In my quixotic quest to live the slogan, “I am not a tourist” and experience more of life in Holland, I visited Kinderdijk, located outside of the quaint and atmospheric city of Dordrecht, because it seemed like a good place to have a look around.  Where else in the world can one see 19, 18th century windmills all in one place?  A place where 'Child’s Dike' is the origin for the folktale about the Cat and the Cradle?

Kinderdijk’s windmills are unique to Holland, naturally, and every year there is a brief period when all of the windmills turn their mills, a sight for tourists’ delight.  This Saturday, 30 August, is the last such day this year to see and imagine them as they were first intended.  After this, there is one week in September (1-5) where the windmills are lit up in floodlights after sunset, another sweet treat to witness the landscape as summer slips away and autumn approaches.

Beyond this, though, what could I bring that hasn’t already been brought about Kinderdijk?

Well, there is the story of a miller, a miller who lives in one of the windmills of Kinderdijk, with his wife and four children, who will always do so if the wind blows his way.

The miller’s story

The story begins with a six-year old village boy’s intense fascination for windmills.

“As I walked between the windmills, I knew I wanted to live in a windmill one day and to be a miller,” said Mr. Cock van den Berg, “and when I became a carpenter in high school I wanted to learn how to repair and maintain a mill.”  Mr. van den Berg went on to explain that, “in the old days a miller’s job was to harness the power in the wind in order to drain the polder and bring the water to a higher level so it makes its way to the river.  A miller had to operate the mill day and night because of his uncertainty over the wind’s appearance.”  

It’s hard to imagine managing the water with only wind as a source of power.  Elementally, at least, they both have their own rhythms, but I digress.  

I asked Mr. van den Berg if he works with the national weather forecasts and he assured me that the only way to understand the wind’s characteristics is to learn directly under the tutelage of an old miller, as he did.  “Only a miller can teach you about what the sky is doing, and what to look for in the sun’s position in order to accurately gauge when there will be wind to harness.”  

Since wind power can only be used at the time it appears, I am even more mystified that water has been kept off of the land at all, but I ask him how he came to live in the mill, and if his family were surprised by his lifestyle choice.  

“My friends and family expected me to become a miller because of my childhood passion, and I’ve been on the Water Board (Waterschap) for 27 years now.  Initially the Water Board managed the windmills of Kinderdijk because the Dutch government wanted the mills maintained as reserve mills.  The windmills had been fully operational since the 18th century up until the end of World War II, so their importance to our society is not an understatement.”   

It turns out that a couple of centuries back one of his family members was a miller and, currently, one of his nephews is a miller, too.  Of course, he hopes one or both of his teenage sons might someday follow in his footsteps, but one never knows.  

The windmill is rented through a foundation and Mr. van den Berg commented that people (mainly tourists) have a romantic view of living in a windmill, especially in good weather.  

“Life as a miller was no easy life because, in the old days, lighting was through oil lamps, and drinking water and washing of clothes, dishes, and self were all done in the canal, in wintertime, too.  Heating was achieved through a coal- and wood-burning stove, and this way of life didn’t change until 1968, when water through pipes was introduced, followed a few years later by electricity, gas, and modern stoves.”  

When I commented that his wife must be happy about these modern conveniences, he replied, “She’s a bit wistful and fond of the old ways.”

Windmills on the outside are made of stone and the interior is made of oak wood, as well as the wooden wheels.  “When the wheels turn very fast sometimes the kitchen cupboards dance,” and I imagined him and his wife running to catch the cups and saucers.  There are three levels in his windmill and “always stairs”.  

I asked Mr. van den Berg what it’s like to live in a windmill and he replied, “When you live in a windmill you have a lot of freedom.  We go ice-skating and swimming in the polders, we have sheep, chickens, and vegetable and fruit gardens.  It’s like a paradise.”  By the way, his favourite food is Chinese, and his favourite Dutch food is salad from his garden, chicken with jus, and some potatoes.  Clearly this is a man who knows what he likes.

He loves living in a monument that he can work with and has an overriding sense of freedom.  The neighbours usually get together for each other’s birthdays, and that’s about it.  His least favourite things are winter weather because they can only travel by bicycle along a very small road to get supplies and, in summer, too many tourists, sometimes.

Speaking of tourists, I asked him what the strangest question is he’s received, and this was his answer:

“One time the pump was turning the water and there’s water all around the mill, and a tourist asked me, ‘Is this a grain mill to make corn?’

Another time a tourist inquired, ‘How come the windmill isn’t working?’ ”

So, it was my turn to ask a silly question:

“Is it possible to stay in a windmill in a bed & breakfast type arrangement?”  We city girls want to know.

To which he related a story about a woman from Miami Beach who proposed a time-share swap arrangement with him of two weeks.  This is not a passing fancy of his, as you may surmise, so he replied, “No way, I’ll stay in my windmill!”

My final question was if his windmill generates enough electricity for internet usage since his boys are ‘computer crazy’, and he said, “No, we use a regular internet provider.”

Go figure.

29 August 2008

Susan Tracy is a writer based in the Netherlands. 

Photo: Kinderdijk at Sunrise:   Copyright: CWMRO Weather Community Forums 

For your own Kinderdijk excursion, contact the VVV Tourist Office on 078 632 2401.  Hurry, though, to enjoy a boat ride and see the windmills from a canal-side view before the season ends. 

Expatica 2008