What you do in your house is worth as much as if you did it up in heaven for our Lord God. We should accustom ourselves to think of our position and work as sacred and well-pleasing to God, not on account of the position and work, but on account of the word and faith from which the obedience and the work flow. ~ Martin Luther

Monday, July 02, 2018

A Dutch Girl Goes to Holland: The Windmills of Kinderdijk


 
































 




One day, my Mom and Oom Hans and I took off to go to Kinderdijk, where many the old windmills are.  Like lighthouses, windmills were not only tools but homes for those who worked them.  Two of the windmills you could tour through.  I was surprised to find, not a shabby old and sparse living space, but a beautiful and homey and surprisingly spacious abode!   I *adored* the bed coves in the walls.  I have been seriously considering doing something like that in the girls' room ever since (when we finally get to it, that is) but I was warned that the air can be stifling in summer.  And since that is a problem for us in this house already...I don't know.   I also loved the outdoor 'homestead' that they had set up to replicate old time windmill homesteads.  The little thatched barns and sheds- the willow tree branches cut down every year for fencing and so forth.  The gardens and herbs and flowers.  The animals and fences.  I love to admire little homesteads and gardens. 

These windmills are not in use for wind power anymore but people do still live in them!  And, as the tour person told me, though the windmills are not used for power, the people who live inside of them must have several years of experience and go through quite extensive training for windmills in order to be allowed to do so. 

This day, the air weighed thick and heavy upon us but we were able to go quickly to tour the windmills and to see the insides of the two open to the public.  We had to return to the beginning at a very quick pace as the sky was turning black and rumbly and lightening spurring us on.  We had *just* made it back to the bus stop when a deluge poured down.  By the time we arrived back home, there was many inches of water on the roads we had to drive through.  The bus driver said "I am not a bus driver!  Today, I am a sailor!" 

I watched from my seat as all the men and women who were returning from work on their bicycles, pedaled through inches of water to get home.  They were drenched, poor souls.  On that day, I thought, perhaps cycling everywhere wasn't always idyllic.

8 comments:

Ulli said...

Great pictures! What's the story with the little "Moses basket" sitting by the water's edge? The thatched houses are indeed charming!

Rozy Lass said...

What a great adventure for you. Did you feel as if you'd come home? When I visited Scotland, where my grandpa came from I felt so at home. I loved the landscapes, the towns, the people, everything! I wanted to stay longer and experience it all. My husband has promised that we will go there together someday.

Terri said...

I love the pictures and what an exciting adventure! I'm assuming that little basket in the water is for fish but it did remind me of Moses in the Nile.

Leah said...

Wow! Wow! Wow! I must admit to not having visited for awhile. :( What an amazing experience!!! Now to look at all the pictures and other posts. I'm so happy that you got to make such an awesome trip. <3 :)

Abigail said...

I'm also a big fan of sleeping coves, but the pictures I'm bookmarked of bunkbed coves (which would be the way to go) always seem to be in rooms with outrageously high ceilings. What to do with slanted ceilings?! Your comment about air circulation made me happy, because now with a clear conscience I can take coves off the "maybe" list without feeling like it's laziness. :)

These are gorgeous pictures.

Also, I want that teapot.

Abigail said...

p.s.
Lilypads with waterfowl
next to windmills.

My new favorite, even better than a red wheelbarrow glazed with rainwater beside the white chickens (with apologies to W.C. Williams). What a scene!

Abigail said...

I'm = I've
Sorry. I just can't let it go.
Grammar compulsions are hard to shake.

Amy Marie said...

UM. I'm moving into one of those! I love, love these little homes inside the windmills. Who knew? This makes me want to visit there even more! Thank you for sharing.