The Passport Kerfluffle, Kinderdijk and a Dinner

24 June 2009

The Rotterdam docks in Rotterdam

I asked for early embarkation. We got luggage tags marked Pink 5, with a time of 0700 to 0730.

Granddaughter's suitcase (and foot)

I asked for breakfast at 5:30 to 6, and for a wake-up call at 5:15. Breakfast again came before the wake-up call.

They said they would not call individual boarding times on the intercom, but we should just go at the time allotted. So at 0715, we went to try to find where to get off. However they did call individual times and kept making an announcement that we shouldn't congregate around the gangway. So we sat in the atrium on our floor and waited. I tried, but I couldn't log on to the internet. At this point I asked B if she had her cabin key (which she did) and her passport. I discovered to my horror that she had packed both her passport and her camera in the backpack. Which had been taken off with the hold luggage and was in the terminal.
Well.

We showed our room keys and got off but then when we got to immigration, I had a passport but she didn't. I didn't even have the copy of her passport, and neither did she. They let me go down to the baggage claim area without her, and I picked up the knapsack and brought it back to her, and then we went through.

We got down and claimed our bags and walked out to get a taxi. There were a lot of people wanting taxis and no taxis. We waited about a half hour for a taxi.

Granddaughter waiting for the taxi

Passengers boarding a bus

When we got one, he proved to be a Greek who came to Rotterdam in 1976. He took us to the hotel and on the way I asked him how to get to Kinderdijk. He said he would drive us there for €100 and wouldn't charge us for waiting time. Having gotten up very early and not wanting to walk more than I had to, I agreed.

Traffic from a taxi in 2009

Clock in Rotterdam

Suspension bridge

Top of the bridge

Buildings in Rotterdam near the hotel

When we stayed here, this was called

The Golden Tulip

.
We checked in and even though it was early in the day, they had a room ready. We got a cart and went up the elevator

Elevator

and took the suitcases up to the room, which was a nice waterside room looking out on the canal. However it had a queen bed, and my granddaughter pitched a fit about sleeping in the same bed as me. So I went back down to the reception desk and switched to a twin bed room which was which was streetside (noisier). There was a trolley/metro stop out front and the view from our room of the street was interesting. Both rooms were €125 for the night I also got €200 from the hotel cashier charged on my bill so I could pay the cab driver.

In addition to free wi-fi through the hotel, there was a place to use their computers down in the lobby. This is a non-smoking hotel In the room we had a small table by the window with snacks on it (snacks not free), a small TV (including CNN and in-house movies),

Hotel room

in-room personal safe and mini-bar, and a very nice bathroom.

Sink

Shower tub area

Then we went back down to the cab

Village near Kinderdijk

and went to Kinderdijk which is a

Windmill Museum

The cab driver gave us each a juice box, which B didn't want to take, so I took both of them. I had thought we might have a boat ride, but we were there too early for a boat trip.

From the taxi in the parking lot

Welcome to Kinderkijk

Windmill

Reflections and water lilies

Ducks

Ducks in the reeds

Purple flowers

Canal reflections

Houses on the canal

Cows

1738 date on the windmill

Thatched roof

Windmill

B rented a bicycle for about $5.00 and was quite happy about that.

My granddaughter on a rented bike

Her photos of her handlebard and the path

The price was € 10.00 for the bikes with coaster and € 12.50 per bike with hand brakes and gears. A tandem is € 15.00 per day. They have 40 old style Gazelle-bicycles available for group rent in Kinderdijk and 50 brand new urban bikes, also 8 new junior bikes, 3 tandems, tricycles for less mobile guests or for fun, there are unicycles. They have child seats, bike bags and helmets. You can make a reservation for a bike and there are many day trip routes you can take from there. The bike rental people can also provide you with picknickbags.

She did ask me for her juice which she had rejected. I paid the € 2 for her to see the mill that was open

Granddaughter going to see the windmill

Walkway to the windmill

Wooden shoes

Old fashioned lamp, Clock and cupboard

Bed and Pottery

Stove

Insides of the mill

Inside the mill

Boots on the wall

Looking out

Stairs

View from the top

Granddaugher's hand on the brickwork

From the mill

I sat with her bike while she did that.

Her picture of herself

Path along the top of the dykes

Different type of windmill

'

Dogs on lead

Windmill door

Side of the sail

Powering the sail

But when she got back and went off to ride the bike some more I observed that the people from the boat were getting in free with a #1 sticker which I had one just like it on my cane from the Berlin tour. So I took it off my cane and put it on me and walked in. I didn't climb to the top like my granddaughter did.

When I got back to the taxi about 1030, he gave me a map/brochure on the area which I thought was nice of him, but really he got it free with the parking which was € 5.

Taxi card

TIny car

Drawbridge

Lipton Iced Tea ad

Granddaughter walking in

We were back at the hotel by 11:00 and we had lunch at the hotel restaurant (called Water) so we could charge it to the room.

Lunch buffet

The restaurant looked out on the canal and we could see a drawbridge opening sometimes from there.

View from the restaurant

Drawbridge raised from the restaurant

Boat that just went through the drawbridge

She had

Tomato soup

and I had a

Fried egg sandwich on cornbread

Cornbread (bread with kernals of corn in it) I ate most of it before I thought to take the photo

This corn bread wasn't like our corn bread at all. It was bread with kernals of corn in it.

Butter at the hotel restaurant

Lunch ticket

After lunch B had a nap and I did too after a bit. B has the sniffles or draining sinuses or something

We went down to the restaurant again at 6 and met my internet friends from Virtual Tourist. Pieter set up the meeting. We met at our hotel (The Golden Tulip) and had a drink with them.

Mr. and Mrs. Pieter Jan VINK

Anke-Thea

GrandmaR_Breeann

Then Anke-Thea and Roy went ahead and found us a place to eat. When they found it, Pieter led us there.

Hoek van Holland Front Light (Old)

I even found a lighthouse on the walk. 1899 lighthouse, which has been inactive since 1974 (a decorative light is displayed). A little round cast iron tower with lantern and gallery, painted red; lantern is painted white with a red dome. The lighthouse was prefabricated in Dordrecht by Penn & Bauduin. The light was deactivated when the construction of Europoort required new range lights for the Maasmond area. In 1977 the lighthouse was relocated to the Havenmuseum in Rotterdam;

Walk of fame

Walk of Fame

Street sign in Rotterdam

The restaurant was named Koosie (for a cat)

Koosie Restaurant

where we had lots of good food. And drink. And conversation.

Taking a VT photo

Our_VT_bunch_Rotterdam

Appetizer

Appetizer

Pieter and Roy

Wine glass reflections

A toast

Dinner

Dessert

Change_for_Imaniac

Then Anke-Thea and Roy walked us back to our hotel. So I wouldn't get lost.

Walking back to the hotel

Hell Light in the road

Pieter's wife gave B some nose drops for her sniffles and she is much happpier now that she can breath.