Romantic Rotterdam

Don't be fooled.  I didn't drive all the way to Rotterdam to enjoy the sunset.

Did some work today on my Project Management PowerPoints.  Consider it overtime, if you will, but I call it goof-off replacement time as I already do a fair amount of 'lanterfantering' on weekdays.  In the afternoon, hubby asked if I could drive him to S & B's place to pick up B and then drive them together to the casino where a bridge drive had been organized.  I did tell them that I was going to Rotterdam while they were busy so that I could scout out the new building and how to get there and where to park, and so on.  And so that is what I did.

Starting tomorrow, we'll be installed at the World Trade Center, right beside the magnificent Town Hall, and as I am not fond of busy cities, an investigative drive around the area should prevent the panic of losing my way and arriving late for class.  Of course I had already Google-mapped the route yesterday, so that was not much of an issue.  The problem was finding a decent, and cheap or free, parking area.  The result of that search was zero.  Hubby had already done some online research and the parking fee for a whole day is 15,00 euros, which we both found rather exorbitant.  There are about five parking garages near the WTC, all of them charging this rate -- bah!  So I drove around and then, on a hunch, decided to get onto the Willemsbrug and cross the Maas, and then look for a free space close to the apartments on the Noordereiland, or Northern Island.  Loads of free space there!  I next wanted to check how much time it would take to walk to school from that point, and then walk back.  It was a beautiful day, just like last Sunday, blue skies and sunny, but rather chilly.  Took the cam out of the rucksack and just shot the bridge and the water and a bit of the skyline.  This shot was taken on the way back to the car, when the sun was lower in the sky.  Used the 'Pop' filter to make the colours come out.  The extra version is what I call the 'Real Rotterdam'.

As for the walk, I tried one route going and another coming back.  Without any real hurry, it will take me about 40 minutes with one route and 45 minutes with the other.  This will take some getting used to, and what I fear is that it will tire me out needlessly.  I'm hoping for a schedule with some room for creativity ... and more good weather, but fat chance of that.

After that, drove back home, had some tea, and friend M dropped by to pick up the keys to the van hubby drove last Friday but we couldn't find them, so I picked up hubby and B first, drove B home (they finished 6th), then went home ourselves where M and his son J were waiting for us.  Then dinner ... then more work.  The lovely weather made up for that, though.  If there's one thing bad weather can do, it can teach you to be thankful.  And anyway, what a lovely home we now have to go home to.