MORE WINDMILL VILLAGE
Actually, it’s not just Zaanse Schans that has windmills;
And some 19 were built from 1500 to 1740. The village has also been included in UNESCO’s list of World Cultural Heritage.
Nineteen windmills and the system of waterways and reservoirs here are a testament to the perseverance of the Dutch in improving agricultural conditions. By using a complex hydraulic system, they drained water from flood-prone areas, allowing them to settle and develop agriculture.
Kinderdijk means “Children’s Dike.” According to Dutch folklore, during the great flood of 1421, the people witnessed an emotional scene: Precariously perched on the embankment was a cradle with a baby inside. A cat kept the cradle balanced by jumping back and forth to prevent the water from flooding in. Later, the place where that event occurred was called Kinderdijk.
– a combination of the word “kinder” (child) and “dijk” (dike). Just like the windmills that have kept the village from sinking into the sea…
The touching story above has been published as the work “The Cat and the Cradle.”
However, both guided tours and individual travelers choose to see the windmills at Zaanse Schans because this village is only about 18 kilometers from Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands. Moreover, from there, it is also easy to continue to several other tourist attractions.
Although Zaanse Schans is not very large, if you don’t want to walk, you can rent a bicycle to get around, especially if you’re traveling independently. The village has a dedicated lane for bicycles.
When cycling, you can see the gigantic blades of windmills turning due to the wind from the fields, the calm river, and the old or replica houses reflecting on the water. Occasionally, you might also spot a flock of sheep or a herd of dairy cows grazing on the green fields. And also the Dutch girls, in traditional attire, herding goats… Bicycle rental price: 8 euros per bike for two hours.
In fact, throughout the Netherlands, you can encounter people riding bicycles everywhere. Currently, up to 60% of the 17.5 million people in the Netherlands, according to Wikipedia, use bicycles. This country has been and is, perhaps, will continue to move towards a lifestyle that minimizes things harmful to the environment, such as cars.
