Our Visit to the "Kinderdijk" Windmills in Holland.

Our Visit to the Kinderdijk Windmills.

Who could come to Holland and not what to see their Windmills?

This afternoon we are going on a special journey to view the nineteen 16^th century fully restored and operating windmills of Kinderdijk. This is an UNESCO site and it is a lot more charming than I had hoped for.

After a short bus ride from Rotterdam, we get aboard a special eclectically powered small launch and begin sailing down a canal in the Dutch country side. This area is perfectly flat and broken only by slightly higher man made dykes. It is a perfect spring Sunday afternoon – the weather is just perfect. There are lots of people walking and riding bikes along the top of the dykes. There are people enjoying picnics by the side of the canal and there are others fishing or feeding the ducks. (Most people wave and sing out a greeting.) There is plenty of bird life and because it is spring there are lots of baby birds amongst the reeds and willow trees on both sides of the canal. The whole scene is so tranquil and relaxed.

 

Travelling down the canal to the UNESCO windmills - this windmill is not as old as the 19 windmills on the UNESCO site.

After about 30 minutes of enjoying this tranquil journey, the large windmills start to come into view and it is just a fantastic sight.  Most of these windmills were built about the 1770’s and they have been meticulously restored and they now have families living in most of them. They are still used to regulate the flow of water through this area.

                                                    The Old Windmills of Kinderdijk.

                                  They have all been fully restored and they are in working order.

 

They look so majestic standing in the fields.

We glide past all of the windmills and at the last one, we get out of the launch and actually go inside and see how families used to live and how they used to operate the wind mills. It is a lot more spacious inside than I imagined and to see how they lived and their furniture and the items used back a century or so ago was charming.

                   The main living room inside the old windmill. Note where the bed is behind the curtain.

The pretty window ledge.

Outside we enjoyed the wonderful country views of the windmills and also as it was late in the afternoon the reflections that they made on the canal was magical.

                                   The reflection of the Old Windmill on the waters of the canal.

 

We the get back into the launch and complete our equally enjoyable return journey back past all the windmills to the bus. Again I have enjoyed a special experience I will never forget.