Day 3 - Ship Pushed off

We finally started sailing in the middle of the night. I wasn't awake to see it, but around 11:30pm the ship cast off her moorings, weighed anchor and we were off. All while Grandpa and I tried to catch up on the very needed and long awaited sleep.

We awoke, still in the Netherlands, but the gang plank was down in Kinderdijk. Kinderdijk is home to a UNESCO heritage site, it has several windmills still in operation. Our local guide explained to us that to be in charge of a windmill you must live there, with your family and you have to apprentice for several years. It was amazing to see these structures still working. Apparently after WWII the government wanted to tear them down because they were no longer being used and in ill repair. The queen heard about this and immediately went to the prime minister to petition their survival. She won, they have 16 windmills left and working in Holland.

Map showing the area we were in and all of the windmills.

The guide explained that the windmill is started by finding a really long and sturdy oak or pine tree, most are found in France. After chopping the tree down and getting rid of the limbs and bark, the tree is cured and is stood on it's end and the windmill building begins. They build the windmill around the wooden post. It's about 4 or 5 levels high (there's a "basement"for the main wheel to pump out the water). The main floor is the main living area for the kitchen and bedroom.

Only one of the 3 large wheels that make the whole thing work.

Everyone slept in a closet, except small children and babies they slept in the cupboard, literally. Grandpa and I suspect that the bed on the main floor was for mom and dad and the kids (normal in 1600s was 10 to 16 children) slept on the various floors above on mats.

Bed closet, table, chairs and a stove are the only things in the only room on the main level.

The millers family, note there are 9 kids.

There are more than 2 doors outside for every windmill. Every day the miller determines the winds direction and starts a series of pulleys and pushes the top of the windmill with the blades around to face the wind. Then he locks the position and the windmill works. If the wind changes direction he will move the house again. The windmills help to keep the farm lands from getting flooded as well as the local area, but because they can't pump very much more are needed in an area. Now days they have diesel and electric pumps that do the work.

 Not a towel rack, but a clog rack for the wooden shoes as you came in one of the doors. FYI they had wooden shoes because the area was so marshy and wet, it kept their feet dry.

We set sail again right after our tour of the windmills and spent the rest of the day looking at the country as we sailed up the river. Lots of interesting things to see along the way.

 Dutch lawnmowers for the dikes, sheep, cows and even horses.

 Noah's ark, yep, not the original but facsimile, it's Johan's ark. Check out the story here http://edition.cnn.com/2012/07/30/world/europe/johans-ark-noah-dutch . It resides on the Rhine and I saw it, way cool!

We dined as the sun set on the Netherlands and we entered Germany. Tomorrow we strike out in Cologne, Germany. Mark your maps kids you should have two towns marked and a third for tomorrow.