Rotterdam and trains

The Thalys Experience

We took the Thalys high speed rail from Gare du Nord to Rotterdam. I was quite pumped for the high speed train, but the overall experience was subpar compared to Taiwan HSR.

First you had to go through security screening before boarding the train. Then once on the train, the interior felt outdated. As the train reaches its service speed, there was considerable vibration and noise. It was disappointing.

Rotterdam

I first saw Rotterdam Centraal on Archdaily and fell in love with the building. I even built it in my Cities: Skylines town. Gotta say it looks so much better in person! Only complaint: had to pay for washrooms.

The Markthal Rotterdam was very peculiar building, and I quite enjoyed the large open space and curved murals. It is located within sight of another peculiar building: Kijk Bubus.

And of course we cannot forget the iconic Art Nouveau Whitte Huis. Despite the cold early-Spring day, we still walked around the waterfront of Rotterdam from here.

More Trains

Finally, to end our fun (and kind of cold) afternoon in Rotterdam: Alstom Citadis LRTs and Bombardier Flexity Metros to Den Haag.