With love from Rotterdam

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It was like the prodigal son had come home when the Ms Eurodam sailed into Rotterdam. Although the headquarters of Holland America are now in Seattle, there is still a strong tie with Rotterdam and the cruise. The cruise terminal we docked at was located on Holland America Avenue/Street and the old headquarters of the company were located nearby (now turned into an upscale hotel). As we sailed off into the sunset, crowds of passerbys stopped to cheer and wave from the waterfront parks. I think the warm welcome and send off had something to do with fact that the cruise (with its 2000+ passenger capacity) was currently Holland America's largest and the ship had been away touring the Caribbean since the fall.

My last visit involved walking out of the central train station, looking around in horror and turning right back around to catch the next train back to Amsterdam. This recent visit has changed my mind about the city. The amazing architecture and open air maritime museum has charmed this city into my heart. Corny, I know.

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