Roaming in Rotterdam

By Elliot Rogers, Student Contributor

This past weekend, the CIEE Queer Life and Activism program took a trip to Rotterdam. We visited a lot of cool local places and learned a lot about Europe's largest port city.

Friday

After a short train ride from Amsterdam, we arrived in Rotterdam Central Station. Stepping out of the station, we were greeted by towering skyscrapers and a bustling square of citizens, a stark contrast to the historic aesthetic of where we had come from. The hostel we stayed at was very close to the station and was possibly one of the highlights of the entire trip. As soon as we got out of our rooms for dinner, everyone was talking about how much they loved their room (primarily due to having a toilet and a sink in the same space).

We ate dinner at Markthal, a huge food court/apartment complex, with two sides made entirely of glass so you can see right through! We returned to the hostel after some free time and got possibly one of the best sleeps we’ve had on the trip.

Saturday

Right after we got out of bed, we went on a walking tour of the city. We saw some iconic places to eat and learned a lot about the geographic importance of Rotterdam. We then finished it off by visiting St. Laurenskerk (a very beautiful church). We had lunch at a wonderful Italian restaurant. For real, this was by far one of the best places we’ve eaten during our time here.

After we were done eating, we had an exercise in poetry, which served as an incredible way for students to channel feelings. I personally think this was one of the most valuable activities we’ve had, and it was easily one of my favorites. Students had time to explore the city in the afternoon and had a lot of fun revisiting places we only briefly saw on the walking tour. The day ended with a ride on Pannenkoekenboot (pancake boat), where we got to view the Rotterdam canals while eating crepes prepared there on the boat.

Sunday

We spent Sunday morning packing up and getting ready to head back, but before we left, we headed to the Rotterdam Photography Museum. We got the privilege of seeing little snippets of history, going all the way back from the 1820s to the current day. After we grabbed lunch, we got on a train that took us back to Amsterdam. 

Overall, the Rotterdam trip was easily a highlight of my time here, and I’m very glad we all had the opportunity to go, even if it was for just a few days.