Windmills and Tulips

Today’s bell is a reminder of the Netherlands. Windmills and tulips are the two things that come to mind when I think of Holland. Oops, I guess I should say the Netherlands.

The official name of the country is the Kingdom of the Netherlands. King Willem-Alexander, the eldest son of Beatrix and Claus, is now the King of the nation. He became King in 2013 after his mother, Queen Beatrix, abdicated the throne.

Holland actually only means the two provinces of Noord-Holland and Zuid-Holland.

The Netherlands has over 1000 windmills. Many were built to ensure that water was drained so the land would not be flooded. This was necessary because the Netherlands is 26% below sea level.

Windmills were also used for grinding grain and spices, sawing wood, making paper, and pressing seeds for oil.

Kinderdijk is a UNESCO World Heritage site of nineteen windmills. Here one or two of them are still used for drainage today.

The Molen de Valk in Leiden has been restored and today it grinds grain again.

The Netherlands has the perfect climate and soil for growing tulips. People come from all over the world to see them in bloom. Tulips are also exported to countries all around the world.

My first trip to Holland was in 1977 and I have been back many times since. My most recent trip was to play Handbells in the European Handbell Festival. We held a concert in a beautiful church in Gouda.

You can read more about my travels to this delightful country in my Travelling Tuesdays book. Click on the button beside my book if you would like to grab your copy of my book.

# living life abundantly   # published author