A Thunderstorm in Rotterdam

Dark at 7pm/19:00? It's thundering and lightning! yay! and my bike is back. it's not great but I can learn to deal with it. More and more stressing about traveling, but the epiphany finally came today. You see, I really only have 3 full months here, as I arrive in late August, and finish in mid-December. I cannot believe it is already September 24, it is the LAST weekend of September already. Don't even know how I lose concentration. find myself flipping through facebook. So today I got my bike back, went at about 4, they replaced a brake pad and the wheel so now I can sell the bike for more than I bought it! I decided to ride over to Delfshaven neighborhood today and was there til about 6, it is one of the few areas of Rotterdam not affected by the bombings of WWII, very old and quaint, the canal area is reminiscent of Amsterdam. I took a lot of pictures, it was a grey day today though. Then I rode a few more streets over to see how much was like it by the bridges and all I encountered was a Turkish and Moroccan ghetto and people had scowls on their faces, not directed at me, but just in general walking down the street. They call this city Eurabia rightfully so. Rotterdam is close to not even being a Dutch city there are so many international people here, so many Muslims. There was a bridge over the River Schie that lifts up occasionally for vessels to pass and it was quite extraordinary from across the street I positioned my camera to take a picture of the bridge in its lifted position. At the same time, there was someone, some Turkish teen, crossing the street walking away from the bridge. I guess he thought he was in my viewing area and with an agitated look on his face said something to me in some language I do not know. I ignored him. But seriously, come on. Delfshaven and surrounding area is not friendly-seeming. I do though very much like the canal area. And the old Pilgrims Church that is there too, it is a very quaint area along the stretch. In the year 1620, English religious dissenters (Puritans) set sail from this very church in Delfshaven after having spent a number of years living in Leiden in escape of persecution in England. Leaving on the ship the Speedwell they journeyed to England to meet up with more Pilgrims, the boat was deemed unfit so they switched to the Mayflower, left England, and landed in Plymouth Massachusetts, met the Indians, and invented Thanksgiving. You don't realize that Holland had a hand in the earliest American settlers. That's kind of cool that I live right now about 3 miles from the 'birthplace' of America, the original point of departure for the Pilgrims, who created the 2nd permanent settlement in the New World. I knew there was something that had to be drawing about this city/country. Then the ride home of course I forgot my grocery list so I had to go home to get it and it started pouring so I surrendered to the #7 tram, did a big complete shopping. After 7 on weekdays is not a bad time to go food-shopping at Albert Heijn, store was relatively calm compared to like 5pm on a weekend or weekday afternoons. Well, that's about it, heading to Den Haag tomorrow for a ska concert, stupid transit closes at 12 so I need to bring my bike on the train.