The Kralingsche bos is a forest on the border of Kralingen and Prins Alexanderpolder and is the biggest in Rotterdam. The trees are formed around a lake: the Kralingsche plas.

To people who jog around this lake say “I did a lap around the plas”. There a two laps, one where you really run along the lake and one where you go around the forest (yet they still call it the “bigger lap around the plas”).

When I skate I go for the bigger lap. When I go for just a walk I take the one next to the lake and then top it off with a visit to “De Tuin van de vier windstreken” (check the Tuin van de Vier Windstreken article). And now that I’ve started running, as of now this is also the place for me to practice for the 10 km!

In summer I come here to sit and have a picnic or BBQ on the side of the lake, joint by lots of people enjoying the nice spring/summer evenings.

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Kralingsche bos | Relaxing | Free
Kralingse plaslaan | Kralingen
24 hours daily

Sculpture International Rotterdam takes care of the art in the public space. Look around if you come from Central Station and walk towards the centre, cross West Kruiskade towards the Westersingel. Along this canal (find the art piece in the canal too!) which is partly a promenade, you will find sculptures from famous artists such as Moore, Rodin and Sapiro amongst many others.

Look for Paul McCarthy’s ‘Santa Claus’ at Eendrachtsplein. For several years it was located at a museum’s courtyard. I guess you can imagine why it offended people in the beginning. Locals call this sculpture Gnome Buttplug.

I don’t like David Bade’s sculpture ‘Anita’ which stands in the middle of West Blaak but I like the amazingly designed skate park. Why not check it out and have a look at the skaters, boarders, bikers look for the shoetree at the Blaak infront of the shop LEFT:).

If you decide to continue your way on the Westersingel towards West Zeedijk. At the corner of Museum park you’ll see a large Picasso sculpture. My favourite sculpture is Guiseppe Penone´s Elevazione, a bronze tree that slowly elevates by nature. Or Cascade by Joep van Lieshout, at the Coolsingel/Blaak infront of the Maritime museum.

A free map is also available via the tourist office!

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Art in the public space | Art & culture, Relaxing | Free
Westersingel 50 | Center
24 hours daily

Rotterdam used to have a lot of cinemas and most of them slowly disappeared from the surface. Some only to remain by name like Off-Corso or Thalia. Youngsters visit them now and they probably don’t even know what the venues were before the spaces were turned into a club.

The surviving theatres Lantaren Venster (LV) and Cinerama are still the two left standing with an alternative program besides the commercial Pathe.

Whereas LV has a more alternative program (Spanish movies, Italian oldies, gay minded films and retrospectives), Cinerama also show movies with a commercial edge, e.g. the movie hit Slum Dog Millionaire or even Harry Potter.

Cinerama at the WestBlaak upgraded their venue recently so it can hold more movie loving visitors. Some halls have bigger chairs and offer more legroom.

Both have nice cafés to hang around before and after the movie, and frequented by a mixed and interesting crowd.

These locations are also part of the annual International Filmfestival Rotterdam at the end of January and other events or are for rent.

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Cinema Cinerama | Art & culture, Cinemas, Coffee & tea, Relaxing | Ticket € 9.00
WestBlaak 18 | Center | +31104115300
From 12:00 daily

When people visit Rotterdam, they will automatically visit an area known as the Oude Haven (Old harbour) due to the Cube houses. It’s between Haringvliet and the Wijnhaven.

In a way it’s a shame that a lot of the old Rotterdam was wiped away during WWII and on the other hand we wouldn’t have these contrast-rich areas like these harbours.

The Old harbour is a peek into the past as it’s the oldest harbour in Rotterdam with historic boats. I like the houseboats and the small wharf Koningspoort where people repair their historic boats. Definitely worth a visit.

While the Oude Haven is lined with lots of cafés and terraces, the Haringvliet which dates from 1590 is a more tranquil area.

The Wijnhaven is divided into the past and present. Het Witte Huis (White House), once the highest building in Europe, still stands firmly accompanied with a row of nice old houses. A lot of slim tall buildings with the new Red Apple building dominates this small piece of land on the other side of the Verlengde Willemsbrug. The Red Apple looks crooked and with a reason. The red lines are thinner towards the top as the view gets wider for the happy few. The name has a connection with the past; apples were transported by boat here. There’s still an apple tree near the building. Try and find it for yourself.

There are plans for another tall building with the emphasis on slim and high. Construction work is never ending with an everchanging skyline.

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Cityharbours Oude Haven | Art & culture, Bars, Coffee & tea, Relaxing
Spaansekade | Center
24 hours daily

Do as the locals do, catch some fresh air and feel the wind through your hair!

Follow the river Nieuwe Maas that separates Rotterdam in North and South. Connected by two bridges, the red Willems bridge and the white Erasmus bridge. I love this river, with it’s high and low tides, big cargo and cruise ships passing by. It gives the city it’s space and energy, like a pulsing artery. Living at the Kop van Zuid makes me like to walk the bridges whilst enjoying a breeze from the river and the ever changing skyline.

Follow my footsteps from North to South and back…

Cross the river via the Willems bridge. Next to this bridge used to be an Iron train bridge. A tunnel for the train replaced this bridge in the mid ’80′s and the only remaining part is the Hef bridge which was saved from demolition to become a monument. Turn right after the Verlengde Koninginne bridge, onto the Stieltjesstraat. Keep following the river, pass Villa Zebra and trendy Suite hotel Pincoff where they serve good coffee.

Pass under the Poortgebouw (Gatebuilding). You reach Laan op Zuid, with the tallest office building of NL, the Maas Tower. For a good view climb the stairs of the white platform. Cross the river via the Erasmus bridge.

Turn right, look out for the miniature train bridge on a pillar with the Willems bridge ahead. If you are in the right position you can imagine how the iron train bridge would have looked like besides it.

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Maas Bridges | Art & culture, Relaxing
Boompjes 750 | Center
Daily

Where I live I’m surrounded by bridges, water and the bustle of ships passing by. It’s called the Noordereiland (Northern island) in the Nieuwe Maasriver and connected by the Willemsbridge and Koninginnebridge.

The name derives from Noorderhaven (harbour) which is now called Koningshaven. When they dug this harbour, the island got separated from former island Feijenoord. This name should ring a bell with football lovers whereas the name is written as Feyenoord.

The island has become an Art project called MS Noordereiland, initiated by artist Joe Cillen who also lives here. The concept is that the island is in fact a motorship ready to take off one day and sail away with all its inhabitants. If you walk around on the island you will see many objects which refers to parts of a ship. We even have our own flag.

When you cross the Willemsbridge to the island, the left part looks new. The right part is more authentic and was spared by the bombing (in this case so called “friendly fire”)during WWII. Have a walk and see the houses on Maaskade 85, 113 and the Hulstkamp building. Try and find all the paintings in ornamented frames on several buildings and other art during an event like Expeditie Noordereiland or at gallery Ben Wind.

Eventhough most of the shops have gone, there are plenty of cafés to rest and wonder where the journey will lead to when the MS Noordereiland really starts moving. Or swim your way around it during Rondje Noordereiland in summer.

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The Noordereiland | Art & culture, Bars, Coffee & tea, Relaxing
Maaskade | Zuid
24 hours daily

The old North, squeezed between 3 waters – the Noordsingel, the river Rotte and the Noorderkanaal. Here you’ll find 2 small areas in the northern part close to the center. Locals tend to gather them both as Het Oude Noorden (the Old North). Despite a certain reputation as so-called ‘hotspot’ (not a good thing here), I’ve lived many happy years in this buzzing multicultural area which is definitely worth a visit (and for shopping).

A little introduction and historical facts: The Old North used to belong to a ‘manor’ till the 19th century. The ‘manor’ has a special Dutch name, ‘ambachtsheerlijkheid’. This means that either some nobility or a city has ownership of a certain territory. They don’t ‘own’ the land, but have certain rights – a leftover of the feudal system.

Historic streets like Zwaanshals, now great for shopping, already got mentioned in the 16th century and was known as both a small area and the name of a house (Swaenshals). Two typical houses are turned into a museum where you can have a glimpse of the past.

The Liskwartier (quarter) is named after Lischwater. What’s left is a small pond nearby. This area has grand houses, lanes and broad streets with the monumental Bergsingel church. The stately Rodenrijselaan, Bergselaan and Bergsingel are just a few streets to wander around for the architecture and the atmosphere.

There was a substantial Jewish community here, most didn’t survive the concentration camps during WWII. You can still find a shelter at Schiebroekselaan.

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Oude Noorden/Liskwartier | Art & culture, Relaxing | Free
From Noordplein on | Noord
Museum Wed 12:30 – 17:00 and by appointment

I have no idea how famous Marten Toonder is abroad, but here his cartoons are an icon. Tom Poes and Oliver B. Bommel have been well-known for many years. The cartoonist was born in Rotterdam, which might explain why there is a statue of Tom Poes and several other cartoon figures in the centre of Rotterdam.

Personally I’m not so fond of most art pieces all around Rotterdam, but this one I like. My father had these little cartoon when I was young, which I read and I have seen the Oliver B. Bommel movie a couple of times too, about this big sophisticated brown bear who finds a dragon egg. So it was a pleasant surprise when I first came eye to eye with the little white cat standing between lighting.

It is a colorful statue and it also serves as a resting place for people tired of shopping or to eat your fish freshly bought at the market, almost every day. Above the benches you can find some other characters from the cartoons, but no Oliver B. Bommel. ‘Tom Poes’ is also the name of a very Dutch pastry. Behind one of the figures you can find one made of stone.

I have a very personal memory to this statue and I have sat here more than one time to eat my fish or just used it as a meeting spot. At the moment it is surrounded by building sites, but in Rotterdam that’s almost a natural habitat.

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Statue Tom Poes | Art & culture, Relaxing | Free
Binnenrotte | Center
24 hours daily

Under the Van Brienenoord bridge lies a long island created by sludge piling up in the bend of the river the Maas since the beginning of the 19th century. There was a lot of forest until WWII, when the Germans used the trunks to keep airplanes from landing. What was left ended in the fires during the Hunger Winter.

Nowadays it’s a natural island again. There are some holiday gardens here, Scout clubs and the remains of a dock to build the metro-tunnel. But still it’s very green. In summertime Highland Cattle walks around free. On the East side the ground has been washed down. And instead of rebuilding it, they made a bridge to go over it and enjoy this miniature swamp.

During my bike tours I saw this island from the bridge above. I know I had to be able to go there, as I saw the little bridge, sheds at the gardens and people walking. But I didn’t know the entrance. It took me some time to figure out. I’ve toured the island a couple of times, although the terrain is sometimes too rough for less than an ATB (All Terrain Bike).

One time I came eye to eye with one of those Scottish cows. I had no idea if they were harmless or not, and I hesitated a little. The road was very narrow, so I had to pass on a very short distance. I did survive and do not especially praise my cowardliness, just the average city girl.

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Island van Brienenoord | Relaxing | Free
Brienenoord | Zuid
24 hours daily

In 1937 they began to build the Maastunnel, which included the moving of the Norsk Sjomannskirke which is in the park nearby nowadays. The building continued during WWII.

There is a story that while they were officially opening the tunnel at one side, two schoolboys had entered the tunnel at the other side. I would have loved to see their faces, when they saw the two boys, before the cutting of the ribbon. This opening was in 1942, and back then it was the first car tunnel in the Netherlands.

Besides a car tunnel there is also a bike tunel and a pedestrian tunnel. You can go down the escalator with your bike or request the elevator. The tunnel for pedestrians is another stairway down, since you are not allowed to walk in the bike tunnel.

I have been biking here about once a day up and down for five years. When I lived on the south bank my work and my son’s school was on the north bank, we always took the Maastunnel on our way. Especially in the summertime you are met by a pleasant fresh air, since it is quit cool under sea level.

Going up the escalator with your bike takes some getting used to, but since my son has been doing it since he was five years, I suppose you can manage. As long as you take care to put your back wheel firmly on one stair, you can hold your bike with only the touch of a finger.

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Maastunnel | Art & culture, Relaxing | Free
Maastunnel | West
24 hours daily