there at 6pm but visitors would come at 8pm when the talk started.  So this is definitely a Twilight Zone moment, and it's still unresolved.  I'd like it to be resolved soon, since I won't make a trip back to Rotterdam unless the event is actually happening.  However, I'd be a little disappointed if it was canceled, or worse if it was never planned to begin with!    

After the NAi I took a detour back to the hotel in order to see MVRDV's Didden Village project in Middelaand.  This area of Rotterdam seemed older and more historic - I don't know for sure, but perhaps this is part of the city that did not get wiped out during the war, as the rest of the center did.  (That's the primary reason why there is no distinct "center" anymore, and the main reason why all of the post-war construction has led to such crazy buildings).  

 

That night I met up with my new friend from Amsterdam and we went out to dinner.  We tried this really good Asian place, and I got a spicy soup along with chicken gongbao.  I don't really know all that was in it, but it was tasty, except we got so much food that after we were full it didn't even look like we ate anything!  It was the case of the bottomless plates.  Anyway, it was a fun time, and made me feel not awkward eating at a restaurant by myself.  We had some good conversation, and we have exchanged emails so perhaps we will keep in touch now and then!  She is a language teacher so it was helpful to have her help me out on some pronunciation of words that I keep coming across.  We had a farewell Rotterdam walk around the other side of the port and the Erasmus Bridge (funny story - the German architect I met actually worked for the firm who designed that bridge - UNStudio - and he said that the way it looks now was not the way the designers intended it...but for engineering purposes the cables had to be pulled taut...one example of why architects should not be entrusted to design bridges).  Had a tea back in the hostel with a little Dutch cookie biscuit, and then started packing things up and went to sleep.

Friday morning began rainy, of course, since I had to travel.  I checked out of the hostel after making one last round along the main streets, and then took the train from Blaak station to Den Haag Centraal.  The journey was no more than 20 minutes total.  As the train was pulling out, however, I got that wave of nostalgia and sadness of leaving a place that I felt most powerfully in Torino.  I guess that's a good sign, but also kind of sad.  Upon arriving, the rain had tapered slightly, and I dropped my bags off at the hotel since I couldn't check in until after 3pm.  I took that time to wander the city center to get my bearings.  It's a pretty strange city to navigate, more like Utrecht but with the busy traffic/tramways like Rotterdam.  Den Haag (The Hague) is the seat of the country's government, so that factor gives the city a more formal feel.  At the same time, there are several posh shops and design boutiques and galleries.  There are also a lot of nice looking restaurants, which I assume are popular with the lawyers and municipal workers.  My hotel is located right by the Paleis - the Queen's palace - and right in the city center.  The Netherlands is a constitutional monarchy. The monarch is the Dutch head of state and, with the ministers, comprises the government. Queen Beatrix has been the head of state of the Kingdom of the Netherlands since 1980.  Nearby is also the Binnenhof, the inner court, which is the huge complex of buildings where the different seats of the government meet.  The Hague also has a lot of really great museums, the most prominent being the Mauritshuis, but that is unfortunately now undergoing renovation!  The main works have been temporarily transferred to the Gemeentemuseum designed by Berlage.  I'll probably try to tackle that tomorrow.

While walking, I stopped for a rest along a canal and made friends with a duck.  Seriously, I wasn't even eating, and this thing kept staring at me.  Every time I would move my head, she would do the same thing.  And she kept getting closer and closer to me until she was almost sitting on my foot.  This lasted a good half-hour.  During this time there was a classic-music festival going on, so I got to listen to some group performance which was nice.  I also did a bit of shopping in some of the stores (Lauren would like this city a lot).  I even stumbled along this Milan-esque covered gallery shopping area.  The city seems to have a good vibe to it; a lot of English tourists I've noticed vs. the abundance of Asian tourists in Rotterdam.  Yesterday in Rotterdam I watched a whole bus of them unload outside the Maritime Museum.  Anyway, after wandering for some time, I checked into the Parkhotel.  It's a nice room; I couldn’t cheap out on this because there were hardly any places available in Delft or Den Haag when I was booking.  I guess I got one of the last rooms.  It's pretty big and has a cool view overlooking the Paleistuin - the park that is behind the palace.  

I grabbed a quick doner kebap for dinner and also some weird dutch corn puff chip things, and some really good stroopkoekjes - kind of like stroopwaffels but with a shortbread type cookie instead of a wafer-type waffle.  As I look out the window, I notice it's raining again.  Hopefully that doesn't last into tomorrow!