Kinderdijk is located very close to Rotterdam. A set of mills from the 18th century were declared as World Heritage Site by Unesco. There were many people walking and cycling. I think in July and August they put them to work on Saturday afternoon. They are in very good condition, at least from the outside.
My visit to Kinderdijk was better than I expected. I assumed Kinderdijk would be like the majority of other tourist attractions I had visited in the weeks prior, overcrowded, overpriced, and unfortunately, underwhelming. I’m happy to say, this was not the case! Kinderdijk was not overcrowded and was actually completely free! I was enthralled by the ancient machines and
simply captivated by the landscape. The locals biked through the area on their way to and from work, children were playing in the nearby fields, a Dutch family was dining outside of their windmill home and a young girl practiced horse back riding only feet away from the mills.
It's a magical place which makes you feel you are in the past of the Netherlands. It's a quiet and beautiful place with the reflections of the mills in the canal that surrounds them. It remains to say that is an icon not only for the Netherlands but for the world as the UNESCO included them in the list of world heritage since 1997. This is a place where you can spend the whole day sitting and watching the mills and seeing the reflection of the water as the day passes with its colors and shades.
