Day 11, Part 2 – Team Beck tilts at windmills in Zaanse Schans
Windmills! That was the overwhelming Team Beck consensus on what to see next after a fabulous morning at the Rijksmuseum and the Van Loon mansion earlier that August Sunday in Amsterdam.
@tim-beck knew just the place, and after a couple of rounds of trying to convince us it wouldn’t take hours to get to this museum village in the hinterlands of the Netherlands, we headed to Amsterdam Centraal Station and found the regional train heading to Zaanse Schans. We had been warned that our tickets would “explode” if we didn’t tag ourselves in, but all the gates in the station were open, so we headed up the escalator to our regional train platform, caught the train within a few minutes, and within half an hour were disembarking in the residential area of Zaanse Schans, which the website (well worth checking out if only for the stunning flyover video of the area) bills as a “unique piece of Dutch history on the River Zaan”.
From the train station to windmills
Following a group of three girl-women-nonstop-selfie-takers who seemed to know what they were doing, we headed down the main road from the station towards the river.
Even the sidewalks were whimsical.
A map of the town made it easy to figure out where to go and what to expect.
Take a sec to look at the route - it's straightforward; just cross the bridge and hang a left into the 1800s.
The smell of raw chocolate being processed at the factory to our left was overwhelming. A bit sickening, to be honest, and we wondered if it was milder on a Sunday than during the week - and if so, how the residents could stand it, even if it did mean gainful employment. This was not how we thought Willy Wonka’s factory would smell.
A glance to the left took us briefly home to Africa. This was a window of a cocoa shop, which no doubt had its doors been open would have shared with us tales of the chocolate industry in Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana and other African countries where the cocoa bean has been so influential to their destiny.
We turned left and were greeted by our first windmill. Majestic!
We crossed the bridge over the Zaans River, where we were greeted by this panoramic view to our left.
Here you can see the modern town to the left and the windmills and historic village on the other side of the river.
Here's how it looked and sounded that day:
To the right, another chocolate factory. Again, this is not where we envisioned Willy Wonka heading every day.
At the foot of the bridge was this beautiful little garden.
By now you know we were attracted, like magpies, to shiny things. We had to go in for a closer look.
We had thought it was a little cherub boy. Wrong!
On the other side of the path leading into the village, a detailed map laid out the village and the string of windmills, so again we knew what to expect.
Naturally we studied it in detail before heading into the village. Not! Because…
…it is such a pretty village, and we couldn't wait to start exploring
The village is filled with quaint houses, and little bridges crossing the small streams.
Just try to choose the prettiest. I dare you.
The whole village is peaceful and quiet, despite the many tourists wandering through. We doubted anyone actually lives there, because there’s no way their lives could be peaceful and quiet. If we had gone there earlier in the day when some of the museums were open, I'm sure we would have found out. However, the houses are maintained in mint condition, as are the various museums (at least their exteriors – they were closed by the time we got there) and the mills.
Then - finally - we got to the main reason for our excursion...
...windmills!
As we approached, the light became more forgiving. The clouds dispersed and the whole area became bathed in golden late afternoon sunlight.
These windmills are sooooooo pretty.
Again, I dare you to choose the prettiest. There's no point in trying.
They are also functional. For example, the windmill Verfmolen De Kat (Colour Mill “The Cat”), built in 1782, is the last working colour mill in the world, and is used to this day to grind a variety of natural dyes and pigments from hardwoods and minerals such as red and yellow ochre. I had no idea that's where pigments had been made historically.
Here's Emma sitting pretty in front of a pretty windmill. She was really glad we went to the Zaanse Schans.
Country life in the Zaanse Schans
It seemed to us that to grow up in the 1800s in a place of such simple natural beauty, surrounded by colours, flocks of birds, farm animals to provide all the dairy and protein to fuel a farmworker’s appetite would arguably have been about the best way to grow up anywhere ever. It is hard to look at this place and not imagine painters flocking to the banks of the Zaans River to be inspired by the intensity of the colours and the tranquillity of the area, not to mention that if your subjects were animals, these moved obligingly slowly.
This little tendril reminded me of a similar wildflower we used to see in the fields of Montreal's South Shore in the 1970s. Spot the ladybird.
That was a mini-windmill in the centre of the field, and there were birds and cats playing (not with each other) in the long grass. I'm sure there were other four-legged creatures in the grass, but they were too wily to be spotted by the humans on the path.
Country scenes
Here are a few photos to give you an idea of the bucolic life the animals lead.
Kiligirl's take on the inner life of farm animals
"I heard tomorrow we'll have to get up."
"Don't bug me. I'm meditating. So's Fred."
"Who's Fred?"
"I dunno. Some old goat. I'm tired now from all this eating grass. Time to do some cud."
Kiligirl makes a sheep of herself
I’m embarrassed to say I thought, from far away, that these were pigs. I need to spend more time on farms.
It was only when we got closer I could see they were woolly. Sheep, not pigs. And of course some of the tourists were snapping their fingers trying to get the sheep to look at them. As if....
And some closing views for you
Back to Amsterdam
Thrilled with our visit to the Zaanse Schans, we scuttled back to the train station. Somehow we had read the schedule wrong, since instead of a 5-minute wait it was more like half an hour. Emma had photos to format on her phone. I played with my exploding ticket, but no boom or even pop was to be heard when I scanned it over the card reader. We watched the other tourists on the platform, who seemed as baffled as we were by the written schedule and the definitive lack of train.
We didn't care.
We had enjoyed a delectable skim of a slice of Dutch history, which could have been terribly cheesy but wasn't, and revelled in the harmony of an area which draws its power from the movement of air through ancient sails turning in the breeze. We had seen our first real windmills, and we were deeply satisfied.
So it was time for supper, then!
Images by @kiligirl, @tim-beck and Emma Beck except where otherwise credited.
Other posts to date on our trip:
https://steemit.com/travel/@kiligirl/day-11-part-1-team-beck-hits-the-rijksmuseum-and-other-stunning-amsterdam-attractions
https://steemit.com/travel/@kiligirl/day-10-team-beck-comes-to-grips-with-amsterdam
https://steemit.com/travel/@kiligirl/day-10-team-beck-travels-from-hardelot-to-amsterdam-alternative-title-groundhog-day
https://steemit.com/travel/@kiligirl/day-9-team-beck-in-bruges-and-dunkirk-so-not-a-movie
https://steemit.com/travel/@kiligirl/day-8-team-beck-does-a-bit-of-rest-and-restoration-in-le-touquet-and-hardelot
https://steemit.com/family/@kiligirl/day-7-team-beck-attends-the-wedding-of-the-century
https://steemit.com/travel/@kiligirl/day-6-part-3-of-the-beck-trek-to-france-bruges-and-amsterdam-superkiligirl-saves-the-mother-of-the-bride
https://steemit.com/travel/@kiligirl/day-6-part-2-team-beck-takes-a-reflective-turn-in-delville-wood-somme-region-of-france
https://steemit.com/travel/@kiligirl/day-6-the-beck-trek-hits-the-north-of-france-amiens
https://steemit.com/travel/@kiligirl/day-5-team-beck-moves-from-paris-to-pas-de-calais-in-the-north-of-france-and-nobody-dies
https://steemit.com/travel/@kiligirl/day-4-in-paris-for-team-beck-notre-dame-the-musee-d-orsay-and-le-marais
https://steemit.com/travel/@kiligirl/day-3-in-paris-for-team-beck-hop-on-hop-off-bus-tour
https://steemit.com/travel/@kiligirl/day-2-in-paris-for-team-beck-boat-cruise-down-the-seine
https://steemit.com/travel/@kiligirl/day-2-in-paris-for-team-beck-a-visit-to-the-louvre
https://steemit.com/travel/@kiligirl/two-weeks-ago-yesterday-we-were-wandering-around-the-centre-pompidou-in-paris
https://steemit.com/travel/@kiligirl/paris-day-1-part-2-of-several-posts-on-our-trip-to-paris-pas-de-calais-bruges-and-amsterdam
https://steemit.com/travel/@kiligirl/whirlwind-tour-of-paris-pas-de-calais-bruges-and-amsterdam
Team South Africa banner designed by @bearone
They looked a lot like pigs to me also maybe they are shigs or peeps \o/
Geez, I laughed out loud when I read your comment. Shigs or peeps!! 🤣🤣 Looks like I'll be able to count on your support to see things through a special lens...😜😜
Never could I pick out the prettiest one of any of those windmills. I had no idea they were so colorful . Neat story about the making of dyes. Have you had your eyes checked lately? At first glance they do look like hairy pigs! Lol! Ellie Mae🐓🐓
We had no idea they were so colourful either! Those prescription sunglasses are the best glasses I have - use them for driving. I think the problem was more in the signal processing centre aka my brain...😜😜
Sounds like you had a great trip. I love the way you enjoy life, my friend
Thank you, @johnnyray, a month later we're still basking in the enjoyment of it. Ok, it helps to be going through thousands of photos so the memories don't have a choice but to stick around. 😜 There are so many reasons we could choose not to enjoy life. I've not had the easiest of lives, but I've certainly not had anywhere close to the challenges many people out there have. We had the chance to do something extraordinary even though we're not sure where the money for everyday life will come from next year, and we made sure we squeezed as much as possible from it. Feeding off these memories, and learning more about Steemit and the Steem blockchain, is great motivation for the future! Thanks for stopping in. 😊😊
I understand as I have just returned from a 2 week Alaska cruise. and have nearly 10,000 photos etc. which includes dog sledding to zip lines, and oh yes my wife caught a bigger salmon than me, but good for her. I think I have enough material for around 100 articles, 3 a day for a month.
I enjoy seeing your work, and yes I love steemit, and so upset at not having internet for most of the time I was out at sea.
Holy Comoley - 10 000 photos and so many adventures! Those sound like terrific posts in the making. I'm looking forward to them. Thanks so much for your supportive comments. They mean a lot. Glad you're enjoying Steemit.
enjoy . . . more like loving it. I also purchased a go pro, so I will have fun making these post. I also will follow you closely as well, my friend
Oh, what a good idea! Looking forward to those salmon photos. Hope you didn't have to fight off any bears for the fish? 😊😊
We caught them trolling on boat, which was rocking like crazy but no bear to worry about. Should be a good post
I don't want to miss that one! I'm not sure how I'll know when you've posted - can I ask you to reply in this thread or some other thread we might be weaving that you've posted?
Thank you for a wonderful series on your trip.
I had the opportunity to visit the Kinder Dijk when we were in the Netherlands. It was an amazing experience as we had an opportunity to view it from the inside. It consist of an array of wooden gears that dive the mill and in beteen this all there is livingplace for the farmer and his family!
Wow, @marcel1965, that sounds like it's worth going back to see. I must say there's merit in this skimming approach because we got to see a lot, but what it achieves is making us want to go back and dive deeper into some of the places we saw. That Kinder Dijk experience must have been eye-opening - were the farmer and his family living and working there, or was it a demonstration farm? I didn't quite get if Zaanse Schans was one or the other, or a bit of both.
@kiligirl, it was a working farm but for demostration purposes however the farmer really stayed in the mill. I still thought that I will not be able to live like that with tourist whatching your every move!
Gee, you would really have to want to work that way. I'm with you - no tourists looking over my shoulder, thanks!
Hi @kiligirl - What a great blog you upload today. Again I must say that you're the real heroin of steemit to elaborate things in Natural way. Your work always 100/100 in all respect. Specially Unique stuff, Picture quality, explanation of the scenes and overall presentation. Please keep writing and stay blessed!
Wow, thank you, @jawad09, what an awesome (and motivating!) comment. Between @tim-beck, Emma and myself, we're saying we now have a unique album of our experiences, saved forever on the blockchain. It's exciting to be able to share with people like you who care about quality. You've really made my day! 😊😊
@kiligirl - No doubt you always share unique Stuff and not only unique, but its always top class. And yes its not any type of buttering indeed YOU REALLY DESERVE THIS RESPECT!
Hi @jawad09, your comment simply warms my heart. I really appreciate your support 😊😊
Welcome!
Excellent post, I love all the lovely pictures.The windmills are spectacular and your narration is really good too :)
Thank you, @practicaleric, that's really kind! 😊😊
Yeej Zaanse Schans! great, as mentioned i never been there eventhought i live so close. like your poste, great pictures and love the fact that you explain about the history to. looks like a fun day out
Hi, @heyitshaas, thanks so much! I hope you get a chance to go there while you're living in Amsterdam. We got there after 5:00 on a Sunday so everything was closed, but it looks like a great place to go for a picnic with friends and a stroll buying cheese and that sort of thing. Apparently you can watch them making clogs, too, if that's your sort of thing...😊😊
Happy to see you're enjoying our little country :). Don't forget Rotterdam, my favorite town of all! Great pics
Thank you, @amritadeva! Unfortunately, we were only able to slide through Rotterdam on the train from Lille to Amsterdam, so we'll have to make that on another trip! Our nano stay in Amsterdam has only given us a taste for more of the Netherlands. Thanks for stopping in! 😊😊
That village is adorable! Oh, how I would love to have a tiny river in my garden and a small bridge over it. And imagine if all windmills still looked like that! Beautiful pictures of a beautiful landscape, and I actually also thought that the sheep were pigs at first so you are not the only one making that mistake ^_^
It is so green everywhere, I can almost smell how refreshing and clean the air is from watching those pictures. I am beginning to miss the greenness and nature of Finland, it feels like the city never ends here and most of the nature that exists in the city has a brownish color. But there are also some beautiful flowers and palm trees - I just love palm trees.
Hi @mialinnea, the place really looks like it's straight out of a fairy tale, or that human hobbits live there. I am so relieved I'm not the only one who thought they were pigs. Let's not tell the sheep.
I know what you mean about the power of green...coming from Montreal, I was used to the amazing green you get in spring followed by the deep green of summer, and the smells as you mow the grass...mmmmm! Add to that I spent my first six years in England, so I grew up with soft, sweet green grass.
South Africa and California have similar climates and that brown drab thing eventually works its way into your soul - you find you need green. The flowers and palm trees are beautiful, yes, but they aren't a substitute for green. There are a few places in South Africa with indigenous forest (there's one place called Hogsback which is where JRR Tolkien grew up and got his inspiration for Hobbiton), but the "green, green grass of home" doesn't really exist here. I can understand how you would miss the greenness of Finland.
Lovely to hear from you and I appreciate your comment! 😊😊
And then after the deep green of summer you get the, yellow, the orange and the red! You don't really realize how much you love something until it's no longer there. I might co camping tomorrow, so I hope to find some more green in the hills around Los Angeles. :)
I would love to visit South Africa one day, I have a friend who studied there for a few years and now works as a nature guide and the pictures he puts up on facebook and instagram are simply amazing! Looks like a paradise.
You are so right! Those colours are ingrained in us somehow. Camping in search of green sounds like a plan :-).
I was just catching up with a friend in Montreal this afternoon and our conversation turned, as it does with Montrealers, to the weather and the autumn leaves. So they've had temperatures over 35°C, but the leaves are still turning. That blows the hypothesis that it's frost and lowering temperatures that makes the leaves change colour, and rather supports the "it's the changing light" camp.
If you have a friend doing bush work in South Africa, all I can say is save up and visit him! There is nothing, nothing, nothing to compare with the southern African bush. (But it's rarely green ;-)).
Oh, if you do go camping, please take some photos and make a post about it :-).
😊😊
Hmm, that's interesting! I always thought it was the cold temperature that made the leaves turn colours but now that you mention it I think I have heard the light theory as well.
Yes, I have been planning on going to visit him since he left to go there but I have been saving most of my money for this exchange. He really loves it there though and will probably not move back to Finland anytime soon so I will go visit him at some point! Yes, the bush seems marvelous in pictures and I bet it is 100 times better in real life 😊
Growing up in Montreal, we lived with the accepted wisdom that the September temperature drop led to the change in leaf colour. Now I see friends questioning decades of certain knowledge being challenged! Fun stuff.
On the bush: nothing can prepare you for the wonderful smells, especially in the morning. 😊😊
Thihi, that is fun! Why did you move to South Africa if I may ask? :)
Oh, are the smells coming from the flowers around? I look forward to experiencing that!
Hmmm...why did I move to South Africa? I ran a technical assistance project based in Zambia on behalf of the Canadian International Development Agency (my company had won the project just before I started working there). The project lasted 9 years, was based in Zambia and covered the whole SADC (Southern African Development Community) region, and during that time I travelled a great deal from Montreal to the region. It was during my stays there that I became increasingly convinced "doing development" from outside the "developing" country was an exercise in false economies, and to be brutally honest, repressive to the local private sector. At the same time, I became convinced that the local private sector would be important to helping countries achieve greater economic equality by growing, providing jobs and reinvesting in their economies, and by contributing to attracting foreign direct investment. Companies "doing aid" were highly transactional which seemed unsustainable to me. Then my company opened an office in South Africa and asked for interested parties to head it up. I expressed interest.
...and was told Johannesburg was too dangerous for a girl.
So they gave the job to a "senior businessman" (that's what they said they were looking for) and I nearly moved to Vietnam. Then the senior businessman left Joburg since his family couldn't take it here, and they asked me if I was still interested. The rest is history.
About the smells? Oh my gosh, they are heady and heavenly. September is such a lovely time to visit Joburg. The beginning of summer can also be a lovely time to visit the bush, once the first rains have come. The grass is green and the smells of the bush are divine - wild thyme, for instance. Mmmmmm....
Hope you're getting ready to go camping this weekend! Cheers 😊😊
Great post and wonderful pictures! You've got our Upvote and follow!
Thank you so much, @extremeromance! I really appreciate your support! 😊😊
...and may I say, Zaanse Schans really photographs itself. It is the epitome of picturesque.