Green Heart of Holland - Tally Gals Bike Adventures - CycleBlaze

May 2, 2019

Green Heart of Holland

Rain, rain go away

Hint of the Day: waterproof your shoes

Fortunately, the rain was mostly light as we zig zagged across the polders. Polders are swamp or lake areas that are pumped to create land used for farming. As we were riding along we came upon a miller setting his windmill and unfurling the sails in the middle of a polder. One thing that becomes clear as you travel by bike is there is water everywhere. Often houses and roads have water in front and behind sitting on dikes. Everything is built on pilings.  One of the strangest views is riding on a dike with the canal higher than the land on the other side.

Today we rode through green polders lined with yellow flowers.
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Windmill in the middle of a polder. It is used to move water on up to the next one.
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The miller invited us in to see the inside of the mill. This picture shows the gears that turn inside.
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The Archimedes screw lifts the water up from the polder to the canal when the windmill is turning.
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The miller used the white wheel to turn the windmill so it is facing toward the wind. When the windmill is turned the whole house at the top turns with it.
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On the other side of the canal was another windmill. The older style windmill only turns at the top.
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This bakery was open. One of two buy a pastry or drink to use the facilities stops.
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Tonight we docked at kudelstaart in a raft 5 boats deep to be ready for the flower auction EARLY in the morning....

Our hotelboot the Zwaan is the last boat in the raft. But then another boat pulled on the outside. So we have 5 boats rafted together now.
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Today's ride: 29 miles (47 km)
Total: 1,515 miles (2,438 km)

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Sandy OsteenHow interesting, do the have problems with birds flying in to the windmills? Do they have many floods? It looks pretty, but isolated. How would you like living in the land below the canal and dike? Flower auction sounds fun, be careful, you may accidentally purchase something!
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