The Dutch Mountains

Water is an integral part of Dutch history. The windmills, dikes, canals characterise the Netherlands' landscape and are testimonies to the country's battle with, and triumph over, water. No wonder Dutch people often seek their entertainment on and around water. There is a surfeit of ponds, lakes, rivers and beaches. Nevertheless, the Netherlands as flattest country in the world lack one thing...

whitewater.

For those who wish to battle the rapids rafting, the Ardennes in Belgium are the nearest opportunity to learn how to control water in a sporty way.

Today and tomorrow I've been granted the opportunity to make photo's at Dutch Water Dreams within the restricted zones (only accessible to their staff ) Here's my first result for this day.

More in depth info:

Dutch Water Dreams is a unique Olympic-level whitewater sports complex in Zoetermeer, everyone can experience indoor surfing, bodyboarding and the rush of whitewater.

The DWD whitewater course is based on the design being built for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. The whitewater course is 300 meters in length, 20 meters wide and drops 5 meters top to bottom. There are five pumps, each of which has a pumping capacity of 4.25 m3 water per second. Depending on the activity 4.25 m3 (a single pump) up to 20.25 m3 (five pumps) per second can be pumped through the whitewater course. This amounts to between 20 and 105 full bath tubs ... per second!
 
DWD's course is equipped with movable obstacles. In nature rivers have rocks in them which influence the current and thereby structure the river's course. The water's flow is determined by the quantity of water, the drop and the natural obstacles. DWD imitates nature using artificial obstacles, which can be placed on the course like Lego blocks. The placement of these obstacles influences the current, thereby allowing us to influence safety and the course's difficulty level.