The Windmills of Kinderdijk Netherlands

Friday, June 16^th, 2023 Kinderdijk, Netherlands

       We were up by 4 A.M. We enjoyed coffee and a wonderful chocolate muffin on our balcony. We had discovered that amidships, a coffee machine dispenses any kind of coffee or cappuccino that you wished. The station also held a store of chocolate muffins and raisin cookies available 24/7. Uh oh. The ship  had motored overnight and docked near an ecological and nature preserve, called Kinderdijk (children’s dike)  that contains 19 of the original old wooden windmills. They stand  along a narrow canal and marsh area. The venerable and still operable structures are from the 1700’s. The area is managed and funded by a Dutch cultural foundation.

        Coffee and a light breakfast, on the second deck open fantail, readied us for the day. We were booked on an 8:15 A.M. barge tour of the preserve and windmills. (60 euros each). We marched about one half mile through the tall reeds of the preserve, until we came to a large concession stand and ticket booth. A small passenger barge was tied up to the dock there. We piled on, enjoying the fresh breeze from the North Sea. A Preserve docent accompanied us.

     The towering windmills around us seemed almost other worldly. Standing some 28 meters tall, these wooden and stone towers are crisscrossed by the large wooden vanes that catch the wind and turn the gears to power the grist mill inside. Each of the windmill arms is constructed of wood. Half of the arm is an open lattice work, covered by a taut canvass that is adjustable, so that the amount of wind driving the arm can be regulated. The entire structure can pivot around itself in an 180 degree arc, manipulated by wooden gears and using the human energy of foot and hand. It is really a marvel of engineering from another age. As well as a grist mill, the mills serve as a drainage pumps to keep the ever encroaching waters of the Rhine /Maas River delta from drowning the area. The preserve itself sits eight feet under sea level. The guide also noted that Schiphol Airport area lies fifteen feet under the sea level. Without continuous pumping, it would disappear. This is the marvel of the Netherlands land reclamation. By use of dikes and pumps, they had reclaimed huge areas, of the shore line of the North Sea, for agricultural use.

        We tied up at one venerable windmill from the 1630’s. Each mill is inhabited still by a Dutch family that operates the sail vanes and preserves the structure. They receive a stipend of 50 euros per year and lowered rents for their services. In another age, millers had also trapped moles in the marshes and sold their pelts to haberdashers for use in hats and gloves. Around the mill, each miller has a small vegetable garden and a few animals for personal use. Out this far in nature, they don’t have a corner drugstore to run to for any type of supplies. They also have to use bicycles to reach a car park for transportation.

        Inside the mill, there is a small first floor area, with an iron stove and water pump in the kitchen. A small living area fills out the level. Above them, an exterior loft serves as a sleeping quarters for the family. You just might fit a small family in these quarters. How they squeezed a large one in, and they did, was a mystery. In essence, the mill complex now functioned like it had 300 years ago. The waterfowl, fish and other game also supplemented the family diet.

       It was an interesting visit to the  rural Holland of another age. The local Dutch come here in all seasons to enjoy the beauty of the preserve. In the winter time, the canals often freeze over. The Dutch use them for recreational ice skating, along the miles of canals. No wonder they do so well in the Winter Olympic skating events.

       The barge returned us to the gift shop/ concession area. We trooped back to the tethered Viking longboat Vali and read for a time on our balcony, enjoying the cool of the North Sea Breeze. Lunch time found us sitting with Renzo and Carla Panazza. Red pepper soup, salad Nicoise, ice cream and a glass of Riesling were wonderful. I could see right now that we were going to have to start skipping some meals or they would have to roll us off the boat with hand trucks.

      In the late afternoon, we sat in on an interesting lecture about the Rhine/Main River system and how important it was to European commerce. The river road ranges some 1,100 miles, from the North Sea to the Black Sea. Crazy German King Ludwig had been an early developer of the main River/ Canal complex. It now sports some 68 locks to traverse the system. Along its way the history of medieval Europe had been written with Castles and kings, Prince-Bishops and marauding armies. The mysterious Celts, the “barbaric Germanic tribes” and other early inhabitants had run smack into the Roman juggernaut emerging from the South, some two thousand years ago. The battles were constant and the geographic and national boundaries fluid. It was fascinating stuff to me, a student of history.

      Dinner that evening found us seated with a delightful Kiwi couple from the South Island of New Zealand, Alan and Wendy. Crab cakes, perch, lava cake and a rough cabernet made for a decent repast. Tired from another hard day at touristing, we repaired to or cabin to read on the balcony and enjoy the cool night air. This trip held great promise for an interesting journey.

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                             ( 953 words)

                      Joseph Xavier Martin