Rotterdam Centraal Station (#0186)

My plans for this trip included only a couple of days in Rotterdam, with four other days exploring parts of Belgium, northern France, and the Netherlands that were only reachable with a rental car. Due to the flu/cold I had come down with on the flight over, I wasn’t feeling alert enough to be driving a rental car in an unfamiliar area with signs and practices that might be confusing. Since I was flying out of Amsterdam and Rotterdam was (technically) only 30 minutes away from the airport, I decided to spend the end of my trip all in Rotterdam.

That worked out quite well. My hotel was just behind my back in this picture, and the tourist bureau in Centraal Station was very helpful. Nearby there were inexpensive and interesting restaurants, and grocery stores for fruits and salads. The public transit was wonderful (< $3 for a day ticket, senior fare), there was plenty to explore (and more for future trips), and people were generally helpful, often speaking very clear English.