Captain Halliday
Established Member
- Joined
- Jun 1, 2014
- Posts
- 4,676
Kinderdijk
We’d scheduled a week in Amsterdam, using it as a base to explore several parts of Holland, including the capital.
Our planned activities would take five days allowing two spare days for poor weather, changes to plans or additional activities.
Next Morning, Miss H reported feeling about 80%.
We offered a rest day, but Miss H sounded a lot like her dad when she replied, “We didn’t travel half-way around the world to sit in a hotel room.”
With favourable weather I suggested we head for Kinderdijk, which would allow Miss H to rest on both the train to Rotterdam and the river cruise to Kinderdijk.
We boarded a train and headed for the striking Rotterdam Central Station.
From the station we walked about a dozen blocks through the city to reach Nieuwe Maas (river).
From there a ferry took us upriver.
Along the way we passed "Noah’s Ark".
Now closed, it was previously a floating exhibit of biblical stories.
The cruise was effectively a local ferry, so no commentary.
It took about an hour, eventually reaching the village of Kinderdijk: a Unesco World Heritage site with 19 windmills.
All built in the 18th century, the windmills all remain operational and contribute to the Netherlands flood mitigation system.
Two are open to tourists.
The remaining 17 are all leased to resident caretakers who either live in the windmill, or in small houses beside.
Access to the site is free and there’s an excellent network of pedestrian and cycle paths.
If you want to enter the museum, old pump station or ride either of the two small ferries that ply the canal, you’ll need a ticket.
It’s roughly $20 (AUD) per person with a small discount on weekdays.
Both ferries depart from near the ticket office.
One offers a 45-minute return cruise along the canal allowing you to see all 19 windmills.
The second operates between the ticket office and the two windmills that are open for viewing.
We’d scheduled a week in Amsterdam, using it as a base to explore several parts of Holland, including the capital.
Our planned activities would take five days allowing two spare days for poor weather, changes to plans or additional activities.
Next Morning, Miss H reported feeling about 80%.
We offered a rest day, but Miss H sounded a lot like her dad when she replied, “We didn’t travel half-way around the world to sit in a hotel room.”
With favourable weather I suggested we head for Kinderdijk, which would allow Miss H to rest on both the train to Rotterdam and the river cruise to Kinderdijk.
We boarded a train and headed for the striking Rotterdam Central Station.
From the station we walked about a dozen blocks through the city to reach Nieuwe Maas (river).
From there a ferry took us upriver.
Along the way we passed "Noah’s Ark".
Now closed, it was previously a floating exhibit of biblical stories.
The cruise was effectively a local ferry, so no commentary.
It took about an hour, eventually reaching the village of Kinderdijk: a Unesco World Heritage site with 19 windmills.
All built in the 18th century, the windmills all remain operational and contribute to the Netherlands flood mitigation system.
Two are open to tourists.
The remaining 17 are all leased to resident caretakers who either live in the windmill, or in small houses beside.
Access to the site is free and there’s an excellent network of pedestrian and cycle paths.
If you want to enter the museum, old pump station or ride either of the two small ferries that ply the canal, you’ll need a ticket.
It’s roughly $20 (AUD) per person with a small discount on weekdays.
Both ferries depart from near the ticket office.
One offers a 45-minute return cruise along the canal allowing you to see all 19 windmills.
The second operates between the ticket office and the two windmills that are open for viewing.
. It sure does take a lot of time, but I hope you find the time because I have really enjoyed following along on your trip. No pressure of course, life is real...
