A week ago on this bright and sunny sunday i made a walk. I walked through town, along the Witte de With street, past Museum Boijmans, through the museum park, through de park. Which is called ‘Het Park’. I had to look it up.

And that day i decided to do the thing i never had done before. All these years i lived in Rotterdam, all these years i lived in Vlaardingen, only 10 kilometers away from Rotterdam. All these years i never ever climbed the Euromast. So i walked through the park, went out the west direction, over the bridge across the speedway to the Maastunnel, waited in line for like 30 minutes, bought myself a ticket and went up! Yes!

The photo above i made while i was waiting in line. It’s a shame the top part isn’t on the photo completely, but i still love this photo.

It was beautiful. It wasn’t all that clear, a bit misty towards the horizon. But still, beautiful. I made photos going all around.

And then, i tried to go up. There was a lift going up the final 30 meters. You had to go up a steel stairway going around the center. The first time i went back. I couldn’t do it. The steel was with holes in them. Perfectly alright of course. But still. At a certain level you didn’t see the deck below, only the stair and the view behind it. So i turned back, had a walk around the deck once more and thought about it a bit. And then i decided i did want to go up, i did want to go inside the lift and all the way up there. So i had to climb the stairs.

The second time i was lucky. There was a group of people in front of me and behind me. I walked close to the wall and did not look down too much. Still scary, but i made it! Up on the second deck there was a long waiting queue for the lift. After like 15 minutes i got into the lift. A stunning view. The lift moved around slowly, there was a bench you could sit on. Not that scary really.

Once the lift got down again, we all walked out. For me, my project was done. So I went down with the elevator, walked out and went back to the park once more. Truthfully, i love the park more. But hey, that’s just me and my minor fear of heights. I thought about taking a tube back home, but it wasn’t that long a walk. A few more photos were the result. A great walk!

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I love walking. Preferably when the sun is shining. So last friday there was a straight blue sky, not too much wind, still cold, but hey! that’s still plenty good things to me! So i went out for a walk.

I walked through the big area where there is a market on tuesday and saturday, past my old artschool towards the Willemsbrug. At the end of the bridge, i walked down the stairs and went on the roundabout way on the Noordereiland. At that time i still thought i would go around the island, and then on towards the Erasmus bridge. Towards the end of my round trip i changed my mind and decided to go back the way i came. I went past an empty block of houses, inside to the Burgemeester Hofmanplein and past that whole empty block. All the shops where empty too.

I asked a man who stood there what would happen to the houses. If they were being rebuild, or being put down. He told me they were going to be put down. A new block of houses was going to be build there. He also said that the rent would go up. He talked about a house he visited one time in Brielle, which costs 1400 euros a month. I said to him i was happy i bought my own place 20 years ago. He smiled and agreed with me.

After that i walked on, went through the small park close to the Willemsbridge. I sat there on a free standing chair in the middle of the park. There was a small enclosed area which i didn’t understand. Until i walked past and i read the sign. It was a special area for dogs, where they could be let loose and run around freely. And pee. With fences all around. Weird.

Past the bridge i walked down to a small footpath besides the river. After that i walked up again and i was thinking about getting me something to eat. After a few minutes i decided to go to Mellegers, the butcher on the Meent and get me a sandwich croquette. The selfmade veal croquette. Which i love!

It was a lovely walk.

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