We walked to the main train station to get tickets and cash. We get the tram tickets at the GVB Ticket center, but have to cross to the train station to find a cash machine.
Tram leaves at 11:00. We are taking the tram to the Sloten Windmill in Sloten (part of Amsterdam). We walk to the windmill, passed a real lock and some nice houseboats. And some unique family homes.
After taking a couple pictures of the windmill, we have burgers next door and almost under it. They have weird dry beef here. We get two cheeseburgers and some fries that come late and two Coke Zero.
Then it's on to the windmill. First we get a guided tour of the windmill. Thick accents make it hard, but he is mostly understandable. We learned they moved this windmill here and when they did they had to raise it 7' because the houses around were blocking the wind. This windmill’s purpose is to pump the water out of Amsterdam. It still works but mostly they use electric pumps. We get to climb up inside as he tells us how it all works. First we start down below and outside; here we can see the canal and the Archimedes Screw that moves the water up to a higher level. There used to be three windmills close to each other and each pumped the water up about 6 feet.
Next we went up to where the top of the screw dumped the water into the upper canal and saw the flapper that keeps the water from returning. Now it's up to the next level. Which is the level they had to add when they moved it here so they use this level for weddings and they were showing a video on the working of this windmill.
Next level up and we get to go outside around what I call the view platform. Here he explains how you release the brake and turn the big ships-wheel looking wheel to rotate the blades into the wind. He also explains how they add sails to the blades by hand by climbing to the top unrolling them and attaching them by hand to each blade.
Then we climb another floor and see the gears working.
And climb one more to peek into the top to see those gears. He explained how they are working on hooking up the spinning vertical shaft to a generator to create electricity via the red, cogged wheel.
Over on the wall in this area we can see the modern upgrades that show barometer information, wind speed and revolutions per minute of the vertical shaft.
Next we see a short video on Rembrandt and then a short video on this windmill before returning to the ground and touring the little museum they have here. It had nothing to do with the windmill. There are exhibits on laundry, school, and making wooden barrels.
Then we have a nice walk through a quiet rural neighborhood to tram #2 this time and take it back to the central train station.
Next we take the free ferry, yes the FREE ferry, across to the A'dam Tower.
We bought this ticket a while ago as a combo ticket with one of our canal cruises. But it wasn't nice weather that day, so we kept saving this for better weather. Well today is the day, sunny and nice. We had hoped to do the swing over the edge on top, but it had a long line. So we just enjoyed leisurely going around the outside and the inside.
Then we had a Coke and just sat down and watched the water traffic. Very busy harbor. There was a very big Celebrity Cruise Ship that we got to watch leave and about 12 river barges. Not to mention six ferries, pleasure boats, barges and, of course, canal tour boats that come out here and turn around before heading back on more canals.
Guitar sculpture downstairs.
We were going to the roof of the science center NEMO, but they close at 5:30 and we were just enjoying a slow day. After a ferry back to the train station we decided to have dinner here. We split a pizza or pie shaped ham tomatoes something and a lasagna and sat by the window and watched more action - ferry boats, bicycles, people walking, canal boats, and motorcycles.
Only two more days left in this bustling city and my beautiful canal house. Time to watch some canal boats.
No comments:
Post a Comment