{"id":9424,"date":"2019-12-16T01:06:00","date_gmt":"2019-12-16T01:06:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bucksurdu.com\/blog\/?p=9424"},"modified":"2019-12-16T01:07:57","modified_gmt":"2019-12-16T01:07:57","slug":"kinderdijk-the-netherlands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/bucksurdu.com\/blog\/?p=9424","title":{"rendered":"Kinderdijk, The Netherlands"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Our next full day began with a morning cruise through the Netherlands. Kinderdijk is the only place in the world with so many windmills so close together. It represents the relentless fight against the sea. From the Viking daily, “The village of Kinderdijk is surrounded by the Groene Hart (Green Heart), an extensive peat landscape right in the middle of Randstad, the bursting region of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, and Utrecht… One of the charms of the picturesque low-lying lands of South Holland are the windmills. They are not only an innovative method of water management developed in the Middle Ages, but also iconic structure that have becoming synonymous with the Dutch landscape.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Approaching Kinderkijk<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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A house along the river in the Netherlands on our way to Kinderdijk.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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The first windmill I sighted during our journey.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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The collection of windmills in Kinderdijk. These are working mills. Being a mill keeper is highly competitive, and it requires the residents to keep the mills running every day. While more modern pumping methods are use for water control, these windmills are their backup systems.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

We got off the boat and took a walking tour of the Kinderdijk area, stopping at the visitor’s center and climbing into one of the windmills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Greg and Nicole climbing up the windmill. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Candy climbing up the windmill steps.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Being a mill keeper are big shoes to fill. \ud83d\ude42<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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After our walking tour of the windmills, the four of us took a bus tour to a family-owned, small cheese factory nearby. We had a chance to sample some cheese and see how cheese is made. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Cheese loafs that are waiting to have the rind applied.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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On a bet, Candy ate the 25-pound block of cheese. It was impressive — but a little gross.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Kinderdijk at dusk.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

We returned to the boat a little after dark for another terrific meal. This was our last night aboard ship. During the night we docked in Amsterdam. We had a nice, light breakfast in the lounge and then took a bus to the airport for our flight home. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was a great trip, and we will certainly take another Viking river cruise in the future. It was really nice to be in a floating hotel room and be in a different city each day. The service was terrific, the food was excellent, and the whole experience was wonderful. It was also a lot of fun to share the experience with another couple.<\/p>\n