Today was a check marked off the bucket list. We took a tour on a bus and first visited the Keukenhof Gardens where they have every tulip you could ever hope to imagine plus many other beautiful plants and flowers. No matter which direction you looked, there was something new and breathtaking to see. Will not explain most of the pictures, as they will speak for themselves.
 |
| Does this just scream tourist? |
 |
| Nonette tried her luck on a short zip line. |
 |
| These are the actual fields where they grow the tulip bulbs for retail markets. |
Next we visited a small village of about 2000 people that still had working windmills. The windmills help to pump water OUT of the canals more than anything else to help keep the reclaimed land dry enough to farm. Much of this area is below sea level and for the most part was covered in water until they built dykes and locks to help drain the water away. A citizen in this area, that owns land, has to pay a tax, just as we might pay a road or school tax, to maintain the locks and dykes. Residents can receive a heavy fine if their property is found to be too WET as this would cause the ground to begin sinking. Not a problem we have in West Texas very often.
 |
| We watched a demonstration on making clogs, or wooden shoes. They are made out of popular wood and are worn because the ground is so wet and boggy. They keep your feet dry. They are still worn today by many that work the land. |
 |
| Supposedly the wooden shoes are very comfortable. |
 |
| We also toured a cheese factory. |
No comments:
Post a Comment