Evening at the Haagseveer

Evening falls early in December; formally, it is still afternoon in this picture but it could just as easily be the middle of the night.

We see the Haagseveer, a canal in downtown Rotterdam from which the ferry to The Hague once departed. But that was a long time ago; all the buildings in the picture are of much later date. What is striking is that the post-war facades are mainly made of brick.

It is busy in the city at this time of day but little of that can be seen because of the long shutter speed. Only the light stripes of cars on the Meent show traces of human activity.

On the right, a parasol marks the terrace of the famous cafe Haagse Bluf, in the background we see the terrace of the equally illustrious Dudok. But those terraces will only be full again in a few months' time. By then, leaves will also be back on the three trees near the bridge.

The special thing about this photo is the colour scheme; we see almost only shades of red and brown. And of course, the reflection in the wrinkle-free water also makes it a magical scene.