R&R on the Rhine - Kinderdijk

A tale of a cruise on the Rhine River:
R&R on the Rhine - Memphis to Amsterdam
R&R on the Rhine - Viking Bestla
R&R on the Rhine - Amsterdam
R&R on the Rhine - Kinderdijk
R&R on the Rhine - Cologne
R&R on the Rhine - Marksburg Castle
R&R on the Rhine - Upper Rhine Valley
R&R on the Rhine - Rudesheim
R&R on the Rhine - Heidelberg Castle
R&R on the Rhine - Heidelberg and Speyer
R&R on the Rhine - Strasbourg
R&R on the Rhine - Black Forest
R&R on the Rhine - Colmar
R&R on the Rhine - Zurich Day 1
R&R on the Rhine - Zurich Day 2
R&R on the Rhine - Zurich to Memphis

When we awoke the next morning we were approaching Kinderdijk (KIN-der-dike) which is an area well-known for its windmills.  In fact, the windmills and the canals surrounding it are such a man-made wonder that the area was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.  At one time there were more than 150 windmills in this general vicinity but today there are only 28 and sixteen of those are in the Kinderdijk area.  These mills were all built in 1738 and are called "bonnet mills" because only the top portion turns with the wind.  The sails are extremely long and come within one foot of the ground.

One of the windmills had been reconstructed specifically for tourists and it was amazing to think that an entire family would live in one of these structures.  Everything was very compact with each item having its own place.  I'm not sure how adults could have slept in the bed we saw as it looked way too short for even someone my size much less someone taller. We noticed some boots and shoes hanging on the wall and, yes, they were made of wood.  With the ground being damp so much of the time, the wooden shoes would keep feet dry.  Even the caretaker was wearing them!

At first we thought all the windmills looked basically alike but our guide pointed out differences in the ones on our side of the polders (canal-like holding areas) vs. the ones on the other side.  He also stated that when one of the millers died, the sails would be locked in one position if the miller liked the deceased and in another position if they did not.  Talk about subtle forms of communication!

The view from inside a windmill

This was the day with the most changeable weather.  It was sunny when we docked, started raining while we were touring the windmill and then the sun came back out.  All in the space of a couple of hours.  It was a little cool but really very nice considering it was mid-April and the weather only got better from there.

We cast off again around 11 AM and shortly thereafter had our safety briefing.  On a sea-going vessel we'd call this exercise the lifeboat drill.  While we did have to put on our life vests and meet at the designated spot, our longship doesn't actually have life boats.  Since it was so cool and raining occasionally, the crew allowed us to meet indoors instead of up on the sun deck where the normal gathering spots are.  The crew told us that in case of an accident we were to come up on the sun deck and hope our ankles don't get wet.  They pointed out that if we were on the upper-most deck we'd likely stay dry the whole time sine the river just isn't that deep.  Also, we were in view of the shore at all times - an advantage of a river cruise vs. a sea-going one - so it was never a far swim.

We were able to visit the wheelhouse that afternoon as we cruised and it was interesting to see how it all works.  Since there are bridges and locks on the river, the wheelhouse is on a hydraulic lift and can be raised and lowered as necessary.  The awnings over the lounge chairs on the sun deck can also be raised and lowered.  As we watched the captain carry us along, we received company - the river police.  They trailed us for a bit and the captain said it was because we were a new ship and they'd want to be sure we had all our papers.  Sure enough, a bit later we were boarded so they could ensure we were legitimate.  The captain told us that because the Rhine is such a busy river both with tourists and cargo, Viking had to file paperwork two years in advance to ensure they got the rights to the route they wanted!

We cruised through the afternoon and all night to reach our next port.  That was our longest cruise of the trip but it was nice to have a relatively slow day to start things off.

After a welcome reception from Captain Alex and Hotel Manager Harald we enjoyed another wonderful dinner and settled in for the night.