The Road North
From Arnhem to Fryslân.
The journey back to the Netherlands was not much fun, but at least we were only aiming for Arnhem. Being right beside the German border, it is a 0 windmill journey, but we still managed to scoop this superb 2 metre tall model at a petrol station. Pity about the wonky vanes.
Thanks to the closed autobahn, we failed to beat the rain, and pitched just as the storms reached Arnhem. They were phenomenal, with extremely heavy rain, and almost constant lightning. Unfortunately, the Netherlands showed us the problems with drainage, and we were forced to quickly relocate the tent when a small lake formed, with our tent in 4 inches of water.
A triple tandem, with a raised pedal crank for the middle rider, and a trailer. In the background is another bike, with a recumbent bicycle seat on the front to allow a small passenger to pedal as well.
Windmill number 1 at the Openluchtmuseum, the Dutch folk museum, the next day.
And number 2, with a radically different design; the entire windmill structure rotates, along with any internal accomodation.
And a very small number 3, a self-directing model.
An old-style tram, now replaced by updated models.
A double cantilever bridge, with windmills 4 and 5. Windmill 5 is particularly interesting in that it is not a water pump. It is a sawmill. See, they can do other jobs too, though I never knowingly saw one used for milling grain.
Sawmill, lake, and a small number 6 windmill.
Traditional wedding cart and feast.
Love the colour. Something about this house makes me think of a smurf with a basin-cut hairdo. The well in the front uses a shaduf, possible because of the high water table, and thus short distance that the bucket has to travel to reach water.
Shutters on the blue house.
Old wheels being slowly reclaimed by the undergrowth.
A mill for grinding linseed to extract the oil. You'd think this would be a windmill, but no, it's horse-drawn.
An image of times past.
Window with an eyebrow.
Thatch for drying thatch.
Flowerpot.
Waterlily.
Caption competition. "Awight lads, we got 'im surrounded - bet you didn't see this one comin', eh?". The fish almost seem to be gasping for air in the murky water.
Birds 1, fish 0.
Dutch gables - ridiculous, elaborate facades stuck on the normal gable.
Penny-farthing, a design from 1870 (seen here in miniature), and very hard to use compared with a rear-wheeled drive bike.
Modern washing machine, allowing the door to be opened without the 5 minute delay. All you need are some orphan slaves to work the machine - the motor turns and drops the plunger to ensure the whole garment is cleaned.
Even older tram.
Tram maintenance unit.
Carriage simulator (I kid you not). Smells like it is being pulled behind sweaty horses too. Perhaps that's just the sweaty humans in the hot humidity.
A real grass-roofed hut, and windmill number 7.
Single piston steam engine, powering an entire large cheese factory. Time to leave the museum, and head northwards.
Being so far south, Arnhem actually has some hills. Take a good look, since it will be the last proper hill.
Wild roosters? They need signs for that? Hows about one for rabbits, and hedgehogs? (It's a cattle grid, in case you were wondering.) I also liked the German road called "Am Anger" (is having bad day, am serious), but failed to point the camera at it.
Hole in a brick wall, Zwolle.
A very plain building, with a very elaborate facade stuck on it. See, is grand now.
The first of the really wonky buildings - see the alignment of the window frames, surrounds, and walls. Not sure how accidental these are, but they turn up quite regularly, and at least some must be intentional.
A nice old building in front of a plain old church.
Tower and ornate buildings.
An attempt to combat drunken urination, perhaps; outdoor urinals. Not only is it possible for any passer-by to see (useless if you get stage fright), but there is even a sign telling you that you are on video. What kind of freak wants to watch that? No, on second thoughts, don't tell me.
Flying heron.
Dike through the middle of a lake.
The picturesque canals at Giethoorn, the main mode of transportation. There are no roads through the village, only the canals and a cycle path.
My T-shirt attracts a translucent caterpillar.
One-way street signs on the canal.
Shutters.
Bridges over the one-way system.
The downside is that the canal is used by a lot of other people. The upside is that the canal is used by a lot of damer.
The one-way system is 0.5 windmills long.
But the lake is a whole windmill long, though it's not a traditional windmill, so it doesn't really count.
Way to waste time, take a pedalo, pedal onto the lake, then sit there reading a magazine. Some humans are strange.
Dutch ice-cream van.
Coot chick trying to hide.
Painted post (from all the passing boats that hit it).
One ...
... two ...
... three ...
... four ...
... five windmills later, we were in Fryslân. The windmill density seems to be a bit higher up here so don't overestimate the distance.
The journey back to the Netherlands was not much fun, but at least we were only aiming for Arnhem. Being right beside the German border, it is a 0 windmill journey, but we still managed to scoop this superb 2 metre tall model at a petrol station. Pity about the wonky vanes.
Thanks to the closed autobahn, we failed to beat the rain, and pitched just as the storms reached Arnhem. They were phenomenal, with extremely heavy rain, and almost constant lightning. Unfortunately, the Netherlands showed us the problems with drainage, and we were forced to quickly relocate the tent when a small lake formed, with our tent in 4 inches of water.
A triple tandem, with a raised pedal crank for the middle rider, and a trailer. In the background is another bike, with a recumbent bicycle seat on the front to allow a small passenger to pedal as well.
Windmill number 1 at the Openluchtmuseum, the Dutch folk museum, the next day.
And number 2, with a radically different design; the entire windmill structure rotates, along with any internal accomodation.
And a very small number 3, a self-directing model.
An old-style tram, now replaced by updated models.
A double cantilever bridge, with windmills 4 and 5. Windmill 5 is particularly interesting in that it is not a water pump. It is a sawmill. See, they can do other jobs too, though I never knowingly saw one used for milling grain.
Sawmill, lake, and a small number 6 windmill.
Traditional wedding cart and feast.
Love the colour. Something about this house makes me think of a smurf with a basin-cut hairdo. The well in the front uses a shaduf, possible because of the high water table, and thus short distance that the bucket has to travel to reach water.
Shutters on the blue house.
Old wheels being slowly reclaimed by the undergrowth.
A mill for grinding linseed to extract the oil. You'd think this would be a windmill, but no, it's horse-drawn.
An image of times past.
Window with an eyebrow.
Thatch for drying thatch.
Flowerpot.
Waterlily.
Caption competition. "Awight lads, we got 'im surrounded - bet you didn't see this one comin', eh?". The fish almost seem to be gasping for air in the murky water.
Birds 1, fish 0.
Dutch gables - ridiculous, elaborate facades stuck on the normal gable.
Penny-farthing, a design from 1870 (seen here in miniature), and very hard to use compared with a rear-wheeled drive bike.
Modern washing machine, allowing the door to be opened without the 5 minute delay. All you need are some orphan slaves to work the machine - the motor turns and drops the plunger to ensure the whole garment is cleaned.
Even older tram.
Tram maintenance unit.
Carriage simulator (I kid you not). Smells like it is being pulled behind sweaty horses too. Perhaps that's just the sweaty humans in the hot humidity.
A real grass-roofed hut, and windmill number 7.
Single piston steam engine, powering an entire large cheese factory. Time to leave the museum, and head northwards.
Being so far south, Arnhem actually has some hills. Take a good look, since it will be the last proper hill.
Wild roosters? They need signs for that? Hows about one for rabbits, and hedgehogs? (It's a cattle grid, in case you were wondering.) I also liked the German road called "Am Anger" (is having bad day, am serious), but failed to point the camera at it.
Hole in a brick wall, Zwolle.
A very plain building, with a very elaborate facade stuck on it. See, is grand now.
The first of the really wonky buildings - see the alignment of the window frames, surrounds, and walls. Not sure how accidental these are, but they turn up quite regularly, and at least some must be intentional.
A nice old building in front of a plain old church.
Tower and ornate buildings.
An attempt to combat drunken urination, perhaps; outdoor urinals. Not only is it possible for any passer-by to see (useless if you get stage fright), but there is even a sign telling you that you are on video. What kind of freak wants to watch that? No, on second thoughts, don't tell me.
Flying heron.
Dike through the middle of a lake.
The picturesque canals at Giethoorn, the main mode of transportation. There are no roads through the village, only the canals and a cycle path.
My T-shirt attracts a translucent caterpillar.
One-way street signs on the canal.
Shutters.
Bridges over the one-way system.
The downside is that the canal is used by a lot of other people. The upside is that the canal is used by a lot of damer.
The one-way system is 0.5 windmills long.
But the lake is a whole windmill long, though it's not a traditional windmill, so it doesn't really count.
Way to waste time, take a pedalo, pedal onto the lake, then sit there reading a magazine. Some humans are strange.
Dutch ice-cream van.
Coot chick trying to hide.
Painted post (from all the passing boats that hit it).
One ...
... two ...
... three ...
... four ...
... five windmills later, we were in Fryslân. The windmill density seems to be a bit higher up here so don't overestimate the distance.