KINDERDIJK, NETHERLANDS -- May 23, 200619 windmills. One little village with vintage feel and a cozy warmth that makes you want to giggle. This is Kinderdijk. Welcome to the Netherlands, for the local time, please set your watch back 50 years.
Ducks paddling in the slow-flowing canal waters, alongside locals pedaling their bikes. Flat land, lush, green grass, and the skyline broken by the tall, wooden wonders that spin morning and night, churning air with their huge armlike fans. An old man climbs a rickety ladder outside the one windmill in town deemed "The Windmill Museum," adjusting ropes and pulleys as the wind whips rosy circles on his cheeks.
Rusty tools, well-worn clogs, and a smattering of windmill-worker memorabilia lines the walls as I climb the narrow stairs into the heart of the windmill. On the top floor, I peek out from tiny vents to picturesque views of the landscape below. Cows sit lazily amid waving green grasses. A boat glides slowly through the canal, leaving a trail of white in its wake.
I feel like I experienced something authentic today... not that modern Amsterdam isn´t its own kind of authentic. But here, the tourists are few, and life is in slow motion. For some refreshment from the maddening crowds, I can think of no better escape than Kinderdijk.~Melanie
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