Village Windmill, Hellevoetsluis

Did say I was returning here because it is so pretty.

This windmill is called 'De Hoop', which means, and sounds like, 'The Hope'. It was built in 1801 and is standing smack in the middle of a little residential area near the water (where else!) and right next to Fort Haerlem, which was built in 1880-1881. There are a lot of leftover cannon all over the place -- in the vicinity of the fort itself, in backyards, along walking paths, near the Town Hall, which is the site of an even older fort, and at some spots near the river.

Monday is always my free day but I decided to go to work in the afternoon anyway to print out all the documents I need for my first-year candidate entrance application interviews tomorrow. I don't enjoy running up the hill from the parking lot in a tizzy because I have to get ready, and start the workweek out of breath and disoriented. However, because it is my free day, I could come any time I wanted, which is how I ended up taking the long detour via the N59 passing by Middelharnis to the N57 leading to Hellevoetsluis. After about an hour of sightseeing, it took just a few minutes to reach the A15 and enter the vicinity of Rotterdam from the other end, closer to the Port.

Frankly, I can't ever imagine I would be exploring the Port. I am not really 'fond' of any kind of industrial area, although I did actually get a tour of the Port when I spent two days with the Port Police. It is as big as 15 towns altogether, maybe more, and that doesn't yet include the rivers themselves. It is the largest port in Europe, and in the world, in terms of area. The Dutch reclaimed an entirely new docking and loading area, which is huge in itself. (Yup, they're still at it. Land reclamation is a way of life here and has been for thousands of years.) I don't believe I'll be blipping it any time soon, though. You need a passport to enter; security is that tight.

Outside Rotterdam, though, just around the corner, you have these neat, clean, quiet little towns and villages, probably inhabited by people working in the Port. They are often centuries old. Many have old forts and military structures and are definitely worth exploring. Even I am amazed.