Content > Photos >

Netherlands 2024 Photos

Funny story about these things: This is the top half to a disassembled portable urinal unit. They had these next to the port-a-potties at the music festival in Zandvoort as well. I’ve never seen one before, so I assumed it was some sort of hand washing station at first. I started pacing around it looking for the little foot pump for the water and the spigot it comes out of, holding my hands out expecting to find it any second. A guy started looking at me funny and it was only then - when another drunk guy wandered over and started using it for its intended purpose - that I realized what it was, and why it smelled so bad.

Molenmusem De Valk (The Falcon Windmill Museum) in Leiden. This was a wonderfully-preserved (and partially functioning) grain milling windmill that you can enter and climb up the various levels to lean about how they worked. I’ve seen pictures of these things, but never knew what they looked like inside. It was one of the most unique museums I’ve been to, and only around $6 - totally worth it!

This is the mechanism by which the miller could turn the top portion of the windmill to adjust to varying wind conditions.

Views of Leiden from De Valk Windmill.

I didn’t realize how large the blades really are on these old windmills until I saw them up close.

The stairs were very steep - more like ladders really. Needless to say, these things were not built with wheelchair accessibility in mind.