"Under Construction Part II"
This is going to be the tallest building in the Netherlands, De Zalmhaven, named after the former salmon port that it is being built on. It's still under construction, but it is almost finished.
In this picture, you're not really getting a good sense of how tall this building actually is, but when I walked straight past it, I got a little bit dizzy from looking up. It isn't very Dutch to buy such tall buildings of this scale in downtown city areas, because the Dutch really value their historical buildings in the old city centres. But Rotterdam doesn't really have an old historic city centre. Not because they wanted it that way, but because it was destroyed by a German bombardment during the second world war. A lot of the historical buildings were demolished as if the heart of the city was ripped out, and they had to completely rebuild it.
A lot of the buildings that were built right after the war, were really cheap, because there wasn't enough money, and the city needed to quickly rebuild itself. But a lot of those old cheap buildings that were built during the time, are now starting to crumble and end up in disrepair. Now they are tearing down all of those post-war, old office buildings, and replacing them with ridiculously high residential towers. It gives the city an almost "non-Dutch feeling".
So the bombardment ruined a lot of the old buildings, but still, some historical buildings miraculously survived, and that's why the city still retains its Dutch character. Not only that, but a completely unique character and identity emerges this way. There is no such city in the Netherlands like this, for it is completely unique, and definitely worthwhile of a visit.
So that's why my question for you today is:
"What's the most unique city you've been to, and why?"