I actually rambled about rotterdam, wasting time on classes, so here's some unedited ramble... i'll remember how to do ljcuts in here soon
Rotterdam was a strange experience, hard to grasp and hard to communicate. I think travelling with someone does help - lets you express thoughts instead of having them ruminate around in your skull taking up space that could be used for more useful observations. It was definately fun though, and I definately prefer travelling by myself to with any but the best of company. Arrived at Rotterdam rather sleepy at 10:30ish, left the train station to take in the huge pit of a construction site ringed with very tall skyscrapers (at last!, and if rather undistinguished) and disappear underground to the metro. Simple metro lines, just two, a n/s and an e/w the one transfer and 4 stops were accomplished quickly. Chicago needs to get on the ball with the displays of times as well - unbelievably helpful for delaying anxiety and allowing that wait to be added to useful minutes of your day. Found hostel seemlessly - i do hate waiting in lines, especailly for petty people but... ha.
Out the door and 3 blocks to the Nederlands Architecture Institute touted by tony. Well deserved, a fun basic museum in form, beautiful exhibits. The top floor exhibit on urban space-making was fun - had some very copy-able graphics and interesting ideas, the monograph (er what's that called as an exhibit) on a 30s utopian was beautiful, and the most scholarly exhibit on amsterdam and rotterdam housing projects over the decades was rather informative. Fun old drawing and watercolor renderings - i think we need to get back to that level of artistry in architecture projects, 3d models just aren't as wonderful at conveying nuances of the aura we mean to portray.
Had a nice write in the basement cafe of the NAI, an interesting thing to do - so self-absorbed, but i'm always happy when i sit down and do it. Even sketched a bit, interior sketches are something i need to work on. The bookstore there was equally inspiring - I wish there was someplace in Chicago other the Prarie Avenue like it. Not that there's much wrong with Prarie Avenue, but this was intelligently sorted and thorough and had design books as well. Design makes me drool - to the extent that I think about doing that instead of architecture - but only briefly. I was very charmed by all the screenprinting or stick-ons on the walls of the museum, and a DIY (design it yourself) book in the bookstore proved that it'd be pretty easy to do myself - and i think i shall. rather against modern cleanliness - but if the trend is towards more ornementation? and if it's easy to take them off, who loses? now i just need to have a space of my own i care enough about to do this for....
This was Rotterdam city fabric, actually odd that there wasn't more people, they were fairly swarmed other places. You could apparently play with the lamps and move them like robot arms, but they were not on when I visited the plaza. Had an enjoyable night, bar and club with people from the hostel. Late, because that what Rotterdam is known for.... 
Have seen this place in so many postcards - was exciting to see the real thing. Saw lots more too.... 
This weekend was for Rotterdam - cheapish to get to, fun to be in, fit theme from Berlin - was totally destroyed in World War 2, so lots of new architecture and post-WWII planning. Kinda gritty-scary, i was there for a day and a half, just about right.
or actually quite delightful. not terribly eventful, studio supper group supper fun. friday afternoon was LOVELY though! :) walked all across paris, Jardin des Plants, sat on the Seine and lounged for a good while, found my park for landscape class and enjoyed that, nother skate rally to talk about.... whee! 
Here's me. yes, there was beer in germany - constantly... good beer. sigh, it isn't nearly as good or as acceptable to have a beer with every meal in the states (don't tell anyone, i was actually getting a little sick of it.... by the end) 
Another museum, another geometrical glassy form attatched to an old building with beautiful concrete and stone. (the louvre pyramid was him too) 
and the AEG Turbine Factory! Inspirational piece of architecture out in the Berlin boonies... was cooler in books. Peter Behrens 
Berlin's all about the architecture and architects - it was really fun. Supper in Helmut Jahn's Sony center, ritzy place, fun. A good Easter. 
We saw Strauss's La Rosenkavalier - it was splendid, beautiful music and theater. 
Norman Foster finally! Cool dome wedged on top of a US-style capitol building - good views of the city, could see the different architecture East vs. West. 
Being Easter weekend, we thought Saturday was the only day we'd be able to attend museums, so we made Daniel Liebeskind's Jewish Museum the one. It was as advertised, the outside worked a bit better then the inside. It was nice that it was more a Jewish culture museum then a Holocaust museum... 
Whoo... not doing so great keeping this updated. Briefly: last week in DKB not too interesting, tours of window factory and furniture, tour by night watchman, presentation of our work to Dinkelsbuhl community.
