On Sunday afternoons, after a long week of studying, there’s a special spot I like to escape to on the north bank of the New Meuse. It’s where the Veerhaven meets the Westerkade and although it’s right in the center of the city, it’s always super quiet. The Veerhaven is Rotterdam’s old harbor while the Westerkade, right next to it, is the modern waterfront.

I really like the contrast of new meets old: pretty historic buildings with the huge skyscrapers of the city’s skyline in the background. There are all these beautiful tall trees, too. It reminds me a little bit of Dordrecht, where I grew up – a city a little south of Rotterdam known for its harbors.

I found this place by chance, one day last autumn during a solo wander through Het Park. I hadn’t lived in Rotterdam very long at that stage. I was listening to music and figured I’d take a little detour, ending up where the commuter ferry comes in on the Westerkade. I found a bench and sat there by myself for ages. It was incredibly peaceful. Every quarter of an hour the ferry arrives and a few people get on and off, but even at its busiest, it still feels like I’ve got the place to myself.

I live quite nearby so I go pretty regularly now. I live with seven roommates on a very busy street – there are lots of restaurants and shops, and there’s always traffic – but just a 15-minute walk away you can be sitting at the waterfront with literally no one there. Living with seven people is great fun. I love it. But I do like to escape a little bit.

Sometimes I go to the Westerkade by myself and I’ve also introduced the area to friends. Though it may be a known place in Rotterdam for some, it still feels unexplored. There are other more famous places where you can see the skyline of Rotterdam so this goes under the radar.

I love to watch the sunset there. You have the whole skyline and the river to look at – the Erasmus Bridge and the Rotterdam Building are my favorites. You can see the sun setting in the river and there are all these beautiful colors in the sky. It’s pretty there all year round but I like it best when the leaves are on the trees. But even in the summer, you get cold there after a while – it’s always windy because it’s so close to the water.