Netherlands – Rotterdam

From Amsterdam I travelled down to Rotterdam and alighted at the Central Station. My intent was to head straight ahead when leaving the station and find the architectural splendours I’d read about.

First though I looked behind me at the train station entrance with the bold line of the facade jutting high into the sky on its right-hand side like a tent skewed in a high wind.

On my left on Mauritsweg was the tower block called Calypso whose reflective surfaces kept changing dramatically on a breezy, sunny day with white clouds in the sky. I turned left along Westblaak and then Blaak until I saw the Markthal with a massive entrance leading to many cafes and small restaurants. The Piet Blom designed yellow Cube Houses (Kubuswoningen) on the other side of the metro station drew my attention. They’re over 40-years old and probably don’t count as modern architecture but they look splendid and the angle they’re set at seemed to change as I moved around their bases.

I retraced my steps and turned left to head towards the Nieuwe Maas river and the Erasmusbrug. From there I headed past the Russian Orthodox church towards the Euromast. Turning again, I saw on the other side of the road a massive reflective building shaped like a waste basket or flowerpot. Again the outside panels are mirrored. This is the Depot Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen containing paintings and exhibition spaces.