Windmills

Windmill barge and drawbridge 

We had a lot of time that day on the river that day so I exercised by walking as fast as I could on a small track. my speed is measured by gps so it is really measuring the speed of the boat. I also started my walk below sea level

Operating a windmill was a huge responsibility. You couldn’t leave further than a hundred feet away when it was operating as winds can suddenly change the mechanism could be broken. This sad looking family lived here. As it was close quarters, the kids had their heads shaven to reduce lice. much of the Netherlands is below sea level thus all the windmills. There are now mechanical pumps too which were explained to us in too much boring detail

Lots of windmills. A world heritage site

Wooden shoes made from willow were needed to slog through the muck. If they fell off, they float

Diving merganser 

We went through Róterdam early in the morning 
 Do windmills cause Cancer? A certain orange dictator wannabe said so. If he is right, I am in trouble because I was exposed to lots of them on this day. I had seen them before on my bike tour a few years back when I had to battle 30 mph headwinds. But on this trip it was perfectly calm