During our Europe vacation package, a trip to Zaanse Schans brought us close to the windmills of Amsterdam.
The Netherlands is synonymous for its windmills, clogs, tulips, canals, cheese markets… practically everything that you would expect to find in a charming and utterly picturesque country.
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| At Zaanse Schans |
Windmills are as much a Dutch icon as are the clogs and tulips.
In the olden days, the Netherlands boasted more than 10,000 mills but today, a mere 1,000 remain. Many of these remaining mills are open to the public and a couple have even been transformed into homes.
There is even a National Windmill Day, and on festive occasions or national holiday, windmills are decked out in flowers, garlands, figures of angels or the Dutch flag.
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| Zaanse Schans Windmills |
Of Amsterdam’s eight remaining windmills, the only windmill regularly open to the public is the "The Sloten Windmill". This is a reconstructed, working windmill built in 1847 and is a popular wedding venue. Whenever possible, the miller demonstrates how he turns the mill's sails into the wind.
Another attraction at the Sloten is an audiovisual presentation about Rembrandt's life, called 'Rembrandt in the Attic'.
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