We left the shop to see the windmills. Most windmills are new and use modern technology. The windmills at Kinderdijk are really historical museums. The area is 2 meters below sea level as most of Holland is below sea level. We disembarked at 2pm and set sail at 4:30pm. Attached are pictures of windmills and I thought I would include a pic of tonight’s menu.

We had the morning free so we just walked into town. Of course there was lots if stores, but the grocery store was the best. It is so interesting to see all the different foods. We went back to the ship for lunch (of course). In the afternoon we got on buses and went to the Paleis Het Loo where the royal family lived. It was about an hour ride thru beautiful countryside. Most of the land has been reclaimed from the North Sea. It is now Friday at noon and we are pulling into Kinderdijk. This is the place to see windmills. Also there is Monte Cristo sandwiched on the menu for lunch. This is great – they are my favorite. This morning I went to the top deck and walked about two miles just to get some exercise. I took a pic of the top deck and a pic of the view.

After we visited with the family we returned to the ship for dinner. After dinner there was a demonstration on how to make wooden shoes.

Today I have two shore excursions. The morning was to North Holland to see the vegetable auction. It is quite chilly today. It started to rain, but turned to snow and hail . It did not last long, but it was surprising to see white stuff on the ground. Holland really does have dikes everywhere. It is weird knowing that the water is above you on the other side of the dike. We saw windmills and our guide at the auction was really good. We are back on board for lunch and will take a walking tour of the town this afternoon.
We did a short walking tour and then we went to the home of a Dutch couple for coffee and cake. This gave us the opportunity to see how a typical Dutch family lives.

Sent the last post by accident-forgot to attach pictures. There are pics of the flower market. There is also a pic of us at the cocktail party. The dining room is very pretty as you can see by the table settings.