Our last adventure in Holland was visiting the city of Rotterdam. It’s very modern and the largest port city in Europe. In fact, it’s one of the busiest ports in the world. It doesn’t have the same older buildings we saw in so much of Holland because of a devastating bombing during the Second World War. My father-in-law told us this building on the left is known as their “White House.” It was the only building in the area that survived the bombs

Rotterdam’s identity as a port city could be felt with every step. Boats upon boats, everywhere! In this dock, many of the boats had information about their use and their history and you could even go aboard for a tour.

The one boat that we did go on was a water taxi!

We took it out to the Hotel New York. This is a very significant location for Justin’s family. It is where his parents boarded a boat bound for Canada. While we were there, my father-in-law Chris remembered what it was like to say goodbye to his father and take his young bride to a new country, the place where he would live for many years and where both his sons would be born.

We stopped inside for a lovely lunch. I made sure to have the Dutch classic croquette one more time!

Our trip was coming to a close and we were already reminiscing about the wonderful time we’d had, the great adventures, the visits with family, all the wonderful memories. This is one of my favourite pictures from the whole trip. Thank you, Chris!

And what better way to end our journey than to get up high for some perspective! The Euromast is like a tall ship mast with a crow’s nest observatory, including an exquisite restaurant and two hotel rooms, one named Heaven and the other Stars!

Now, I get a little wobbly with heights and Justin and Chris went up even higher than I did but wow, the view of Rotterdam from Euromast was worth it! Beautiful!

As we walked back to the car, ready to wrap up our Holland adventure, the sun caught our eye and drew us into this little park. What a moment!

As we continued our meandering, getting ready to leave Rotterdam, the sun started its gentle fall. The light blessed us and the city and it’s lowering told us this day and this journey was drawing to a close.

Sharing adventures brings us closer together. I’m so glad to have experienced Holland with Justin and his father and it has been a joy to share it with you. I hope you’ve been inspired and maybe even picked up a couple of tips to do some confident travelling of your own.