On Thursday we woke up at 6:00 am to catch a 3-hour train ride to Rotterdam in the Netherlands. Waking up at 6:00 after packing at 2:00 am is hard enough, maneuvering 24 people (12 of which were recovering from hangovers) on two metro rides to the train station while it’s still dark out is a flippin’ nightmare.
The process of getting to Rotterdam involved: hassling workers at Starbucks, certain persons losing their train tickets, eating pain au chocolates and taking restless naps on the once three now four hour train ride due to an accident we encountered in Brussels.
To entertain ourselves, (but really for the purposes of torturing others), my friends Tara, Courtney and I made a pact to talk in an obnoxious overly pretentious British accent, reminiscent of the narrator in “The Fabulous Life” throughout our stay in Rott to the erdam, which fortunately for others didn’t last.
We walked to our hotel and were immediately taken aback by the lobby which pretty much doubled as a North African trade goods store. I felt right at home.
Here’s what I mean:
We ate lots of Middle Eastern food at the hotel’s adjacent restaurant, and went to the National Architecture Institute for some class time. Here’s some info about that:
“The NAI moved into its current premises in 1993. The building is situated at the edge of the Museumpark in the center of Rotterdam and was designed by Jo Coenen.
The NAI stores important architecture archives and collections, and makes them accessible to the public.”
Some people were late for class, but nobody was really surprised considering there was a weed café called “The Coffee Shop” on the same block as our hotel. I checked it out on the way back from dinner and yeah, almost everyone in there wore sunglasses and were surrounded by clouds of smoke. (shaaaaady)
After checking the sights, like the Kubus Woningen (Cube Houses) and the Santa Clause Statue, also known as Dwarf Buttplug, (you’ll see what I mean), most of us napped, and whoever didn’t nap smoked.
We got dinner at a Tex-Mex restaurant and after a Hyper Jack, two Bloody Marys and a veggie taco I was ready for bed.
The Bazar Hotel has themed rooms and fortunately Liz and I were situated in the Jesus and Mary room (yes!!), complete with Spanish comic strip wallpaper and Jesus head knobs. I got into bed by 2:00 am and was so tired that our glow-in-the-dark Mary shrine didn’t even keep me up.
The following day, Liz, Courtney, Tara, Erin, Jules and I got up at 6:00 in the morning (again) to make the train back to Paris. Spend 18 hours in a Dutch country: Check.
February 2, 2009 at 7:49 am |
That room is awesome.