 |
| 7 a.m. on the 23 June 2014...and the world keeps turning... |
Five months to the day since I embarked on the MS
Prinsendam. Another epic journey has ended here in Ijmuiden, Holland. But, as a
last ‘hurrah’ and before climbing onto a crowded plane for a long haul to
Canada, I take another look at a sample of Dutch Country.
 |
| Not a hill as far as the eye can see |
 |
| Typical bridge over a country road |
Holland is very small in size today; 16.8 million people
call it home. Those 16.8 million humans get around on 18.2 million bicycles. No
wonder, the landscape is totally flat without even a suggestion of a hill, with
more km of bicycle lanes than highways – ergo pedalling your way to work or
play is a breeze. They even bike in the middle of winter.
 |
| Water, meadows, sheep.... |
 |
| Cows grazing among the canals |
Despite the high population density, Holland (The
Netherlands) boasts of vast expanses of meadows where world famous Frisian cows
produce tasty milk for world famous Dutch Cheeses. Much of the country lies
below sea level, and hence is protected almost along its entire North Sea
shoreline by Dykes. A multitude of canals cuts through the flat lands, all
controlled by an intricate system of locks and gates to keep saltwater out, and
rainwater in, as well as irrigating agricultural lands.
 |
| Dutch Floathomes... |
 |
| If one does not build on land, one builds on water... |
Windmills, so long
relegated to outdated technology, have gained admiration amongst
environmentalists because of non-polluting wind power use, work when needed to
move water ‘up-hill’ and from one channel to another. There are few fences, as
cows seem to stick to their bit of field surrounded by irrigation and drainage
channels.
 |
| Village along a canal |
 |
| Windmill to pump water from canal to canal |
 |
| Small 'water mill' and drawbridge |
Drawbridges we know from paintings by Van Gogh still dot the
landscape and are in use for all kinds of traffic, apart from looking rather
romantic.
 |
| Recycling of 'discards' |
 |
| The Good Olde Days... |
 |
| Klompen Maker in his shop |
Country Folk still wear Klompen, the handmade wooden clogs,
which look like Birkenstocks on steroids, and are apparently just as
comfortable, as well as being waterproof. I visited one Klompen maker in his
workshop, where he produces more tourist oriented footwear than utilitarian
wooden shoes.
 |
| Antique Clogs |
 |
| Clogs worn to go to Sunday Service |
 |
| Carved Clogs |
 |
| Liberace Clogs?? |
 |
| Tourist Clogs - 50+ Euros a pair |
His workshop happens to be located in a national park called
Zaanse Schanze, a stretch of flat land along a broad navigable canal, where
antique windmills (still working) of the ‘industrial’ kind are preserved and (some)
are open to public visits. Approaching from the far side of the canal one is
treated to a quintessential Dutch Scene, where a lineup of attractive windmills
just shout out for being painted.
 |
| Array of Windmills |
 |
| There is almost always a breeze.... |
One thinks of windmills in terms of grain crushing, however,
windmills were used to crush all kinds of other materials, such as chips,
stones, wood etc. to be used in paint, building materials and who knows what
else. The mills are ingeniously designed to rotate on their axis to catch the
prevailing winds; they may have canvas ‘sails’ attached to their wings to
augment wind power, or by removing the cloth, diminishing its impact on the
large arms of the mill.
 |
| Colour Mill 'The Cat' |
 |
| Old Photo of 'The Cat', she has not changed in a couple of hundred years... |
One could climb up to the business end of the mill, the top
balcony around the arms; however one look at the vertical wooden ladder
disappearing into dizzying heights cured me of any temptation to see flat Holland
from twenty meters up.
 |
| Wine and Cheese in Edam |
 |
| Holy Cow! |
I visited Edam (we all know Edam Cheese of course), where
industrial strength tourism has not yet invaded the small village with a
network of canals adjoining village streets. Edam has retained its quaint rural
flair. A couple of Gothic churches, lots of draw bridges, wood frame and brick
houses, cobbled streets, a profusion of flowering gardens, cheese shops and
fragrant bakeries, as well as a few cafes – that’s it. Perfectly peaceful, it
has an air of strength, balance, sturdiness and stability – but with a good
dose of Dutch charm mixed into it.
 |
| Back Street in Edam |
 |
| Cobble Stone Street in Edam |
 |
| Three Star Cow in Edam's City Emblem |
 |
| Oldest Brick House in Edam |
 |
| Oldest Wooden House in Edam with a bakery next door - Cheese Sticks tasted delicious! |
 |
| Norderpoort Church |
There could not be a pleasanter finale to a fascinating
exploration covering such a large part of our unique planet than enjoying a
brisk sunny morning stroll about lush Dutch plains, admiring windmills and
tasting Dutch baking and Dutch cheese.
 |
| That's how cheese was transported |
 |
| Modern Cheese Shop |
We won’t talk about the flight home….all that needs to be
said is, it happened and it’s over.
 |
| Delft Porcelain |
