River Cruise Diary – More of Netherlands

End of the Rainbow, Kinderdijk, Netherlands (19 November 2019) 

We awake in Kinderdijk and before the tour and the morning rain hit us, I saw the biggest, brightest rainbow I can remember. You could see both ends but they were so far apart, I didn’t have a lens wide enough to fit it into a single shot. Instead, I zoomed in to one end. Maybe there’s a pot of gold under that ferry.

As the Rhine descends closer to the coast, it widens into a delta. Land at or below sea level needs to be drained if it is to be settled and developed. Our morning excursion will take us to the project that has been controlling the local water levels for nearly 300 years.

The Windmills at Kinderdijk, Netherlands (19 November 2019) 

The Kinderdijk windmills date to 1738 and are the largest concentration of windmills in the country. They were built to maintain a water level that would allow agriculture and settlement. We boarded a small tour boat and floated through the canals to one particular mill that was open for viewing.

Miller’s Garden, Kinderrdijk, Netherlands (19 November 2019)

The mills are working residences where people apply to live in tiny and rather rustic conditions. This mill property included a garden, chicken coop and a separate pantry/kitchen house with a wood stove.

Windmill Interior, Kinderdijk, Netherlands (19 November 2019)

The charming living quarters are built around the massive guts of the windmill. Another wood stove heats the room. Around the bend to the left is a sleeping loft…quite cozy. I had to wonder what it’s like to sleep when the entire building is in motion.

Wind Power and Mussel Aquaculture, Netherlands (19 November 2019) 

We sailed away before lunch and cruised further downstream to Willemstad. There the majority of the passengers stayed on board or toured the old fortress and quaint village while the nerdier subset drove to the Delta Works. On the way, there was this view out the bus window that captured modern Netherlands commerce…windmills for energy and mussel aquaculture.

Oosterscheldekering Delta Works, Netherlands (19 November 2019) 

The Oosterscheldekering (literally, the ‘Eastern Scheldt [River] storm surge barrier’) is the largest of the 13 Delta Works projects. Completed in 1986, the construction is five miles long and connects two delta islands.

An artificial island was created midway across the span to facilitate construction. It now is an amusement park complete with an interpretive center for the project. The exhibits include one of those “You Are There” demonstrations of the Great Flood of 1953…complete with moving floors, sound effects and a panoramic visual recreation of the event. As with many catastrophic storms, the combination of low pressure, high winds and high spring tides created a storm surge of over 18 feet. The overwhelmed and inadequate flood defenses gave way to inundate a third of the country, killing over 1800 people.

Open Delta Works (19 November 2019) 

The delta is a vital economic and environmental area. The project had to allow for shipping in and out of the ports and the tides to come and go so the wildlife and fisheries would not be harmed. Just as important was to be able to shut off all that exchange with the sea when storm surges happen. The massive project is considered one of the wonders of modern engineering.

Lower Ninth Ward, New Orleans - 

All That Remains (12 August 2006) 

Having lived in New Orleans fifteen years, I have some familiarity with issues related to flooding and living somewhere below sea level. That also means I have encountered many who question the wisdom of committing resources to saving that beautiful, steamy southern city.

I was an early sign-up for a chance to see how flood protection can be done…how the government engages the best talent available to fix a problem and produce something that works. The Dutch nation thought what they had was worth saving and they figured out how to do it. Now, they’re teaching other flood-prone regions to do the same.

Tomorrow, we’ll be in Antwerp, Belgium, the last stop on the adventure. This is in no way a criticism of the trip or river cruising. I can’t wait for this pandemic to end and to get back on a river boat again.

I guess this realization was more a function of the wet, chilly weather and the fact that most of the passengers were senior citizens. At the end of two weeks, many passengers had colds. In the confines of the bus ride back from the Delta Works, I was surrounded by sneezing, coughing and nose-blowing. It was like the ‘Voyage of the Damned.’