Rotterdam continued

Monday 15 March: Sheila and I slept in, a much needed rest, but soon we were out on the bicycles Jeff had so generously purchased for his guests. It was a beautiful day sunny but not warm. We rode to the waterbus and waited a few minutes for the boat to arrive and take us to Ridderkerk a thirty minute boat ride past heavily laden barges. These barges are the homes of the people who operate them. The cargo of anything from pipe to gravel is carried in front. Living quarters are in the rear with cars and boats on top look cozy and warm. Of course, anything inside looks cozy. Soon we arrived at our destination and we made our connection on a much smaller boat to our destination,Kinderdijk. Neither of these boats were crowded perhaps one or two other passengers. We settled in for the ride thinking it was going to be longer. The boat ride was no more than ten minutes. We pushed our bikes off the boat, and we were out again into the unknown. This is one of the things I like best about travel: the unknown, not knowing what the day will bring. After a short ride through a town that reminded me of an Irish industrial town without the soot: homes sharing a common wall and back yards separated by only a fence,laundry hanging out to dry and truck gardens. It was quite picturesque. Water everywhere. We turned a bend. There before us, as far as the eye could see, windmills. Only one turned, but I thought this is the real thing: working windmills. Remember, the Netherlands are below sea level, and moving water is vitally necessary. For centuries water has been moved through the use of wind power. No carbon foot print. Perhaps if New Orleans had these there'd be fewer problems. We biked out to get a closer look perhaps two miles. These things are beautiful because they work. They also serve as people's homes. We biked back into town against the cold and biting wind, no mean feat, and we found a restaurant and settled in for a lunch in a warm room a real luxury. After lunch, we biked back to the boat stop and watched the ferry carry cars across the Nord River back and forth there was always a car waiting. A circuit takes about five minutes. We made our connections, and before long, we were biking back to Rotterdam. Fortunately, we had the wind at our backs. By this time it had begun to rain. We stopped by the store for dinner and wine, and by the time the family had come home we had dinner going. Everyone got in just as the rain began to come down hard. We had a nice evening. I read to Gweneth, Matthew played, Jeff worked on lesson plans, Beth worked on her masters, and Sheila worked on solidifying the remainder of our trip. A very satisfying day indeed.

More to come. Love to all, Michael