This morning, we sailed to Kinderdijk, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where we toured this fascinating network of windmills and other ingenious flood management technologies. Granted World Heritage status in 1997, the windmills of Kinderdijk are used to pump water from the polders using internal and external scoops into reservoirs, on two levels. At one time, there were more than 150 in the Alblasserwaard and Vifheerenlanden area...this had dropped to 78 in the 1870s. Today, the total is only 28, of which 16 are in the Kinderdijk area. They are bonnet mills (in which only the top section resolves with the wind), built from brick and with large sails that come within one foot of the ground.
The temperature was 29 degrees and the wind was 20-30 MPH!!!!! Rethinking a Christmas Markets cruise!!!
Ice forming around the reeds...it was ICE cold!!!!
Are we having fun yet??????
Back on board to sail to our next stop in CologneGermany...unfortunately the weather does not look any better...at least it isn't raining...or more likely snowing!
No comments:
Post a Comment