2014-17 Windmills of Kinderdijk, The Netherlands
Hello All,
Upon leaving Cologne, Germany, we cruised through the night and into the next day passing from Germany into The Netherlands. After breakfast we were up on the top deck enjoying the Dutch countryside. It was a warm humid day with just a few clouds in the sky—so restful and relaxing.
There were lots of folks out on the bike paths on top of the dikes enjoying the day. Some were walking while others were biking. We were surprised to see that the countryside was mostly farmland—with livestock roaming freely along the shoreline of the river.
Upon leaving Cologne, Germany, we cruised through the night and into the next day passing from Germany into The Netherlands. After breakfast we were up on the top deck enjoying the Dutch countryside. It was a warm humid day with just a few clouds in the sky—so restful and relaxing.
There were lots of folks out on the bike paths on top of the dikes enjoying the day. Some were walking while others were biking. We were surprised to see that the countryside was mostly farmland—with livestock roaming freely along the shoreline of the river.
At about two in the afternoon
our ship arrived at Kinderdijk. In Dutch kinder means children and dijk means
dike. Hence, we arrived at the “Children’s Dike.” We went ashore and met our
guide for a tour of the windmills. Looking back at the Viking Sky the sun was
good for a quick shot. This would be the last year the Viking Sky would cruise
as part of the river longboat fleet. She would be decommissioned at the end of
the season. A new Viking Sky is being built as a small ocean going cruise ship
and will join the fleet in 2016.
There were lots of folks
enjoying the day on shore. Some were having lunch while others were just
strolling taking in the sights. Biking is big in The Netherlands and they have
probably the best and most extensive bike paths in the world. What a great way
to tour this lovely country.
And of course, it wouldn’t be
The Netherlands if they didn’t have a selection of wooden shoes for sale!
We thoroughly enjoyed walking
out on the dikes to see the many different windmills. Kinderdijk has been a
UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997.
Our guide took us into a
windmill so that we could see the internal operation. It was quite interesting
to see how they were primarily built out of wood. Even the gear drive mechanisms
for lifting the water up over the dike were made of wood. We got to go up into
the living quarters where the millers and their family lived. This windmill was
built in 1738.
In the following photo you can
see how the bed compartment is built along the outside wall of the windmill.
The quarters were small but multi level.
Next we got to check out what
a modern pumping station looked like. The cylinders spin slowly moving the
water up and over the dike. It was an interesting efficient concept—but, not
nearly as picturesque as the old windmills.
After our tour we had a couple
of hours before we had to return to the ship so we walked further out on the
dike for more photos of the windmills. It was a little on the hot side, but
well worth the hike. There are a total of 19 windmills here.
Flowers were blooming along the edge of the water as were the water lilies in the canals and ponds.
Flowers were blooming along the edge of the water as were the water lilies in the canals and ponds.
And there were coots swimming here
and there.
Poles and ropes on the
backside of the windmills were used to disengage and rotate the windmill into
the wind when the wind direction changed.
Finally we had enough sun and
decided to head back to the ship. It was a very enjoyable experience even
though we got quite hot and a bit of sunburn.
At about 6 pm we departed for
Amsterdam. As we cruised down river it was easy to see how the countryside is
lower than the river. People of The Netherlands have a never ending battle against
Mother Nature to keep their land dry.
We thoroughly enjoyed our
cruise across Europe. It was most interesting experiencing the medieval towns
and numerous Gothic churches--however, after a while they got a bit repetitious.
All the people we encountered on this adventure were extremely nice and
friendly. We arrived in Amsterdam later that night and departed on our long
flights back home the next morning.
Our next adventure will take us along the Mesa Falls Scenic Byway in eastern Idaho and then on to Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. Hope you will consider riding along with us.
Until next time,
Dave & Barb
The Traveling Browns
Our next adventure will take us along the Mesa Falls Scenic Byway in eastern Idaho and then on to Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. Hope you will consider riding along with us.
Until next time,
Dave & Barb
The Traveling Browns