Rotterdam Carnival

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Pounding techno music mixed with cheesy Dutch tunes. The smell of Surinamese food being cooked by the outdoor street vendors hits my nose as I walk away from central station into the centre of Rotterdam. Girls dressed in super tight spandex and people laughing and clinking proost (cheers) throughout the streets. Floats, set atop trucks ride past you with people in lavish costumes and impressively mounted sound systems.

I’m walking towards them, a proud owner of a brand new Open water diving license in one hand and my hand to the phone trying to get in contact with Shetal in the other. Yes I’m in Rotterdam, yes it’s the 25 of July and yes Summer Carnaval or in Dutch the Zomercarnaval is on. Zomercarnaval is a yearly event in Rotterdam and is meant to mimic the Carnaval of South America. This year about one million people or so are estimated to have come by!

I meet Shetal finally at a bar and she is there with Laki, Sid and a few others. There is no hopes of meeting Jason today. We grab a drink then watch the parade going by on the main drag. We get in the mood for a dance so we find a podium on the street, and dance the rest of the parade to a combination of rnb, dance and cheesy Dutch music.

Its about 8:30 in the evening when we leave and Shetal spots a bubble tea place close to the station! As a true addict I make sure we stop and try and convert Shetal to the wonderful world of bubble tea. Unfortunately it’s the worst bubble tea I have ever tasted and I don’t do a good job of converting her. We head to the station and manage to bump into Laki and Sid who are bummed at us for snobbing them.

I meet a nice girl on the train called Lonneke, who after hearing that I live in her area, randomly offers me a lift home. Sweet as. As the sun sets on our drive home we talk about Carnival, working in Perth and leaving on random adventures.

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Photos

I visited this pub 3 years ago with Jared
once upon a time for the Australian vs Netherland friendly football match