This is the Rotterdam Central Station for trains & buses. The roof is covered in solar panels. It opened in 2014 & averages 150,000 passengers daily. Above the word Station, there’s a video screen the size of a tennis court that plays video clips of Rotterdam & the harbor.

This is market hall. There are 230 luxury apartments arched over the center section The market is enclosed by windows on both ends & we would say the interior is a giantic food court. There is also a 4 story underground parking garage.

The interior holds 100s of restaurants & food stands & doo-dads. The ceiling is decorated with the horn of plenty. A foodie’s paradise!

There are 39 of these “cube” houses all tilted on one corner with families occupying them. We were able to look around one of them. The space has some awkward angles, but are actually pretty usable. The kitchen & living room are on the 1st floor, 2 bedrooms & a bathroom on the 2nd floor & a sunroom on the 3rd floor. The spiral stairs are narrow & steep. The bases are filled with shops.

The cubes have 3 walls facing the ground & 3 walls facing the sky. This is NOT an independent living complex for seniors!!

Wandering, we came across the Memorial Regatta Rotterdam which is organized by Dutch Marines & commemorates the bombing of the city in 1940. They’re leaving Ould Haven (old harbor) to the Maas River for the 9 mile event.

We walked out on the Erasmus bridge for a view over the Maas River. This is De Rotterdam building. It’s 3 independent towers (hotel, government & apartments) which share a unified base.

Watching river traffic from the Erasmus bridge, great view! The bridge has a wide pedestrian walkway, a bike lane and vehicle lanes. The North Sea is over 20 miles away. Both sides of the Maas River to the sea are lined with heavy industry.

We took a waterbus from the Erasmus Bridge in Rotterdam up the Maas River to Kinderdijk, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. During the 40 minute ride we passed barges, water taxis, car ferries, pleasure boats, tour boats and more. Lots happening on the river!

Kinderdijk World Heritage site includes 19 windmills, 3 pumping stations & dikes. Waterways, footpaths & bike trails provide visitors access to a visitor center, museums & working windmills.

The 18th century windmills at Kinderdijk are still functional though no longer working. Traditional windmills throughout the Netherlands have been replaced by modern technology. 2 of the Kinderdijk windmills are museums, the other 17 are residences.

For centuries windmills have been draining the polders (land reclaimed from the sea) and discharging the water into canals & rivers. As 40% of the Netherlands is below sea level, water management is an ongoing process.