Wednesday, December 14, 2016

Kinderdyk

We see the windmills every time we leave the house, but yesterday we toured the inside of two at the World Heritage Site in  Kinderdyk.
Five year old E had been asking to go inside the windmills almost every day. I think it is because of our Katje book, which tells the story of a (wind)miller's cat who rescued a child in the St Elizabeth's Day Flood in 1421.
The weather was grey and misty, but we had a lovely time. One windmill we explored was from the 1500s, while the other was more recent; built in the 1800s. We climbed up all three levels, almost to the very top of the newer windmill.
As we looked around at the children's toys, the kitchens, and bed cupboards, E urgently asked, "Are the people who lived here dead?" 
I'm not sure what she is thinking about all this, but one thing is certain; she's very engaged. 

From the Kinderdyk website: 
"A significant part of Holland is situated up to approximately 7 meters below sea level. The Dutch don’t notice any of this though, because an incredibly innovative and intricate system keeps the ever-rising seawater from flooding the land. Even during spring tide, the Dutch are safely guarded from being washed away…"
The top marker on the stake in the photo below shows the highest the water has come here, without the windmills pumping the water off the land. 
 
Amazing, isn't it. Seven metres! All this land, reclaimed from the water. 
Says Kevin: "What would the Petticodiac River-Keepers (aquatic eco-system guards) say??!"
 

 

 

 
Kevin broke into song when we saw these; "seven swans a-swimming." Swans are as ordinary to the locals as robins are to us, but I still look twice when I see them.

As we went into the first windmill, we were followed by a huge tour group from Viking River Cruises. We see their boat in the river sometimes, and it is smaller than we expected. Nice, but small. 
Kevin says that someday when the kids are grown, before we are too old, we will go on one of those cruises. He expects to be a full 20  years younger than the average traveller on board; and therefore expects to be extremely popular. 

I had bought a taco kit for supper, and was surprised that the seasoning mix didn't have any hot spices or cumin in it. No cumin in tacos? Odd.

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