Leaving England

White Cliffs of Dover

Someone told me that a famous song exists for the White Cliffs of Dover. I replied, “Yes, I know that Eric Johnson song quite well: killer guitar intro and an overall catchy tune.” Strange looks ensued.

Took a picture of the white cliffs from the balcony of our ship cabin.

Cruise Starts

We joined two other couples on a cruise from Dover to Norway, then back again. On the way from England to Norway, we spent a few hours in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

It surprised me to learn that Rotterdam means just what it reads. The city’s history started in 1270, when people constructed a dam on the Rotte river. Well, it took until 1340 before the government recognized the area as a city. Rotterdam has Europe’s largest port, as well.

We did not have a bunch of time to explore, so we hopped on a local trolley for a loop around town. I captured a few photos.

Rotterdam

Kubuswoningen, or Cube Houses

Though the walls and windows tilt, the floors remain level. These houses originated from a concept to build space onto roofs, to more densely populate urban areas without a need to raze properties in order to construct apartments. Each contains a little over 1000 square feet (two bed, one bath), however one-fifth of the space remains fairly unusable due to the tilted walls.

Art

You Cannot Park There

This art installation at a parking garage looks too believable.

Mural

I love it when buildings have more paint than just paint on their exteriors.

Oil Drums

Standing more than 25 feet, these fake oil drums form a humanlike figure. The artist named it Cascade, meant to “evoke themes of resource exhaustion, economic crisis and the fragility of modern consumer culture.”

On The Naughty List

The artist intended for Santa to hold up a Christmas tree. Unfortunately, more than one person has noticed it looks more like something else, having the artpiece commonly called Buttplug Gnome.

Food and Drink

Coffee

By the trolley station, I had to pick up a cup of coffee from this cool little vendor.

Indian Food

Found an Indian food booth in a Rotterdam market. When I lived in India, I rode a Royal Enfield, so I liked seeing the “Made like a gun, goes like a bullet” wording.