Exploring Rotterdam

For the fellow travelers out there, I've been using www.nomadicmatt.com for travel budget tips, tours, hostels, local activities, and must-see's. Unlike a site like lonely planet or other travel guides, nomadic Matt is a blog created by an avid traveler. He typically stays for long periods of time at the places he visits and he has tips to just about every place you would want to travel to.

Now back to my travels. Yesterday, I visited the windmills in Kinderdjik, a tiny little place just outside of Rotterdam. These mills, built in the mid-1700's, served to drain the land of excess water so it could be used for agriculture and settlement. Inside the windmills were also living quarters which I got to check out in one of them.

Yesterday also just so happened to be the day the Netherlands played against Portugal in a football match. I did not know Cristiano Ronaldo played for Portugal! GAHHHH he is beautiful! Why aren't people in the States more into football (soccer)? It's like the whole world is in on something that we, Americans, are excluded from. I thought watching a ball getting kicked around for 90 minutes would be quite boring, but actually, it's not that bad. Plus, there's snacks and drinks. Cristiano Ronaldo also is a bonus. :D

I'm sitting at a McDonald's right now waiting for the info center to open up so I can purchase my welcome card. This card, depending which type I buy, will give me unlimited access to the transportation and great discounts for all the museums and attractions in Rotterdam. Luckily, Rotterdam is a small city so once the weather clears up, I could potentially just walk around the entire city. I might just rent a bike to ride around as well. Anyways, I'm going to go finish my McCafe coffee and then head out!