2004 Europe

Rod and Diana as Dutch Couple



June 8 – Today we leave Amsterdam heading for Brugge, Belgium. Our first stop on the way was at a wooden shoe factory. On the walkway into the shop we came upon one of those background boards with cutouts into which you can put your head. It was of a Dutch couple and Diana and I couldn’t resist posing in it (above).



The wooden shoe making process was interesting. Using 100-year-old machines, the owner still makes wooden shoes in the traditional way. First the wood is soaked in water to soften it to prevent splitting as the shoe is shaped. The first machine is a wood lathe that operates like a key making machine (below). The wood block is fastened into the cutting spindle and a shoe of the size to be made is put into the guide spindle. When the lathe is started the model shoe spins and a guide rolls over it. The guide is attached to the cutting blade on the other spindle and the shape of the model shoe is reproduced from the wet block of wood.



Once the shape is cut the shoe must be hollowed out. A carving tool much like the lathe is used. A model of the shoe is placed on one side and the shaped block of wood on the other. A guide goes into the model shoe as the operator moves the handle and a chisel cuts the other shoe while the guide follows the internal contour of the model. The operator must participate here because he controls the path of the guide in the model and the angle of the shoe must be changed manually to allow the guide to go further and further towards the toe.



Then he uses a knife to cut the toe and heel off where the lathe had to be fastened and the shoe is hung up to dry. They use ash as it is strong but light and soft enough that the shoe will form to your feet after a bit of wear.



Next we stopped at a privately owned windmill (below). This particular mill powers a pump that moves water from the low area to the higher area of the Netherlands. At full speed it can pump 20,000 gallons a minute. When it rains these pumps keep the lowlands from being flooded by pumping water to the other side of the dykes into the Zider Zee. The mill is over 150 years old and is still operated in the traditional way. 50 years ago there were 10,000 of these mills, now there are only 1,000 remaining. They were torn down and replaced by electrical pumps. But someone figured out that if they had a power failure while it was raining there would be widespread flooding so more wind powered mills are being built. The have modern pumps and gears. In this mill everything is made of wood, gears, shafts, everything. The entire top is turned by hand to get the sails into the wind. The sails are canvas-covered fins of wood lattice and they spin at 70 mph when the mill is at full speed. The canvas can be adjusted like a sail to control the speed. The mill’s owner had a very dry sense of humor and his explanation of the mill and its operation had us all laughing. For example, when explaining why the mill had two doors he said that if the wind had shifted so the sails were spinning past the door and you went out that direction you wind up with a hair cut like this, and he pointed at me. Everyone thought that was extremely funny. The mill was not operating that day because it was his parent’s sixtieth wedding anniversary. He had placed two 8-foot tall blow up Dutch people in the yard with his parent’s names on them and a sign that indicated the celebration. He was also flying Dutch flags from the house and windmill that he told us was a sign that the mill was ‘happy’ that day and not working.



From the windmill we went to a cheese factory. After a talk explaining the methods used to make their cheese, very labor intensive, we were allowed to sample the product. Edam, Gouda, smoked Edam, and herbed Gouda were available to taste. The smoked Edam was great!! I was tempted to buy some but didn’t.



Our next stop was in the Village of Volendam for lunch (below). We ate in a seafood restaurant and I had a shrimp sandwich. It was great. Diana had fish and chips and she also reported that it was very good. The village is quaint and the part we were in is old and has been revitalized as a tourist zone. Lots of shopping for wooden shoes, etc. I found a small take away place that specialized in seafood. They had a fish, shrimp, squid and mussel special in a plastic container for 4 Euro (below). It was great. Eating Europe would be an apt name for this vacation.



After all these tours we drove across the Netherlands into Belgium. It’s easy to see why the Germans invaded France by crossing Belgium in both World Wars. The land is flat and infantry, armor and artillery can all move quickly. The terrain between Germany and France is very mountainous and not conducive to a quick strike. Everyone in the Netherlands rides a bike. There are thousands and they all look alike. How they find their own at the train station is a mystery to me. I guess if your key opens the lock attached, it’s yours. The have bike paths on every street I saw and the bikes were more of a menace to pedestrians than the cars. They don’t even slow down. They just give one small ring of the bell and they’re on you. I guess it’s considered rude to ring the bell more than one ring, but it’s not rude to run you down. Ah, the Dutch, a warm, wonderful, quirky people. Please refer to the Tourist Safety Note above.



Our destination, Brugge is a very quaint old city Very beautiful. In the evening we took a walking tour to get the layout and then to bed.

(c) 2004 Rod Longenberger