5- Rotterdam/Delft Revisited

Sorry if text in other entries is black. Something to do with formatting getting changed when I paste in pictures.

Facial hair and really red eyes. I already fear it may turn into a goatee. We'll see.

Something blooming that looked like flowers coming out of artichokes. Confused. Sweet though. Huge like sunflowers.

WHOA an old Rolls Royce stretch limo! Badass. In the town square. Someone got married. On a Friday at noon.

Today we went back to Delft. Kinda lame since Dave and I had been already, but we saw more and knew our way around to show everyone else a few things. So it was worth it.

Nice big square with trees and umbrellas- very great to hang out in. Nice light.

Someone had a whole poem (in Dutch) sand blasted into their front door.

A close up of the drifting, mostly not moving, green duck-weed stuff floating across the surface of the smaller canals in Delft. Looks like you could run across it.

A REAL close up. I hope someone appreciates this photo. Looks like green Dippin Dots!

Went back to TU Delft, the university, and had some free snacks and drinks left over from a reception they had in the architecture school. Then we found this room with a really cool piece of furniture-

Suh-weet. After this we got about seven people on it in another picture.

THIS thing houses a lecture room underneath and a couple levels of offices behind the amphitheatre seating, and the whole thing is inside, under a giant canopy of metal roofing that covers a previously outdoor courtyard space between wings of the architecture building.

THIS is how my firm will work one day- IDEA=>DRAWING=>BUILDING. Simple. All you need is one idea and one pencil and you can make a building. I have many ideas and at least a few pencils!

We walked past an iCentre, which seem to be the common thing in cities to be an "Authorized Apple Retailer". I watered at the mouth wanting to buy the new Mac OS that came out TODAY!!!! but I'll hafta wait until tomorrow in Amsterdam when I have time.

A building straight out of Star Wars. I think Jabba the Hut lives there.

People are tired.

A tall wall of books and my favorite color of blue wall. Its like Rothko Blue.

It's pretty chilly today but sunny and windy also. My new Nike running shoes and new Puma socks are breathing wondefully and keeping my feet pretty dry and comfortable and unsmelly after a full day on my feet. I'm impressed. Wish I could figure out the bug-bite itchy rashy thing on my heels.

Then we headed back to Rotterdam around 4 just to visit the office of OMA. Rem Koolhaas is the principal architect- one of the most famous in the world. We walked around a bit first and then using the map I took a picture of on my camera, made our way to OMA. It was kinda by nothing and pretty non descript, but the lobby was somewhat dramatic. We got upstairs and again had to sign the waiver that we wouldn't take pictures of all their sweet models. Dammit.

This awning was peeled right out of the building! So cool. On a random side street where no one goes. Shame.

Jason walking through a water fountain by placing his steps on streams of water so they wouldn't shoot and get him wet. Ingenious.

Another great blue.

This is cool. A schism in the base of some building.

Did I write about these somewhere? A vending machine but with people behind it, full of fried things. The Dutch love fried things and cheese. After the first day of people buying these, 8-10 of us got em this time. Fried cheese squares. 1 euro. Also have fried sticks that are full of thick meat gravy. Interesting......


The office trip was long and while I don't mind walking all day long, standing for an hour and a half is pretty rough. Our fearless leader then decided to take us to a Persian restaurant. Some decided to go back. After a 26 euro dinner (with wine, but water costs too!) I'm putting my foot down on any further pricey dinners. Can't do it. I had spent like three euros for lunch and was doing good until then. I gotta scrimp if I want to travel places every weekend and buy Tiffany something pretty for her birthday when she comes. Man.

This is about the only picture I was allowed to take. Proves I was in the same building that THE Rem Koolhaas occupies...sometimes.

It's already 11:30 and we're on the train home. Thankfully our plans for Utrecht tomorrow changed so we have the day in Amsterdam. Not starting until noon. I'll be up late tonight posting this garbage and then sleeping.

By the way the guy that toured us around OMA, is a conceptual design guy (meaning doing the awesome part and not crappy construction documents afterwards) who started at OMA two years ago right after grad school right after undergrad. Meaning he's like 27. Two years younger than me. Dammit.

I gotta find my in somewhere to the big time, to something really awesome. I'm not gonna spend my career under someone big or wishing I had a big break sometime.

Peace out- its not almost 4am here, and I'm finished posting all this garbage. And most of my classmates are still out at some bar. Oh Amsterdam.