By Manon, Strasbourg, France
During the Christmas holidays, I travelled to Rotterdam and Amsterdam with five friends. We spent three days there, from December 30th to January 1st.
The first day, we arrived during the afternoon and checked in at the hotel. After that, we went to Remastered Museum. It’s an art museum where the paintings are projected. This museum was very cool because it’s more attractive than a traditional museum where the paintings are hung on walls.
Being immersed in the artwork was amazing because you felt so small, and you had the impression of being an element of the painting. If you don’t like traditional museums Remastered will be perfect for you and might spark your interest in art.
I don’t remember exactly how many paintings, but I will say around 20. In this museum, we only could see abstract paintings like “Composition with Red, Blue, and Yellow” by Mondrian or “The Starry Night” by Van Gogh. It does not feature traditional paintings like the Mona Lisa.
Afterwards, we visited Rotterdam by night and went to the Erasmus Bridge. It is considered the most beautiful bridge in the Netherlands. We visited on foot so we could see a lot of buildings and the architecture of the city, but I loved the Cubic Houses. They were houses built in an unusual cubic shape on top of buildings. Standing in front of these houses, I said to myself, “Incredible, houses built like that? Very funny!”
That evening, we ate in an Italian restaurant. I ate a pizza with parma ham, parmesan, and rocket. It was very good because the dough was very thick and airy as I like. Despite this, I wouldn’t recommend this restaurant because it was very expensive, and you can find better value for the same price.
We were in Rotterdam, and we ate in an Italian restaurant, it’s funny, no? We chose this restaurant because we were hungry and other restaurants were full.
The next day, 31st, we went to Amsterdam. When we arrived, we had brunch, and it was very delicious. I chose pancakes with maple syrup and fruits (very cliché). The pancakes were very good, but I preferred the pancakes I ate in London. In Amsterdam, they were flat compared to London where the pancakes were fluffier. 🥞
At 12 o’clock we planned to visit the Heineken Experience. Heineken’s beer was created by Gerard Adriaan Heineken in 1864 in Amsterdam and now is one of the most popular beers in France. The visit lasted one hour and at the end, two beers were offered. For me, two beers were sufficient, too much beer is overkill.
We decided to visit the Heineken Museum because in the Alsace region of France, beer is very important during the aperitif or party. Plus, it’s the most famous alcohol in the world so it’s cool to know his history, no?
Did you know that beer is brewed in several vats and the two main ingredients are water and hops?
I recommend this museum because the visit was very interesting, and it allows you to improve your English 😉
Regarding driving after drinking beer, I’m not sure if it’s legal to drive after two beers, but even if it is, I don’t recommend it. 😇
Afterwards, we visited the city on foot. The day passed very quickly so; we didn’t have time to visit everything. We could see the architecture of the city and it is quite old compared to Rotterdam. The buildings are more authentic, and they add more charm to the city. Of course, to be in the clichés, we went in a coffee shop (not coffee shop like France 😂). Personally, I’m not interested in drugs, but visiting a coffee shop is a popular activity in Amsterdam. I was very perplexed because in Netherlands, drugs are easily accessible for everyone. Unfortunately, drugs can easily fall into the hands of young people.
Additionally, we wanted to visit the Anne Frank House because her story is fascinating, and she is an inspiring figure, but the museum was full.
In the evening, back in Rotterdam, we prepared to go to the Erasmus Bridge to see the fireworks. We went at 11 pm because there were a lot of people, and we wanted to have a good view. At midnight, we celebrated New Year’s, and the fireworks were beautiful. After that, we wanted to go on to a bar, but everything was closed, so we finished at the hotel bar and played board games (Believe me, board game evenings are the best.)
If I compare this new year with the last one, I will say, the two vibes are different. Last year, I celebrated New Year with my friends and my boyfriend in a nearby village ((less stylish than Rotterdam 😂) This New Year was very different because my boyfriend is in Australia for 1 year, so 16 000km separate us, and we didn’t celebrate the New Year together. It was very difficult for me because I miss him a lot, but I’m very happy and proud of him because this experience is incredible, and it will benefit him a lot.
The next day, we left the hotel at 11 am and drove to The Hague. It’s a town on the edge of the English Channel. We didn’t stay long, but we walked along to the English Channel and inside the town. The architecture looks like Amsterdam and the houses are built with bricks.
After spending two hours there, we drove home.
What is your opinion about the museum?