{"id":142440,"date":"2022-07-21T15:19:29","date_gmt":"2022-07-21T13:19:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=142440"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:26:22","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:26:22","slug":"this-is-the-beach-which-most-reflects-rotterdam-industry-behind-you-the-sea-in-front-of-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2022\/07\/21\/this-is-the-beach-which-most-reflects-rotterdam-industry-behind-you-the-sea-in-front-of-you\/","title":{"rendered":"This is the beach which most reflects Rotterdam: industry behind you, the sea in front of you"},"content":{"rendered":"

Image editor Esther Dijkstra loves the beach; not for baking in the sun but for spotting seals and hunting for fossils. Even when there’s no sun. She takes you to Maasvlakte beach.<\/p>

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At the end of the day Esther goes for a swim in the sea, while dog Bubba is beachcombing.<\/span><\/p>

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJustin Wijers<\/span>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

I\u2019ve been coming to the Maasvlakte all my life. On this Rotterdam beach, I feel at home and at peace. The car drive from the city is itself an experience, on the motorway, through all the grinding, steaming industry. Then you leave your car, climb over the dunes with the busy port behind you. And suddenly, you are on that quiet beach, with just the sound of the waves and the screeching seagulls. Nothing else\u2026<\/p>\n

For me, the Maasvlakte is certainly not just interesting in summer. I come here all year round for walks with the family and our dog (who is also welcome here in summer!). In the summer, I swim and stare out to see. Looking out for a seal suddenly popping its head out of the water or watching those comical sandpipers running away from the waves, as if they are constantly surprised by them.<\/p>\n

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On one side of the dunes, the harbor in motion, on the other, the silence of the sea.<\/span><\/p>

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tEsther Dijkstra<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Have the beach to yourself<\/h2>\n\t
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Read more<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t