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After a 9-hour train ride, we were finally here! The OBB night jet train ride was not a comfortable one. If it was only 2 of us in a car compartment, it was just fine as we could lay down with 3 seats. But unfortunately, our compartment was with 2 other people, it made it difficult to sleep well. But anyhow, a nice experience though and the most important thing is, we are so close to Venice now.
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Starting our long day here at the Frankfurt Main Station. Going to take a train to Augsburg (transfer at Nurnberg), then tour around Augsburg for a day. Then took a overnight train to Venezia Mestre. Hope the logistics will go well ~
Unexpected detour! Our stop was canceled in Augsburg Hbf while we were on the train. It didn’t help much when all the announcement were in German. Luckily, a nice gentleman had helped us out (very thankful!) anyway, we were detoured to Munchen. With any luck, we will be arriving at 2pm in Augsburg Hbf and could do some touring during day light. Augsburg is famous for its water system, so famous that it has become a UNESCO World Heritage. Its technology of pumping water to the water towers to provide drinkable water to the city is quite impressive. With abundant water supply, Augsburg itself is very self-sufficient. There is a UNESCO information center in the city centre, which definitely worth a visit. It explained how and why the water system in Augsburg has been one of the heritages. Augsburg doesn’t have the commercial vibes. There were not many tourists there when we visited. The architecture is similar to Italy, so we had a feeling of visiting Venice but without the tourists. One good thing to visit Augsburg, you can get free water easily, just bring your own bottle.
We arrived in Frankfurt early in the morning. While waiting for checking in to our hotel, we toured around the city a bit. St. Paul Church Frankfurt is a former Protestant church, used as a national assembly hall. The Frankfurt Parliament convened here back to 1848. It is interesting to see an political assembly hall but with church elements remained.
The Goethe House is a writer’s house museum. It is the birthplace and childhood home of German poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. We didn’t enter the museum this time as Cammy was fighting a cold and still not very energetic enough to tour around. But we had been here, just the outside to take a look.
A hidden gem in Rotterdam! UNESCO World Heritage, Van Nelle Factory, is absolutely underrated. It was built between 1925-1931 as a factory producing tobacco, tea and coffee. Since the location is closed to the canal, it facilitated the transport very easily. After the factory ceased production, it became a UNESCO world heritage for its unique design and construction. Now, it is a huge building with different office spaces. Everyone is welcome to come and check it out, you can walk around freely inside the factory.
A short pass through of this place. It’s a small area but quiet enough for a short stop over. If i was a bit more energetic (and healthier) today , i would have spent more time here. Will definitely add to my list for a deeper visit when i come back next time. Our last tourist attraction in Rotterdam before starting our overnight bus ride to Frankfurt! The cube houses are the iconic features of Rotterdam. I can’t imagine how people place their furniture in these houses.
Exploring Utrecht today! The vibe is very different from Rotterdam and the Hague. There is a mix of modern activities and old heritage style. Most impressive part of the Utrecht Central station is the bike parking area, it is a 4-storey bike parking area. It opens up our mind, it is totally possible for a country to promote an environmentally-friendly transit system. It also got us to think about why we have so many car parking area in the North America.
The birthplace of Miffy is in Utrecht! It was a tour to learn about the history. It started in a part of the fortress of the Romans with an explanation of the history of old Utrecht, then we went down to the Domplein (descend 4 metres down the cathedral square). It helped us understand how the UNESCO Roman Frontiers are developed from the Netherlands to Germany. The Roman settlement was built every 9km, thats it drew a line as the Roman Frontiers. What a loverly night view looking over the Utrecht Centraal!
A day tour to walk around Den Haag. First, we arrived at the Den Haag Centraal station, with beautiful white design and a very clean look. It’s nice to see lots of public transport network (but not parking lots) once you come out of a station. Definitely give a thumb up to the Netherlands in promoting public transit!
The Peace Palace in the Hague! It is a famous icon of peace and justice. We always hear the name on TV and we finally visited here. Unfortunately, there was no guided tour available when the palace is used as a working court. We could only visit the visitor centre with a self-guided tour (free of charge) and look at the palace from outside. Scheveningen Beach! It is a beach resort area with a very unique promenade. We walked around 30 mins from the Peace Palace. It’s absolutely stunning. The promenade is filled with interesting art pieces. There is a shopping area with cafes and plenty of seatings inside for you to take a rest. We had lunch inside and enjoyed the lunch shining on us. International Criminal Court! Again, we heard about this name on TV most of the time. It investigates and ties individuals charged with crimes concerning the international community. This place is strictly secured. We could only visit by taking a look at the outside. The passage was opened in 1885, so more than 135 years of history! It’s the oldest shopping arcade in the Netherlands.
We took a waterbus to the famous Kinderdijk, a UNESCO world heritage which we could walk around and see the windmills group.
Nineteen windmills for the nineteenth centuries! Kinderdijk is below sea level and instead of fighting the wind and the water, the windmills have been working hard to keep the area dry. It’s nice to see the working windmills in Kinderdijk. After walking around the Kinderdijk area for a few hours, we took the water bus back to Rotterdam. Just in time to see the sunset, it was gorgeous. A large market place with different food stalls. Our friend introduced the fish, herring, to us. It is a fresh fish that you could eat raw, like sashimi in japan. The local eat the whole fish by putting it in the mouth (without cutting) but we had it cut as it is easier to handle. It tastes very fatty and juicy, like the Toro in Japan.
Our last day in UK, byebye! This morning, we took the Stena Line from Harwich International to Hook of Holland. The boat ride took almost 7 hours. It brings vehicles to cross the sea to the Netherlands too. The boat was not busy at all. It was very well-facilitated. Berth is available for reserved if you would like a private space to rest. We found our own space to sit/sleep on the boat. Netherlands, we are coming!
We officially arrived The Netherlands After a 7-hour boat ride, we arrived here! The port and terminal is very well-connected. We can easily take the metro to Rotterdam city! Here we go! A nice place to stay in Rotterdam! First try capsule hotel in Europe, it was such a nice experience. It was more spacious then we imagined. All facilities are nice and clean. 15 mins walk to Rotterdam Central Station. For CAD 50 per night, it worth recommending to other travelers who are going to visit Rotterdam.
A long visit (but short touring) of Ipswich. We were here over the over the year. Unfortunately, Chris got a chest cold with nasty cough. So, we didn’t tour around much. While we were going to Harwich today to get ready for the ship to the Netherlands, we finally had a chance to see the waterfront.
A short transfer at the Manningtree station, on our way to Harwich from Ipswich. The train was very quiet, we almost had our private car to ourselves. As our ship left very early on the next day, we decided to stay nearby the port one day earlier. The Harwich International station is connected to the ferry pier. How convenient! |
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