We dock at Kinderdijk, a small village that supports a cluster of windmills which were erected to remove water from this low-lying area. We're told that over half of the country is "man-made land," where dikes have been erected and water removed to form "polders' -- land that's below sea level, but now is farmed, protected by the barriers.
The windmills no longer pump water (powered pumps do that today), but they are in high demand as residences! One is maintained as a museum where we can see the inner workings; residents are required to operate their windmill regularly so as to keep the machinery in good working order.
This photo shows the huge Archimedes screws which move the water up and over the dikes, to be deposited back into the river. A very durable invention indeed.
We had a good education on the original construction and operation of the mills; many details are copied from nautical models, and there were challenges to overcoming the limitations imposed by using only wind power. A very impressive engineering feat for those days.
We got back to the boat as a grand lightning show began, and thunder rumbled all around us. However the rain stayed just far enough away, and we were back on board at 5:25 for a 5:30 cast-off.
A quick refresher, and then time for the Captain's farewell dinner and to settle up any shipboard expenses. I enjoyed the "deconstructed Beef Wellington" which was both pretty and tasty. Seems like this lovely visit is ending too soon.
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