The Herald - The Herald Magazine
‘Watching windmills is good for the soul’ A cultural journey around Amsterdam
WINDMILL watching is strangely therapeutic and good for the soul. And luckily for me, Ruaridh (15) and Flossie (13), we had a dozen or so of the majestic maestros right in our view as we enjoyed a scrumptious Dutch breakfast at The Boutique Hotel in the Amsterdam green suburb of Zaandijk.
Situated just 15 minutes away from the picturesque city of Amsterdam, Zaandijk – which is home to just over 8,000 people – is like another world.
The timber-fronted houses sit on the banks of the River Zaan, and are oozing with chocolate box cuteness. They form part of a village that is dominated by windmills dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries, which were used to grind spices, flour and pigments.
Today, they form part of a working museum. Here, you can spend a few hours gazing at the beauty of those simple windmills, or enjoy watching handicrafts being made and sold.
You can download an app to guide your walk or cycle around the beautiful scenery, which winds its way around the museum. You can even take a ride down the river on an old cattle boat.
You can even board the Windmillhopper – a boat which lets you weave in and out of the windmills while you listen to a history of these classic beauties.
The Zaans museum opened in 1988 to protect the heritage of the area and at its heart is The Verkade Experience, which lets you imagine yourself in a 20th-century chocolate and biscuit factory. As you arrive, you are greeted by delicious smells, which are certainly an incentive to visit.
This area is so beautiful that when French painter Claude Monet visited in 1871, he produced 25 creations in its honour.
If you can tear yourself away from the windmills, a quick hop on the train takes you into downtown Amsterdam, where you can explore this lovely city. Because Amsterdam is so compact, it is easy to fill your days – especially if, like us, you are only there for a short time.
Investing in an “I Amsterdam City Card” means your transport is covered, you can enjoy a cruise along the canals or hop on a bike and cycle around. You also have access to 70 top activities, including museums.
Amsterdam was home to teenager Anne Frank, who with her family and four other people was forced into hiding in 1942 to escape Nazi Germany’s persecution of Jewish people during the Second World War.
During the time she lived concealed in a secret annex of her father’s works building, Anne wrote a diary. After their hiding place was discovered in 1944, the family were arrested and sent to a concentration camp. Anne’s father, Otto Frank, was the only survivor. When his daughter’s diary was found, he allowed it to be published in 1947. In 1960, the building in which the family had hidden, became a museum in her honour.
Today, you can make a tour with an audio guide and learn about the family’s struggle for survival, while seeing the building and secret annex as they were when the Franks lived there.
During our time in Amsterdam, we explored the Rijksmuseum and The Van Gogh Collection. As with most museums in the city, you need to book a time slot before visiting, which helps reduce waiting times.
With floors groaning with masterpieces by Rembrandt, Frans Hals and Van Gogh, the Netherlands’ most famous artists, you are spoilt for choice.
The Rijksmuseum’s exhibition programme is ambitious. Until June 4, it includes the largest ever exhibition of the works of Vermeer (currently sold out).
The Van Gogh museum is dedicated to the great man’s works, from The Sunflowers to The Potato Eaters and when we visited, there was an show of photographs and charcoal drawings by Marcel van Eeden, inspired by Van Gogh’s drawing, Gasworks.
Whether outdoors or indoors, there is so much to see and do in this lovely part of
The Netherlands.
But I have to admit that windmillwatching was my favourite.