This phenomenon here was also noticed by an American visiting. Two Dutch reporters in the US have recently returned to the NL. Both were in the US for something like 25 years, both have an excellent understanding of and empathy for America and Americans, liking some things about America better than NL. Both have also done tv shows where they somehow compare life here with in America. The one reporter did his more as integrating back into life in NL and how it differs in the US. One of the first stories he did was to be an "American" tourist in NL to get to know his country again. It was very revealing as the tour guide on the canal tour in Amsterdam said how they have a script when they know they have a group of Americans that points out the way Americans see NL and what they most know about it...I call it perpetuating the myth of the Netherlands. Then the reporter interviewed some Americans on the tour about what stood out to them the most on their trip about the Netherlands and one of the gals said it was all the building going on everywhere she had visited.
While there was talk of halting some building due to the recession and stopping anything that didn't have 70% sold, most of the larger cities have now pumped millions of Euros to continue with projects in order to keep construction workers and all those involved in new buildings and homes employed, in hopes by the time the now funded construction is complete the economy will be back up and running well.
Of course, Rotterdam is the building capitol of Netherlands because of it's bombing in WW2 leading to most of the city having to be rebuilt and that has just continued. And buildings are going up all around. Today I noticed how 2 have become visible from our house.
This building going up is at the beginning of Beijerlandsestraat at Putselaan. The name of the building is...are you ready?...Sunset Boulevard! "A place for happy, sunny living", that's what the sign says. Supposedly every unit has windows to see the sun, they're sure trusting it to even be out. I am excited about the bottom floor as that's going to be a Media Mart, one of the two biggest electronic stores in the Netherlands and so close to our house.
Then I was pretty excited when I noticed that if I stick my head over the balcony we can now see what will be the tallest building in Netherlands, pretty much down the road from what is now the tallest building. When completed, the Maastoren will be 165 meters tall.
This is pretty much a look down the street and the building is around all those cranes. It's right on the Maas at the corner of Laan op Zuid and Stieltjesstraat next to what I call the traffic control for the ships and the bridges. I still can't believe they put this there. It blocks the view for many people who bought their homes for the view of Erasmusburg and the city. I could see homes go up for sale, some still for sale, as this was announced and began construction.
Here's a close up. That's the elevator shaft going highest in the air. And, yes, that one apartment building was built in 1989 and was the tallest building I could see the first time I came here in 2002. That big reddish brown office building in front of what will be the tallest building just went up this past year. They are still working on the inside but it looks to be coming along fast. That is on Laan op Zuid.
Sorry for the leaning pictures. I didn't compensate for my lean over the balcony.
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