The 'Grafelijke Korenmolen', Zeddam

'Grafelijke' = 'Grah-fe-lee-kuh' = from the word 'graaf' = 'count' as in Monte Cristo
'Grafelijke Korenmolen' = 'cornmill belonging to the estate of the count'

Built BEFORE 1441.  It is the OLDEST surviving windmill in The Netherlands.
It is also one of only four tower mills in the whole country.  I have visited all four.  The other three are in Maastricht, Lienden, and Zevenaar.

Extras -- shot in Cleves, Germany (Dutch Kleef, German Kleve)

The day began with beautiful and continually promising weather.  We had no plans but, out of nowhere, AW and I suddenly thought of taking a day trip to Cleves.  Some merchandise is cheaper on the other side of the border and AW had already taken a sample trip while I was in MNL two weeks ago.  With the sun out and the skies blue, it was too perfect not to go.  The trip took about 1.5 hours and was completely traffic-free except when we drove through the city of Nijmegen ('Naai-mey-gun').

During the trip, I discovered one thing -- AW also likes to sort things out in his head when he is behind the wheel.  I listened as he went from one memory to another.  As I wasn't the one driving, I felt a bit sleepy but the things he was telling me about clarified a lot.  No interruptions, he just went on.  And then came this:  'I'd been told often enough that whatever I do or try to do will end in failure.  Well, we have been married for more than 35 years now, and I don't see that as a failure.'  That woke me up completely!  We both raised our fists -- Yes!  That is the only thing that really matters!  Let all the rest of them say what they want, we have remained strong and together, and our marriage is a solid rock reflecting what we value in life.  The fact that we're independent as well is a bonus.

We bought a handful of merchandise in Cleves, and then we had a very late lunch/very early dinner opposite the beautiful park.  We took a walk afterwards, which is when I shot the extras.  As sunset was still a long way off, we decided that there was time for a bit of hunting.

It was Willem van der Leck, Lord of den Berg ('Lord of the Mountain!') who had this windmill constructed in the late 1430s.  Centuries later, it passed onto the Hohenzollern family, aristocratic landowners from Germany who played important roles in German politics.  In fact, the current miller is a van den Berg, but whether or not he is a descendant of the counts of old I don't know.

Centuries ago, this was what was called a 'dwangmolen'.  'Dwang' means 'force' = The local farmers, including those in the neighbouring villages, were forced to use this windmill to grind their grain, naturally for a fee.  Roads were even laid that led to this windmill, so now I know the significance of the streetname 'Molenweg', or 'Mill Way' or 'Mill Road'.

Renovations of this windmill have always been carried out cautiously, with care to preserve as much of the old materials as possible.  Because of this, the ancient atmosphere surrounding the mill can still be felt.  Due to this and also due to its age, this windmill is in the Top-100 national monuments in the country.  You can imagine how pleased I am that I have seen it and captured it in pictures.  The weather was really fantastic, so I walked the whole area and took almost 50 shots from various angles.  A very valuable find, a very successful hunting expedition.

Thankful for things that last several lifetimes.