More Than Windmills and Tulips

 We awoke on our first full day in the Netherlands to partly cloudy skies and lots of wind. It was a bit chilly, but such an enjoyable day!



Mandy and Jared have been to The Netherlands several times so we hit a few of the highlights that they had enjoyed since we had such a short time to travel in that country. One of the places we visited was Zaanse Schans outdoor museum, a charming sample of traditional Dutch experiences in close proximity. Here we were able to see close up how a windmill works, wooden shoes being made as well as enjoying the quaint architecture of former times.
The windmill above is called De Gekroonde Poelenburg (The Crowned Poelenburg) and was used as a sawmill in its time.

Standing on the upper deck of De Zoeker (The Seeker) was a remarkable experience. We were able to experience the power of the wind as it whipped around the mill and feel the vibrations of the giant cogs as they turned inside. We actually climbed the narrow ladders inside the windmill and watched as peanuts were ground into oil. Doug took some amazing video of the workings of the mill. It was built in 1672 and is the only wind powered oil mill still in operation.

Here you see Het Jonge Schaap (The Young Sheep). This is a replica of a windmill built in 1680 that once stood on this site but was demolished in 1942. It is a wind powered working sawmill that is only opened to the public two days a month.

We spent some time in the shop that sells wooden shoes, which has a small display area dedicated to antique and unusual wooden shoes. 

These shoes would have been worn for a special occasion such as church, a holiday or wedding.

Doug liked the work boots. The shoes on the right would be worn under shoes to elevate them off the ground and out of the mud.
Each province has a different type of wooden shoe so at a festival all one would have to do is look at your shoes to discover which province you were from!

These are bridal shoes.

There is also a workshop showing how shoes were made originally and how they are made today. In former times, shoes were hand carved from chunks of wood using a large blade attached to a workbench. Now they are made by a lathe that uses a previously made shoe as a template to make a new shoe. What used to take hours to accomplish, now takes only 5 minutes.

On our last day in the Netherlands we were mostly driving, but spent a little time sightseeing along the way. These are some of the things we saw.

Serene lake in a neighborhood where we also saw...

This rather amazing house. Yes, that is a thatched roof. Thatching is truly an art which I love!

Every city we visited had canal systems which are in daily use, as you can see.

Bicycles are a means of transportation that is readily used. Also a lot more convenient we found as we tried to navigate through narrow streets with a van pulling a trailer behind.

I...don't even know what to say...

Here we are standing on the beach of the North Sea. It was so very cold! "Quick, take the picture so we can get back inside!"

When you leave your rain jacket at school, certain emergency measures need to be taken!

We made a stop in Gouda at the cheese shop.

Nathaniel was very helpful!

Doug had an interesting conversation with the owner of an antique shop that we spent some time in. He and Doug shared a common interest in WWII. He told Doug to walk with him down the block and showed him this residence with three brass blocks embedded in the sidewalk. He said you can find these all over the city of Gouda, designating that from this house, the persons named on the plaques were taken by Nazi soldiers and sent to death camps.

 

One more look at the tulips, and now on to Belgium!