Don Quixote would have freaked out in Kinderdijk. Kinderdijk, an area in The Netherlands, was not a field of nineteen giants that an enemy sorcerer turned into windmills. They were a field of real windmills built to move water out and build a livable landmass for a growing country. My husband, Hoyt, and I loved our visit there last May.
Many of these windmills, of various shapes, are still standing along the canals, offering a marvelous view into the past. Without them, this area would have been flooded.
Today, a few still operate, but by electricity. Hoyt and I thoroughly enjoyed the peaceful landscape on a boat ride down the main canal.
Windmill House Museum
We also toured the living quarters inside a windmill-turned-museum, where we vicariously lived for about a half hour and sensed how it was (sort of) in the old days before modern pumps came along. The families must have suffered from claustrophobia.
No, Don Quixote, those huge structures you saw were not frightening giants, but helpers of humankind, powered by gigantic white sails in the breeze.
For a virtual tour, visit: Kinderdijk
See you next time!
Rach
You’re so cute 😉
Carol Megathlin
Charlene,
I love getting your blog posts.! One question: are you and Hoyt abroad at the moment or is this from an earlier adventure? I think I remember your saying at the outset that you would be highlighting past trips.
Charlene L. Edge
Hi Carol,
Thanks for writing. We were in The Netherlands a couple of months ago.
I only write about trips we’ve taken, not ones we might be taking at the time. Seems I’m the kind of writer who is really slow to figure out what to say about a time/place/event.
Ah well.
Cheers!