Clouds over the Erasmus bridge
First of all I have to say that I hate when I take so long to update you guys on what’s happening. I keep feeling like I need to fill you in. We have some catching up to do but before that let’s start here.
So after spending five days in the hotel by the airport in Paris, I was over it! The last time I went to check in and they told me there was no way I was going to make it on the flight, I decided to jump ship and went to the train station and caught a train to Rotterdam to spend some time with a friend in the Netherlands until the flight situation calmed down in Paris. So a bit under 3 hours and 112 euros later I arrived in Rotterdam and was ready for a new adventure! Night one we dropped my bags off and went to dinner to catch up and also have some drinks. I was pretty excited about what Rotterdam had to offer, but that was before the rain began to fall.
My lovely view from the airport hotel 
So it rained every single day I was in Netherlands, I don’t mean a lot of the days or so much that it seemed like everyday but literally, every single day! The mornings all started out overcast and cloudy, then you would have a nice moment and decide to go out for a walk but by the time I got dressed it would be raining. The best part of the days were around 5 it would all clear up and be just lovely, problem was the sun would set around 5:30 so you had very little time to enjoy the actual day. Now don’t get me wrong despite all that I still thought Rotterdam was lovely and I would definitely want to return especially since I didn’t make it to Amsterdam as I had planned, but it would have to be a different time of year. I thought it only rained in London that much, although to be fair London is a whole other species because it’s always rainy season.
Just after the rain
Best part of the days, before sunset
Despite the weather some fun was still had, one night my friend and I took off for a night out which began at the SS Rotterdam a hotel that looks like a boat, or is a boat I am not quite sure. The bartender was hilarious, but his accent was so thick that even when he was speaking English I thought it was another language. He informed us that he had been married 4 or 5 times, when I asked why he said that he liked parties and every time you get married you get a party. I guess he never heard of birthdays! Another character was the older man that approached us and offered us drinks letting us know as well that he is kinda famous! He used to play football (soccer) for some teams and lead us over to the wall that had his picture on it, vain much? After this we left for a hookah (not hooker, as my best friend thought I was saying with a fancy accent) bar or shisha as it is also known.
Crazy Bartender
Mr. I am Kinda Famous
Now I normally feel nothing when I smoke hookah, it’s usually just a flavored accessory to a good time, however, this time I was feeling kinda tipsy for lack of a better word, and seeing that we were in Netherlands you kind of have to wonder if maybe there was a little something extra they added to the mix. Also my friend was quite hungry after hmmm food for thought. Nonetheless, we had a great time and the cute bartender didn’t make the night too bad either. After we had exhausted the night there we headed off again in the cold, windy night for food finding ourselves at a McDonald’s in the wee hours which was packed. We then made our way home after a quick snack and were knocked out for the night and well into the next day. Oh and yes it rained the next day too.
My friend and I enjoying some Hookah
Now after a few days it was time for me to leave again, so I went to the station to buy my ticket and head back to Paris airport since things had calmed down now and flights were wide open. Unfortunately the cashier said they didn’t take credit cards like the one we have in the states without chips. I was not happy as I had a tight timeline including a flight in the morning. I saw they had computers set up so I could purchase online but then the system was down and they had no idea why and the number we were alerted to call would be of no use seeing that they closed at 6 and it was now 8pm. Not a happy camper at this point! The night ended with me heading back to my friends place after driving around for a while with the taxi because I didn’t have her address. The next day however, with cash in hand and flight rescheduled, I got on the train and was on my way back to Charles de Gaulle airport.
Au Revoir Netherlands
