Rocking Rotterdam with Kids

Visiting the Netherlands was a wonderful surprise in our life. We could only afford to go because we had been invited to visit some very dear friends in Rotterdam. I never imagined that I would ever get to explore this interesting part of the world that is soooooooo far away from Australia. But life is full of the unexpected, so we accepted the invite and made our way up to Rotterdam with a completely open mind. We had no real idea of what to expect. As we drove into the country and read the signs with cool and weird Dutch words, such as 'Nederweert' and 'Geldrop', I began to form all sorts of iconic Dutch dreams containing clogs, croquettes, windmills and tulips. Rotterdam turned out to be a fantastic place for our family to visit, The Netherlands did not disappoint!

Here are 8 ways to rock a visit to Rotterdam with kids;

1. Take your life into your own hands and go for a bike ride.

Rotterdam is a lively and interesting city. What is the first thing to do with a whole bunch of kids in the Netherlands? Why, a bike ride of course! You can hire bikes in the city, but we were lucky that our friends had lots of bikes for us to borrow. Apparently everyone has a bike, or two, and the more old and beat-up it is, the more authentic you are. True Netherlandians don't waste their time with fancy bells and whistles. They just hop on any old thing....and try to run you over.

I'm not kidding.

Watch out, because the bike traffic is NUTS!!! It was fast!

The bike lanes have their own traffic lights, lanes, hoons...crazy ladies on motorized scooters....you name it! I had a few of my kids safely tucked away in a Dutch bike-box called a bakfiets. They absolutely loved taking a ride around town in a pull-along cart, but wow, I admire my friends strength, because peddaling that lot around town was no small achievement. Obviously living in the Netherlands comes with a few perks - such as superman level strength in your legs!

2. Eat fresh Stroopwafels at the Rotterdam Market Hall.

We have a favourite movie called 'The Best Two Years'. It's a funny and heartwarming movie about young Mormon Missionaries who go to teach the gospel in The Netherlands. Ever since we first saw it, we have wanted to eat stroopwafels. Also, eating is pretty much our favourite thing to do, so the Rotterdam Market Hall is the place to be! It is an amazing and colourful building with food from all over the world. We were so lucky to watch the sugary and caramelly goodness being prepared fresh before our eyes, it was definitely a hit!