Kinderdijk Windmills and Cheese Making Dec 2

 Friday, Dec 2. 

 We had to rise early again for our optional excursion to visit a local family owned dairy, and learn how “gouda” is made.  I have learned to pronounce it the way they do, with the throat clearing “houda” pronunciation, which our guide said was the proper way!  Taking a bus ride along the country roads and witnessing the “free standing homes” and windmills, farms, cows, and the grass mowing sheep, was worth the trip, even before reaching the farm! We rode along a levy, and learned how the windmills provided the power to move the water uphill, if you will, allowing the land to be farmed.  Nearly half of the Netherlands is reclaimed land, and they say the people battled with the water, and love to reclaim 

the land. 

It was not yet light when we left the boat to head to the farm to see the cheese making process. 

While photos taken from a moving bus are never the best,I couldn’t resist snapping a few!  The ride was truly delightful.  

Some houses were so far down, their front doors were totally obscured from the road view. 

Some had told us last night that they didn’t opt for the cheese making part of the excursion because they didn’t want to have to get up early, but it was well worth it.  We were greeted by the cows having their breakfast, and then the friendly guide, who amazed us with the presentation of the centuries old farm operation, with the work all done by hand.  Step by step, we were led through, amazed by them having to turn the wheels of cheese daily, and carefully monitoring its aging process, then hand coating the yellow protective coating.  At the end, we were treated to a tasting, and then special pricing to bring some back, which of course we did!

Hand cutting and packaging of the cheese. 

All those wheel are turned over by hand each day...by ONE person! 

And this is how they keep track of the aging of the wheels!  No computers in this operation! 

He asked if we would like to hold a wheel, and of course I said yes! Heavy!  About 25 pounds. 

The room where the yellow coating is applied by hand with a  special sponge. 

The cheeses put in a salt bath.  A few escape the racks, as seen on the right back. 

Nice room where we had a tasting, the last tour of the season.  

Generations of the Booij (sounds like buoy) family.  

An award winning dairy, many trophies were displayed in the shop.  

The view from the farm, across a canal. They have no idea how much  land is theirs, as the farms all cooperate and share the upkeep. The unusual shape of the windmill Akko’s for the top to turn for the blades to catch the wind. 

We returned by bus to our boat, docked in Kinderdijk and walked from the boat dock to the World Heritage site of a group of 19 operational windmills, all dating from the 1600’s. One was in operation, and we got to go inside and see how they lived and worked. The first family to operate this particular mill had 13 kids, and we marveled that they could all exist in the space. It is now operated by the one and only female miller! She wore wooden shoes,  with modern dress, and we were told that while not terribly comfortable, the shoes are perfect for walking on the marshy land, and she chose to wear them for that reason, and not to impress us. Three years of study is required to learn how to manage the mill, then they are put on a waiting list to have the honor of actually living and working in one.  There is no salary for working the mills, and the millers keep their day jobs, then return to care for the mills in the evening.   It is definitely a passion! 

One of the upper floors, with storage cabinet and photos of earlier families. 

A sleeping cubby, most likely for a child. 

The female Miller wore wooden shoes 

I never got a good shot of her, but  captured one from the giant poster of her working that was mounted by the ladies room. Inspiration for future Miller’s? 

Kinderdijk means Childrens dike, a name derived from the fact that a terrible storm in  the 15th century caused massive flooding and loss of life, and it was said a child in a bassinet was found, apparently saved by a cat moving back and forth on the bassinets to steady it and keep it afloat. The legend is the source of The Cat In The Cradle, and the name of the town. The statue below depicts the story, and is anchored in the water near the windmills.

It was a beautiful and fascinating place to visit. It was, however, very cold and of course windy, even though the locals seemed to find it mild!  Luckily I figured correctly with layers so my body was warm, but my face and hands, despite the gloves, were quite cold, and I think we were all happy to return to the boat for a nice warm lunch.  

From shipboard, the contrasting view of the new and old as we leave the Netherlands. 

We soon set sail to make our way to Cologne, as the way is long from here, and it’s fun to see the land and buildings we glide by on our way.  After lunch, most of us headed to our room for a well deserved rest after being on the go for days. Clem is still sound asleep as I write this, but we will gather at 4:30 for a German lesson, and an introduction to the culture , and information about the Christmas Markets, which we can’t wait to experience.