The Maasvlakte is not a picturesque coastal town but a man-made extension of the Port of Rotterdam—built from reclaimed sand to create more space for containers, cranes, and colossal ships. Together with the adjacent Europoort, it forms by far the largest seaport in Europe. Everything here is on a massive scale: the freighters, the industrial complexes, the endless rows of brightly colored containers.

The sheer size of the area makes it best explored from the water—on a harbor tour. As the captain narrates with entertaining commentary, the boat drifts past towering cargo ships being loaded and unloaded. Containers are stacked to dizzying heights, cranes move with remarkable precision, and somewhere in this labyrinth of steel and water, small pilot boats weave through the currents.

And then, at the very edge of the harbor, where the sea begins once more, stands a small snack bar beneath one of the many wind turbines. Its name? "Balkon van Europa"—the Balcony of Europe. A fitting name for a place perched on the edge of the continent, surrounded by wind, water, and the eternal rhythm of arriving and departing ships.