One of the iconic symbols of The Netherlands is the windmill. Windmills have dotted the Dutch landscape for a long time. While visitors see them as a picturesque part of the landscape, The Dutch understand them to be a vital part of their history and development. They were used mainly to pump water out of low lying lands as the country sought to reclaim land for agriculture. This use allowed the country to become a major economic powerhouse a few centuries ago.
While the main reason for windmills was to remove water, they had other uses as well. On Friday we joined a tour, and the first stop was Zaanse Schans, which we had visited the day before. We knew this when we visited yesterday. However, today our visit was brief, and the main purpose was to actually go inside a windmill and see it in operation.
As I mentioned in the previous post, the different windmills in Zaanse Schans have different purposes. The one we visited was being used to make peanut oil and occasionally linseed oil. The owner explained the process to us. The windmill powers a milling process inside. Two large millstones moved around on the base crushing the peanuts beneath them. These millstones were from the 1600s. When they were first placed in use they weighed 5,000 pounds each. Today they weigh about 2500 pounds after the years of use have worn them down.
The crushed peanuts are then put into a heated pan to warm up to help release the oil. Then they are put into bags and pressed for a period of time to get the oil out. It was an interesting process to see and realizing it was being done with very old machinery was quite fascinating.
After the operator demonstrated the process, we had a chance to go out into the garden as well as climb up above to see the gears and mechanics. We also could see the lumberyard from the windmill next door. It was fascinating to just walk around inside the windmill and see it as a working area. It was like exploring someone’s old shop.
After experiencing the windmill, we got back on our bus and headed out to the town of Volendam. This town is on what is now IJsselmeer, the largest fresh water lake in Europe. What is unusual is that this is a created Lake. Originally it was an inlet from the ocean, but flooding would occur due to storms and high tides. To fix the problem, the country sealed off the mouth of the inlet in 1932 creating this lake. Water from it was released at low tide into the ocean, and eventually the lake became a fresh water lake. They continue to monitor sea levels. This is an extreme example of how The Netherlands has adapted and changed the landscape.
Volendam was a fishing community, but in recent years it has developed into quite a tourist destination on the lake. It has a small harbor and a number of restaurants and shops. We came to visit the cheese factory. The Cheese factory Volendam produces gouda cheese much like the cheese company we had visited the day before. A young man shared the process of making cheese. Afterwards a video was available to watch the process actually going on in the factory.
However, it seemed the main purpose of this presentation was to sell cheese. We all shuffled over to the main sales area after the presentation. There we sampled different cheeses. Then the buying frenzy began. Since we had purchased cheese the day before, we enjoyed some samples and then left.
At this point it was time to find lunch. A certain fish delicacy was recommended. We declined. We found some sandwiches, and that satisfied our hunger for the moment. With a little bit of time to spare, we wandered around town. However, we certainly could have spent more time there. It was really a nice location on the water. We did have a chance to discover some Dutch favorites. Stroopwafels, for example, are quite different than Belgian waffles. It’s really two crunchy waffles put together with a caramel filling. It’s more like a big cookie.
After our lunch break we took a boat ride out to the village of Marken. Leaving the harbor gave us nice views of Volendam, but crossing the lake was not very interesting. The boat was nice, but from the middle of the lake there is little to see as the area around is so flat. Nothing of interest came up until we arrived in Marken. The boat ride was an add-on to our trip, and I didn’t think it was all that worthwhile.
Marken is on an island and was also a fishing village. However, when the lake was created their access to the sea was blocked, and they had to turn to other employment. Apparently some have turned to eel fishing while tourism has found its way to the island so that has provided income for others.
We didn’t really get a chance to check out Marken. That’s one of the challenges I mentioned when I did my post about tours last spring. Participants are subject to the schedule and intentions of the tour organizers. In this case we headed directly to a clog factory which was the purpose of our coming here. We really saw nothing else in this village.
The clog factory was in some ways a repeat of what we had seen yesterday. The major change was that they were using steam to power their machinery. Otherwise the cloning process they used was much the same. One aspect I did note was that when they were making the opposite shoe, the new and model one would spin in opposite directions.
They also had examples of some of the interesting clogs they had collected. One thing I did do was try on a clog. I wanted to see what they were like. It turns out that one wears clogs somewhat loosely not tightly as one would with leather shoes. They are definitely hard and solid. Apparently people still wear clogs. We noted the miller at the windmill was wearing clogs. Farmers seem to like them as they slip off easily and keep their feet dry in the boggy lands.
The visit to the clog factory was our last stop of the day before our bus took us back to the train station. A narrow land bridge connects the island to the mainland. We had used the same tour company for the garden tour. Interestingly the guides from the garden tour did not make any request for a tip for their services which I thought was nice. However, on this tour they did, even holding clogs out for tip money as we exited the bus. Again we found ourselves with no euros so we were somewhat embarrassed as we got off the bus. Another down side of tours.
We headed back to our hotel for a short rest period and then set out to learn about the artist Monet. The captain of our ferry yesterday pointed this out to us so we checked it out. Near the river a small house serves as a studio to inform the public that Monet had come to Zaandam and created 24 paintings while he was here with his wife and son.
The gentleman who was running the small center showed us a video about Monet and his time in Zaandam. Then he began to talk to us about the paintings pointing out locations in the paintings and where they were today. One painting in particular fascinated him. It shows his wife, son, and governess near a blue house. The house still stands today, but it was not blue. The Monet group wanted to paint it blue again, but the historical board said no. They said Monet could have made it blue when it was not the original color. One man went to the house, cut through the paint finding 52 layers and showed that one of the earlier colors was blue. It was quite a story.
After we left there we walked down and found the house in question. Part of it is now blue. We also walked around the area with its marina before heading back to our hotel for the night.
Saturday will be our final full day in The Netherlands. We plan to spend the day in Amsterdam, but first we need to do our COVID test to return to the USA. Here’s hoping they are negative. (They were)
Each trip we take just adds to our understanding of our diverse world. We see the way people are the same and how they are different. Historically The Netherlands had some unique cultural elements that help them adapt to their world. Unfortunately some of these are fading away as the world grows smaller. Uniformity seems to prevail in much of the western world. There are less unique qualities between cultures.
I look forward to seeing your comments and likes. Feel free to share this on Facebook or Instagram as well. Until next week.
What was the fish delicacy?
Sorry I don’t remember. Neither of us are big fish eaters so nothing really fishy appeals to us.