Maasvlakte

Jane: Well, Mees…just walk through the container…
Mees: Wow…what stuff…. Why are they hanging here? Jane: All these items come to the Netherlands by container! Things that you and I use every day: clothes, fruit, telephones, slippers...
Mees: And where do those containers go?
Jane: They continue by train, truck or inland vessel to other places in the Netherlands or Europe.
Mees: So my t-shirt also traveled to the Netherlands via such a container?
Jane: Yep…probably so! Come…. just walk a little to the right and close your eyes. What do you smell and what do you hear?

Mees: I…..I….smell the sea it seems…and I hear the wind….where are we?
Jane: Open your eyes again: tadaaaaa The BEACH! Yes, we are at the Maasvlakte. But... look to the right, what do you see there...
Mees: Containers and large ships…. But also kite surfers and there...seals!!!!
Jane: And you know, Mees, where we are now was once the sea! The port of Rotterdam became too small, there was no more land. Then they just added a piece of land and that's where we are now!
Mees: Land added? Real? How?
Jane: By spraying sand from the seabed onto this. If you do that with a lot of sand, land is created! But this has been carefully considered, because the kite surfers, nature and beach guests also had to have a place. And as you can see, all kinds of ports were immediately created where the largest container ships in the world can moor. The work continues here day and night, container on and off.
Mees: What a bizarre beach spot, can we go there next time, Aunt Jane?
Jane: Definitely possible! But then we need more time, it is a 45-minute drive from here!