Access Audit: The Rotterdam City Guide
All You Need To Know For Your Next Getaway
If ever there’s a time for.. well, time out, I’d always choose January. The miserable month where the Christmas cheer goes to die. There’s more time to pay day. It’s too cold. You have to go back to work in the awful weather. Fun. Being freelance, I thought this seemed like an ideal time to go away by myself! So I went away by myself for 4 days at the end of January.
Travel is something I want to do more of; last year I wrote about wishing to live intentionally, and to live with intention. I want to exist offline sometimes, and not in echo chambers. I’d like to create, rather than be part of journalistic bubbles who seem to just exist to hate.
So. On that note. Here’s a little access audit of Rotterdam.
Out Now!
My debut book, The Autism Friendly Cookbook, is out now! And this is what people are saying about it….
Natasha Lipman, journalist and host of The Rest Room podcast: “The Autism Friendly Cookbook is a striking manifesto on the importance of accessibility in cooking. With adaptations front and centre, this book from Lydia Wilkins is sure to become a kitchen staple.”
Steve Silberman, author of NeuroTribes:The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity: “Cooking is one of the foundations of independent living. This charming, inviting book is designed to make this basic life-skill accessible to everyone. It's not just a collection of tantalizing recipes, it's a celebration of autistic community.”
Chloe Johnson, editor at Disability Review Magazine: “A delightful guide full of important information for neurodivergent foodies - we've needed this for years!”
Travel is something I like, but I struggle with. A lot. It’s something I’ve written about a little bit before - and this was the first long-distance trip I had made after the last covid hospital related appointment. I’ve been experiencing issues with my legs and my ability to walk after this - which is a whole other matter - and a series of falls had, well, undermined my confidence. A lot.
2018 was the last time I visited Rotterdam - but now there’s a direct train to the city!
How Is The Eurostar Post-Brexit?
The Eurostar was probably the part of the trip that I was the most stressed about - simply as so much has been written about the bureaucratic measures in place and other chaos post Brexit. (Why did we do this to ourselves?) Added to this was the general unrest on the UK’s rail networks - so the trip into London did cause some worry.
Everything was fine once in place - security, passport control, etc, all done in about 5 minutes. The only slight problem was the chaos in the ‘holding area’ - and how disorganised this was, in assembling large groups of people anywhere. (Note: telling them the platform mere minutes before departure is not a good thing.) The food on offer was a bit lacking also if you have sensory issues.
All was fine on going out to Rotterdam - bar the one German tourist who laughed at a fall I had. Whatever is going on with my legs is embarrassing, and I wish there was a little bit more compassion.
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Notes On Navigating
Navigating around was something I found to be a bit difficult at the best of times. Google Maps was having a bit of an issue with recognising a tram line from a Main Street - and if you weren’t careful, you run the risk of being squished! My map was also about 4 years too old. Yep. Too much had changed since I was last here.
But! Virtually everywhere is very flat - with many drop curbs - and obstacles were rare, too. A lot of places also had step free access, too.
Markthal
If you go to Rotterdam and you’re a foodie, you have got to go to Markthal. The translation may be literal - it is a large hall, with a market inside on the first floor - but it is so worth it. Every possible culinary ‘want’ can be found under the roof of Markthal, which is the photo I used to start this newsletter off. Cannoli, Chinese cuisine, spices, Gelato, ice cream, Baklava…. there were a lot. And often made fresh, too. You do not want to miss this place.
Accessible Activity: Street Art
Okay. I may be biased in this. But I would recommend street art as an accessible activity. Let me explain.
There is a lot of street art that you can see around the city - some in the central parts, such as behind Rotterdam Centraal Station, or in the older parts of the city. There are commissioned murals, tags, and more illicit creations - and you can see it for free, too.
Most of Rotterdam is flat, and most of it is step free access - or there is usually some sort of provision otherwise.
Have you been to Rotterdam? If you have, what did you think?
The Catch Up
I was on BBC Wales Radio yesterday! And you can listen back to that here.
I will also be on CBC Radio at 10pm GMT, a Canadian station; the programme was all about hobbies and hustle culture, which I recorded back in December. I’ll post on Twitter at the time.
My book will be featured in the National Autistic Society’s magazine on March 27th.
I've never been outside the U.S., but I'm hoping to make it to France later this year if I can find a job. Your trip looks like it was so much fun. I love checking out the street art when I go somewhere new because it's a free, easy way to get some culture in. Good to know Rotterdam is pretty flat with nice curb cuts. I love accessibility!