Our next destination was the town of Nieuw-Lekkerland, not far from Rotterdam. Our purpose was to visit the famous Kinderdijk.
On our way we passed some glorious scenery.
And finally docked within easy walking distance of the Kinderdijk.
Kinderdijk is Dutch for "Children's Dike". The name derives from an old story about a disastrous flood that took place in 1421. After the flood a wooden cradle was seen floating on the water, rocking from side to side. Upon inspection it was found to contain a cat, that had been leaping from side to side to keep the cradle from taking on water, and a baby, safe and sound. The story has passed into English folklore as "The Cat and the Cradle".
Near the entrance a small fisherman.
This is what everyone expects to see in Holland. Here at the Kinderdijk the nineteen working windmills are not just a tourist attraction -- they actually serve to pump water out of the canals and into a reservoir to maintain water levels [although most of the pumping these days is done by deisel engines.
We were able to enter one of the windmills. Here are wooden clogs worn by the mill keeper, a bit embarrassing for our guide who had just informed us that nobody in Holland today wears such uncomfortable shoes.
Inside the mill.
Look, sheep!
A watergate near the entrance,
Nieuw-Lekkerland.
Then back on board our boat for the next leg of our journey through the waterways of the Netherlands.
On our way we passed some glorious scenery.
And finally docked within easy walking distance of the Kinderdijk.
Kinderdijk is Dutch for "Children's Dike". The name derives from an old story about a disastrous flood that took place in 1421. After the flood a wooden cradle was seen floating on the water, rocking from side to side. Upon inspection it was found to contain a cat, that had been leaping from side to side to keep the cradle from taking on water, and a baby, safe and sound. The story has passed into English folklore as "The Cat and the Cradle".
Near the entrance a small fisherman.
This is what everyone expects to see in Holland. Here at the Kinderdijk the nineteen working windmills are not just a tourist attraction -- they actually serve to pump water out of the canals and into a reservoir to maintain water levels [although most of the pumping these days is done by deisel engines.
We were able to enter one of the windmills. Here are wooden clogs worn by the mill keeper, a bit embarrassing for our guide who had just informed us that nobody in Holland today wears such uncomfortable shoes.
Inside the mill.
Look, sheep!
A watergate near the entrance,
Nieuw-Lekkerland.
Then back on board our boat for the next leg of our journey through the waterways of the Netherlands.
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