For my first trip to Rotterdam, I must say things could not have gotten more impressive! I have to say that the architecture here is some of the most innovative and creative to be found anywhere in the world. The Cube Houses (Kubuswoningen) are definitely one of them.
The Unique and Unusual Cube Houses (De Kijk Kubus)
Designed by Dutch architect Piet Blom, the Cube Houses in Rotterdam are one of the city’s most iconic attractions. It is a unique residential development in which the homes are literally built as cubes, tilted over at a 45 degree angle.
Each cube sits tilted on a hexagonal pole, on top of an actual pedestrian bridge. How cool is that? It makes me wonder what they look like on the inside and how they must feel to live in. Apparently, there are some rooms up for rent through Airbnb, so this would be a great opportunity for anyone who would like to experience this architectural wonder first hand!
The Markthal
Not far from the Cube Houses, there is another stunning landmark building in the centre of Rotterdam which is the Markthal, a huge market hall.
One of the nicest indoor markets I have seen. The building is shaped like a U and surrounded by glass. Very original in design as there isn’t really much like it anywhere else. Once inside, I was greeted with a bright colourful spring picture that made me forget how cold and windy it was outside. It felt like sliding down a rabbit hole into some secret Wonderland, lol. I loved the panoramic imagery above of supersized flowers, fruit and vegetables spanning across the ceiling.
If this wasn’t amazing enough, we then notice a few windows indented into a raspberry and spotted someone doing the washing up inside a lemon! It turns out that the ceiling of this hall actually makes up a series of apartment blocks consisting of 230 individual flats. All of them arcing over the food hall offering magnificent views right into the Markthal market. How incredible is that?
(Sourced)
The Markthal is huge and bustling. It offers a multitude of relaxed eateries from different corners of the globe and provides you the opportunity to pick up some extra fresh grocery shopping. There is a nice selection of different shops selling succulent fresh meat, seafood, exotic fruit, vegetables, cakes, cheese, sausages, wine and more besides.
Holland is renowned for its excellent variety of cheeses and there were a number of stalls serving up some great selections. We stopped off at one called Cromwijk Kaasdok. It was enticingly displayed and every item on offer was locally produced. I was really taken aback by the colourful and varied types of cheese they did. Some of which I'd never seen before. To name a few that come to mind: Pesto, Tomato, Sambal and Ruscello…
I was kindly offered to sample a few cuts and they all tasted delicious. My personal favourite has to be the Old Rotterdam cheese. This wonderful Dutch cheese has an intense colour, almost spicy flavour to it as well as being matured to perfection. Of course, I could not leave without bagging myself some of these delicious treats, lol.
Another cool store we came across was Monsieur Saucisson, offering a range of dry French sausages. After tasting another sample, what attracted me most was their unusual and distinct flavour. Everything from blue cheese and figs to even Donkey to Kangaroo! Not sure about the last two though, lol!
You probably think “blue cheese flavour in a sausage, really?”. I had the exact same reaction when I first saw it, lol. But when you sampled it, it was just heavenly! A bit softer in terms of texture and with a delicious soft aftertaste of blue cheese. It will go down so well with a nice glass of wine. The sales person actually told me the blue cheese range was his most popular seller within the range. So I purchased an additional three sausages that were quickly added into my shopping bag, hehe!
We walked past a massive stall selling fresh seasonal fruits which looked so colourful and eclectic! A treat for the eyes and your pocket as everything so far had been very reasonably priced. I would have loved to take some home with me but space would have been an issue on the flight back!
There is a saying that "It isn’t a Dutch food market without a Stroopwafel stand!" Of course, we came across one. I often buy this delicious Dutch treat and enjoy it with a cup of tea back in the UK, but to actually watching the vendor make them from scratch and spread that lovely caramel syrup in between the two thin waffle layers was amazing! The fresh stroopwafel tasted so different! Warm and crunchy on the outside, with a deliciously creamy and buttery caramel sauce within. An absolute must try in Rotterdam!
There were so many interesting stores I would have further liked to check out, but time was just plain running out. Here are some quick photos of other stalls.
(Agred Black Garlic)
There are also two supermarkets: the old Albert Heijn on the lower level and a very well stocked Chinese supermarket on the south side of the building. A few cafes and restaurants around the outside where you can sit down and grab a drink or a bite to eat.
After a final few hours’ wondering around in the Markthal, the sky grew darker and we decided to have some beer at a shop called World of Drinks. This was a liquor store and wholesaler, selling a wide range of wines from all regions of the world and a nice collection of spirits too. Upstairs was a bar area complete with a comfortable balcony area where you got a better view of the whole market from above and further appreciated that amazing ceiling architecture!
@exyle and I opted for some crafty beer whilst @ezzy went for the usual diet coke. Look at how unique these bottles and glasses look. Very cute, I thought!
If you are ever in Rotterdam, one of the biggest attraction in my opinion is this unique & quirky modern looking architecture in the city centre. Cube Houses and Markthal are the top two on the list. Highly recommended!
这是我第一次来鹿特丹，注意到这是一个很不一样的城市，它新奇的建筑物总让我眼前一亮。我不得不说，这里建筑物设计的大胆新颖，让鹿特丹成为一个充满现代感的魅力城市。而立体方块屋就是其中之一。
独特奇异的立体方块屋
这是由荷兰建筑师皮埃特•布罗姆设计的，是鹿特丹城市的标志建筑物之一，也是著名的旅游景点。 它是一个独特的住宅发展计划，这里的公寓成立体方块形状并且倾斜45度角。每个立体方块都座落在人行天桥的支撑柱上，非常酷的设计，对吧？
这么前卫的设计可不是只做摆设用的哦，里面确确实实是当地人的住宅。如果想看看里面的设计，可以去参观方块屋博物馆。不过我听说这里的住宅也有通过Airbnb出租的。所以想亲身体验一下这个建筑奇迹的朋友，不妨直接住进方块屋吧，呵呵！
Markthal市场
在离方块屋不远的地方，是鹿特丹市中心另一座令人惊叹的标志性建筑，那就是 Markthal ，一个大型拱廊市场。
这是我见过最大最美的室内市场之一。整座建筑呈一个U形，周围全是玻璃。我从来没有见过这么有创意的设计。走进Markthal，我瞬间被天花板上巨大的壁画给震撼了！整个天花板是一幅色彩缤纷的艺术品，看似真实影像般逼真，让我觉得有春天的错觉，忘记了外面有多大风和多么寒冷。感觉自己掉进兔子洞，走进了一个秘密的仙境，哈哈。我好喜欢它上面的超大花朵和水果以及跨越了整个天花板的全景。
更让我们惊讶的是，我们注意到天花板上有好多小窗口，这些又是什麽一回事啊？原来除了商场，这里还是公寓。这个大厅的天花板实际上是一系列公寓房，共有230间，天花板上的窗口对着室内的市场，公寓的风景不错嘛，蛮有意思的！Markthal应该是世界上首例住宅与市集结合的建筑吧，真是难以置信的杰作，来鹿特丹的朋友可不要错过哦！
Markthal是一个非常有特色的市场，提供着来自全球各地的美食餐馆和各种各样的商店以及超市。产品款式之多，让我目不接暇，比如肉类和海鲜，新鲜水果及蔬菜，蛋糕，奶酪，香肠，葡萄酒等等。
荷兰一直天下闻名。这里有家名叫Cromwijk Kaasdok的店就有超过上百种不同风味的奶酪可供选择，有坚果奶酪，山羊奶酪和熏奶酪，口感方面有绵软新鲜的也有半硬的熟干酪，不同奶酪的味道和质地略有差异。我从来都不知道原来奶酪可以有这么多颜色和风味，像番茄味，香蒜味等等，看得我眼花缭乱！
店员很友好，让我尝了好几种不同风味的奶酪，都好好吃。我个人最爱是原味的老鹿特丹奶酪。它皮呈橙黄色，质地细腻，口感醇厚，散发着浓郁的奶油味道，非常好吃！我当然没有空手离开啦，呵呵。
另一个很酷的商店是专卖法国干香肠的Monsieur Saucisson。干香肠是法国人非常喜爱的一种食物，用高质量的猪肉原料和非常质朴的制作工艺生产的一种传统美食。我也超爱吃。这家店最吸引我的是他们不寻常的风味，从蓝纹奶酪味，无花果味甚至是袋鼠风味，真是无奇不有！
蓝纹奶酪风味，能好吃吗？持着怀疑的态度，我试吃了一口，哎，马上就爱上了它！口感稍软带嚼劲，以及蓝纹奶酪的浓郁味道，配上一杯红酒，简直就是天堂！店员告诉我，蓝纹奶酪系列是最畅销的风味之一哦。我毫不犹疑地又买了三条干香肠，呵呵。
我们经过一个卖新鲜时令水果的大摊位，五颜六色水灵灵的水果，非常吸引眼球！
曾经听过这么一种说法：没有焦糖华夫饼就不算是真正的荷兰市场！次话不假。市场里就有一家现做现卖的！焦糖华夫饼是荷兰最具特色的小吃。我在英国的时候也经常买来作为下午茶甜点。现场制作的当然是更美味咯，外表脆脆香香的饼干配搭内力软软的焦糖酱，咬一口回味无穷!
还有很多有趣的商店，由于时间关系我们就只能留待下次了。这里还有两家超市，一个是位于楼下的阿尔伯特和位于大楼南侧的中国超市。在市场外面也有几个咖啡馆和餐馆。
不知不觉地我们在市场已经逛了几个小时了，天色已渐渐变暗。我们决定喝点啤酒，于是来到市场里一家名叫世界饮品的商店。这是一家酒类商店以及批发商，销售来自世界各地的葡萄酒和各类烈酒。楼上是一个酒吧区和舒适的露台，在这儿可以看到整个市场的全景，也可以好好欣赏天花板的惊人设计！
看看这里的啤酒和可乐瓶子是不是很特别呢？
如果你来鹿特丹旅行的话，最大的看点就是城市里光怪陆离现代建筑。立体方块屋和Markthal市场都是很值得推荐的地方。
