1. We headed for the Maasvlakte, an artificial peninsula in the North Sea designed for heavy industries and transshipment. It's part of the port of Rotterdam, the largest port in the world. The funny thing is that it's also a wildlife area. It houses the largest gull colony of Europe and is one of the few parts of the Netherlands where you'll find orchids. It's also a sanctuary for certain kinds of human activity that aren't appreciated in the rest of the densely populated country, like ultra-light aviation.
4. The heliport is located at the end of the peninsula. On the horizon you can see the oil terminal where a large part of Europe's oil stock is stored.
6. The airport for ultra light planes.
8. A container transport ship sets for the sea. The port of Rotterdam handles about 5 million containers a year and is by far the largest in Europe. On this spot people with apparently no other obligations sit here all day in their cars along the river side watching the ships go by.
10. I'm a vegetarian but if I weren't I still would not eat any fish caught in these waters.
12. Paint it black.
14. The closest you can get to Texas, this side of the ocean. Heading for Rotterdam again.
16. Some of the old warehouses are transferred into apartments, restaurants and shops. This one has the largest supermarket of the Netherlands.
18. The Witte de Withstraat, the art boulevard of the city. Erwin adapts very easily.
20. Erwin in Portofino, one of my favorite restaurants run by a very friendly Italian family.
2. The offshore island of Heerema, a gigantic object that would make the perfect setting for a real life version of the game Quake II. It's located at the beginning of the dyke that runs along the estuary Nieuwe Waterweg.
3. Ships and coal mountains, what more does one need to have a perfect day?
5. Some shovels. The safest transport in this area. I once got stuck in the sand with my car here at three o'clock in the morning. Among other things, the Maasvlakte is a very romantic spot.
7. London is just 314 kilometers from here. The other hands point to the nearby airfield for ultra-lights and the heliport. And yes, that's my 1989 Citroën BX.
9. The Discovery is a catamaran ferry that takes you to England in 3,5 hours with a speed of 75 km/h. Along with restaurants and a casino it also has two cinemas. Together with the Channel Tunnel it's my favorite way to visit my sister in London.
11. The Maasvlakte Oil Terminal. Isn't it a beauty?
13. Windmills, but not as we know them in Holland.
15. De Kop van Zuid, a huge new housing project in the old dock area near the center of Rotterdam.
17. In September there's a festival every day of the week in Rotterdam. Here some aliens join in.
19. C., my girlfriend and one of the main attractions of Rotterdam.
21. I always wanted to do that.