It was a lovely evening on board the Grace Kelly yacht. The interior design of the boat is modern, glamorous and classy reflecting the style and royal icon, Princess Grace Kelly.
The theme is obviously Grace Kelly. Lovely pictures of her hang everywhere in the boat. A thick book about her fashion and style can be found on every table. Even the celebrated Hermes ‘Kelly’ bag that a lot of women would like to covet, an original bag is showcased in a glass box inside the ladies room.
We had a walking dinner and I have to be honest here but the food is not really that satisfactory. With a glamorous high-profile party boat such as this, that is supposed to let you peek into and taste ostentatious Monaco, I expected a lot. Or have my tongue become a discerning one? Well, my burgundian Belgian colleagues did complain as well.
Anyway, we sailed the evening on the river Maas and enjoyed the beautiful skyline of Rotterdam and its impressive harbour. This is not my first time to sail on the waters here. Dutchman and I did the Spido Tour many, many years ago. Rotterdam used to be the biggest seaport in the world. It is now the 3rd largest port in the world following after Shanghai, China and Dubai, UAE. It is still is the largest port in Europe.
As for the skyscrapers, it is only in Rotterdam that you can find a large concentration of tall and modern buildings in the centre of the city in the Netherlands. Oh, there is Amsterdam (WTC) Zuid and Oost as well but the buildings here are not in the centre.
I’m drawn to high-rise buildings. I’ve always lived in the clouds so to speak, meaning high up in a building. The modern and spacious floor-to-ceiling glass windows penthouses in Rotterdam have been seriously tempting me. After this weekend visit in Rotterdam, I realised that the city isn’t that bad after all. I don’t know why but many locals develop a puckered brow upon hearing the idea of living here. The hard core traditional Dutch tend to reason out that Rotterdam is so un-Dutch, it is too modern. Majority of the city centre was destroyed—bombed by the Nazis during World War II. As well as Rotterdam has its fair share of petty crime struggles which are mostly associated with foreigners.
Admittedly there is a stigma, a bad reputation hanging above her, but in this visit, I see a different side of Rotterdam that I really like, and that I would like to explore further. And I strongly believe that Rotterdam is slowly coming out of this prejudiced disfavoured cocoon.
I can definitely see myself living here. As long as I am high up in the clouds. But first, I need to convince the Dutchman.
Travel Period: January 2013
Destination: Rotterdam (South Holland), The Netherlands
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