Gouda molen

Believe it or not I came across this giant by accident. I was wandering away from the centre of Gouda and was first alerted by the sweep of a blade, partially obscured behind trees. Coming closer was exciting. While most windmills are in open country this one has, over the centuries, become part of the town of Gouda. I had to come right up to its base before I could see it properly. Such a beautiful piece of engineering - really a work of art in its own right. While you are aware of the 'wish...wish...wish' of the blades, it is surprisingly quiet, outside and in. And yes, it was operating and open to the public - and it was free! Moreover there was no supervision. I was able to climb the five - maybe six - flights of unbelievably steep stairs, past all the layers of machinery, to get up to the platform which can be seen in the photos. It was just a very special experience. I have always thought living in a lighthouse would be an amazing - and I think living in, or by, a windmill would be similar. I am sure all mills have their own characters and personalities. There were little living quarters attached and clearly a caretaker was in residence.

Out one of the mill windows - another mill!!

From the platform - I couldn't get much closer to the blades than this

I think this might be some sort of brake mechanism? 

Little house on the left was the caretaker's cottage

The Groene Hart...

Yesterday Merel's lovely parents, Gerda and Jaap, picked me up early afternoon and took me into what is known as the Groene Hart (green heart) of the south-western Netherlands. It's an area of small villages, farms and many waterways, now protected from inappropriate development or encroachment by the big cities of the Randstadt on its western fringe (though scanning a few URLs I get the impression that it may still be under threat). Much of the area consists of 'polders' - areas that were once lake but were reclaimed, many in the sixteenth century, using windmills, dykes for protection and canals to channel the water. The roads meandered, not much more than a single lane wide. The landscape was leafy, green and watery with long, flat vistas broken by the occasional slender church spire on the horizon. Ideal for cyclists. The houses all backed onto water and each house had its boat. It was very quiet - day-trippers and tourists discouraged perhaps by the unseasonally grey weather.

As we made our way back towards Den Haag when passed through a huge area of nurseries - plants, shrubs, trees - on a scale I couldn't possibly have imagined. Acres and acres and acres. As Gerda said, they probably supply much of western Europe, and I could believe it. Everything so neat and organised - this a hallmark of what I have seen of the country in general. 

Ex windmill, now house

Gerda and Jaap at a coffee stop

Gerda at a lock

House at the lock

Coffee stop #2

Houseboats

Owners of coffee stop #2 and the cow's legs

Nursery