Kinderkijk windmills

Our first stop on the river cruise was at an old village of 18 windmills that used to pump water out of the area so that crops would grow. These were used for many years until modern pumping equipment ( huge Archimedes screws and even larger diesel pumps)took their place. Today they are largely in disuse except for 2-3 that they maintain for tourists. Like at Zaans Schans , we climbed up into the windmills and saw them at work with their huge stones and wooden gears crushing grain.
Our ship arrived at the mooring site before dawn so we got a glimpse of the town lights on the dark, before we began our tour after breakfast. After the tour we returned to the ship and continued down the Rhine river to Germany.Read more