Several days before the end of our cruise, we were informed that our beloved boat, Jasper, needed some major repairs. In a day we would be floating by the very shipyard where it was built, so it was a no-brainer to have them do the work. The boat would have to be partially lifted out of the water. Gear boxes, drive shafts, and propellers were mentioned. And while it was allowed that passengers could choose to stay aboard for the day, it was discouraged. Several ad-hoc tours were arranged. Buses would carry us all away.
No one was happy about this, but the alternative of staying on board a ship that was half lifted out of the water, no A/C, no food, no open bar . . . well, everyone got with the program.
We chose a tour of Rotterdam (large) followed by Dordrecht (small) and got lucky. This turned out to be the most interesting day of the cruise, mostly due to “Jim”, our calm and informative tour guide. In his soothing NPR radio voice, he bedazzled us with all manner of background on the Netherlands as we bused through the countryside towards Rotterdam. So many subjects were broached: the stupendous hydraulics at work to make the Netherlands possible. The history of all these old windmills. The cultural, political, and financial contributions, or should we even say inventions, of the Dutch over the centuries.
Our bus took us through the section of the countryside with the highest concentration of vintage windmills. Dozens could be seen at times, all clustered together. None of them are operational, and many had been converted (at great expense) into individual houses. When the Germans invaded the Netherlands and stole all of the fuel needed to run modern pumps, all of these windmills were pressed back into service. We were told that without constant pumping, the sea would retake the Netherlands in just a matter of months.
Rotterdam is a modern, skyscraper city. The Germans bombed it flat in the early months of WWII, hence the lack of a traditional Very Old city center.
“Rotterdam was subjected to heavy aerial bombardment by the Luftwaffe during the German invasion of the Netherlands during the Second World War. The objective was to support the German troops fighting in the city, break Dutch resistance and force the Dutch army to surrender. Bombing began at the outset of hostilities on 10 May and culminated with the destruction of the entire historic city centre on 14 May,[2] an event sometimes referred to as the Rotterdam Blitz. According to an official list published in 2022, at least 1,150 people were killed, with 711 deaths in the 14 May bombing alone,[2] and 85,000 more were left homeless.
The psychological and the physical success of the raid, from the German perspective, led the Oberkommando der Luftwaffe (OKL) to threaten to destroy the city of Utrecht if the Dutch command did not surrender. The Dutch surrendered in the late afternoon of 14 May and signed the capitulation early the next morning.[4]
Rotterdam was one of the few major Allied cities which were virtually totally destroyed, together with Warsaw, Manila, Southampton, and Milan. This is one of the primary reasons Rotterdam has a heavy presence of skyscrapers, as do the other cities listed, compared to Amsterdam, Krakow, and Rome in those same countries all of which have over one million residents but retain an ancient city centre.”
(more on this subject here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_bombing_of_Rotterdam)
Because the city center was completely destroyed, there would be no picture taking of ancient Sound-of-Music style buildings. Still, Rotterdam had an undeniably pleasant feel, not tight and pressed in like historical city designs, but rather more spacious. Admittedly we only spent a few hours in the city center.
Some pictures here
The next stop was Dordrecht, a smaller (120,000) town 30 minutes away. Quaint, relaxing. We had time to relax and a drink in a plaza.
Some pictures here