Locations

The novel mainly takes place in Rotterdam city center and at the Delta Hotel in Vlaardingen. The Hotel is located in Vlaardingen, approximately 15 minutes sailing with the watertaxi.

deltahotel2Rotterdam has become a dynamic and modern city. With the completion of three major projects – the Central Station, the Market Hall, and ‘the Rotterdam’ building – the modern city is complete. The point in the roof of the Central Station, popularly called ‘De Puntzak’ (bag of chips) is a symbol of the self-confidence of the city. Virtually no other city in Europe has such diverse architecture. But against the background of this modern violence the port and its shipyards lag improvements. The second Maasvlakte is indeed in development, but the Waalhaven and other parts are partly abandoned or poorly maintained. People keep ‘contact’ with the port of Rotterdam and the Maasvlakte through a life-size display in De Puntzak, which shows the 24-7 work that is done, mostly automated, via livestream webcams.

Other locations of interest in the novel are: