A reason to learn Esperanto
Trip Start
Jun 21, 2008
1
29
44
Trip End
Aug 03, 2008
Rotterdam,
Zuid-Holland,
Netherlands
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Getting sick of these breakfasts - there's a good selection it's quite hearty, but it's the SAME thing over and over again. Of course, it's still preferable to starving myself Scandinavia! First stop of the day - Delft. There wasn't any luggage storage at the station, but luckily the TI lets you leave your bag there.
It's yet another nice, touristy Dutch town, and it's famous for Delftware, ceramics decorated with intricate blue designs. I popped into La Candelaer, one of the Delftware factories - nothing going on inside, except the burning of money
d
. A small side plate costs 40 Euros! Delft is a nice spot for a stroll, but there really isn't much going on there - the best sight in Delft is Delft itself. It started to pour and I got soaked, even with an umbrella. I picked up my bag from the TI and headed to Rotterdam. The hostel had a nasty BO smell, but perhaps it was because a group of 30 people was checking in and crowding the reception area. This contingent was from Russia, and here for a big Esperanto Congress.
For those that don't know about Esperanto, it's a language developed by a Polish man by combining elements of several other European languages, and designed to be a universal second language, that is easy to learn. How do I know this? Sadly, it's the language used in the movie "Blade 2", for all the street and business signs. I learned this while watching the "Making of" extra on the DVD!
The Red Bull Air Race is taking place this weekend - it's a race for highly maneuverable planes that fly very low over a course laid out on a body of water. The receptionist told me that it used to be free, but now that it's a pay event it's not really worth it. There wasn't much else going on down at the harbour, just like the rest of Rotterdam
f
. I checked out the Cube Houses - cool, but I'm sure the novelty of living there wears off quickly. I wandered back to the hostel - one of the bunkmates, Pedro, is from Valencia. Somehow the conversation turned to how beautiful Spanish women are, and he only nodded and grinned in agreement. Eric, a computer science student is staying here for the Esperanto Congress, but is also sticking around for the Youth Esperanto Congress that follows immediately after. He mentioned that new Esperanto speakers were mainly young, Eastern European females - the truth about behind his desire to learn Esperanto comes out! Hmm ... maybe I need to learn this language ...
A couple of Canadian kids, Cal and Albert, rounded out the room. One is from Saskatoon and the other is from Brandon, but I can't remember which was from which. Albert, Eric, and I went off in search of food, and wound up at a Chinese/Surinamese place. Ordering was difficult because there was no English menu, but there were a few pictures of dishes on the menu, so we made due. I couldn't figure out what the Surinamese influence was, because it just tasted like bad Chinese food.
The rest of the guys went to see some Swedish band at a nearby bar, but I decided to stay in and chill out. It was a bit of a boring night ... just like Rotterdam!
