A Glimpse of the Dutch Life

Dr. Shahid Qayyum recalls his journey through Zaanse Schans in Holland

Windmills and Holland are synonymous, like pyramids in Egypt or Eiffel Tower in Paris. On seeing the picture of a windmill you surmise yourself in Holland. Windmills are a unique feature of this country. I was more curious about windmills than tulips when I landed at Amsterdam Schiphol International airport in the month of May. It was an early morning flight and riding a taxi to Purmerend, a serene neighbourhood north of Amsterdam, we were enjoying the scenery when we suddenly spotted the first windmill in the country side. It was really exciting to see them in actuality. During the forty odd minutes drive to our hotel we could see a windmill every few minutes, studded in the Dutch landscape.

Our hotel was some twenty minutes bus ride from the Amsterdam central station and the famous windmill village of Zaanse Schans was another nine km further north. The Netherlands is a small country and every place worth a visit is within few hours driving distance which is very convenient for the tourists. We had earmarked a week day for a trip to the famous windmill village on river Zaan and the nearby traditional fishing towns of Volendam and Makren with a local Pakistani friend who came all the way from south of Holland to drive us through the fascinating Dutch countryside of polders and canals to see the windmills, the iconic image of the Netherlands.

A Cheese Factory

Northern Holland has a collection of well preserved historic windmills, and houses a popular tourist attraction of the region, the Windmill Village on the banks of river Zaan. This important waterway, located in the centuries old peat district, originated as a natural drain for the surrounding marshy peat area and developed into an industrial district, believed to be the oldest in Europe, with over one thousand windmills established on its banks. Zaanse Schans is a delightful old hamlet on the banks of this river with characteristic green wooden houses, charming stylized gardens, small hump backed bridges, tradesmen’s workshops, historic windmills and engaging little shops. This enchanting hamlet gives an excellent impression of how a typical Zaanse village must have looked like in the 17th and 18th centuries. Apart from the cluster of windmills and traditional green wooden houses there are also several museums, restaurants and clog and cheese factories. Zaanse Schans has become one of the top tourist destinations in the Netherlands that gives a feeling of having stepped back into the 17th and 18th centuries.

This hamlet has not always existed since most of the buildings now seen here were relocated from other areas in the Zaan streak in the 1960’s and 70’s, as owing to urban development they were under threat of obliteration. To quote one example; De Kat, an oil mill which was ravaged by fire in 1782, was rebuilt soon after by placing the top of De Duinjager, a sniff mill, on what remained of the former and the combination of the two started operation in 1960 reincarnating as a dyeing mill.

Banks of River Zaan

Increasing trade and industry in Amsterdam at the end of the 16th century created the need for the development of industrial windmills in the flat Zaanse Schans landscape. The application of crank shaft revolutionized the development of industrial windmills in the Netherlands and a wood sawing mill was the first one to be commissioned in 1594. Over the centuries more than one thousand wind powered factories flourished along the river Zaan and the surrounding country side. On the turn of the 18th century approximately seven hundred windmills were in operation in this area for wood sawing, hulling and threshing grains and producing seed and nut oil, paint, sniff and mustard. Out of this big number now only twelve remain, five of them on Zaan River; namely mustard, wood sawing, paint and a couple of oil mills.  For the interest of the readers it is pertinent to mention here that in its hay days there were two hundred saw mills of which now only two are preserved.

 This area is not just an open museum but a colourful living and working neighbourhood with windmills in the fore ground and modern factories on the horizon. With the advent of steam age the wind powered mills were fast losing their economic importance and disappearing in the clouds of history and an important culture of Zaanse Schans was facing oblivion. A Windmill Preservation and Conservation Society was formed in 1925, indigenously responsible for their preservation, mainly for the purpose of tourism. A Windmill Museum was also established in 1928 which gives an excellent illustration of industrial progression in the Zaanstreek. Some of the houses in this district have been converted to museums, shops and centres for old-fashioned crafts while others remain ill-inhabited.

A visit to a working industrial windmill was undoubtedly a unique experience. They are open all the year round and the entry to the Windmill Village is free, so to say, but one has to pay two Euros to enter a windmill to see its working. On the day of our visit De Kat, the paint mill, was open to tourists. Producing pigments for the artists, it was a gigantic structure consisting of three floors and a large terrace overlooking the river. There was a large collection of paints and its raw material, with the history and chemistry details inscribed side by side. The grinding stones were a pair of huge round mass that was in operation making a loud creaky sound. There was a very steep ladder to the top floor which made descending somewhat scary. It was a nice panoramic view of the river from the vast terrace of the windmill, and the giant blades to capture the wind power were a treat to watch. One felt like a Lilliputian in front of these giant blades. Being too windy out there we could not stay in the open for too long.

Clogs

The other attractions in the Windmill Village, besides a museum, were clog and cheese factories, a typical hump backed bridge and a number of souvenir shops. Moving out of the Windmill Village we drove further north to the medieval town of Edam and the traditional fishermen’s village of Volendam. This small village, with beautiful cobble stone streets, was very surreal and indigenously Dutch. These streets make it different from the vibrant Amsterdam or other European cities, lending it a flavour of the countryside. The locals in the village wear traditional wooden shoes and colourful dresses especially on carnivals. We enjoyed the visit to the village which was so insanely quaint that we had to leave it with a heavy heart. We got a good insight into many aspects of the Dutch life at the villages of Zaanse Schans and Volendam, and a scenic drive back to Purmerend through the picturesque Dutch country side left indelible marks on us for a long time.

On the Side walks of Champs Elysée

Paris-a bird eyes view

Dr Shahid Qayyum describes his romantic tour to the city of lights

I have a strange habit when abroad. I walk a lot. I do take conducted tours, I go places by other means but I believe there is nothing better than exploring the area on foot. Having been to almost a score of countries I have enjoyed walking in quite a few of them, especially in Europe where the weather factor does not come in your way. It rather comes your way. The best pavements that I relished walking on the most were on the side walks of Champs Elysée, the main artery of the French capital city Paris.

Paris, nick named the city of lights for being a centre of education and its early adoption of street lighting, is a leader in international fashion designing. Leonardo Da Vinci’s art piece Mona Lisa, the prestigious Champs Elysee, globally recognized Eiffel Tower and The Hunch back of Notre Dame fame Cathedral in River Seine delta are some of the land marks Paris is known the world over. Situated in the North of France this metropolis, with a temperate oceanic climate, is a great tourist attraction with almost thirty million of them visiting it every year. Flowing through the heart of Paris River Seine adds further charm to the cityscape.

Champs Elysee is described by the Parisians as La Plus belle Avenue in their native French meaning the most beautiful avenue. Stretching for a distance of two km from Concorde Place to Arc de Triomphe it is one of the principal tourist destinations in Paris. This promenade, on the banks of river Seine, was covered by vast fields and gardens until it was developed into a boulevard in 1616 AD. Lined by pavement and terrace cafes and leading fashion shops it stands out as the second most expensive property in the world after Fifth Avenue in New York. My first ‘encounter’ with this fashionable street was not very pleasant. I broke my journey in Paris on my way to London. The only name of a street I was familiar with before entering Paris was Champs Elysee where I landed straight from Charles de Gaulle international airport. My Air France flight being late it was well past mid night and I could not find an accommodation there. It was a wrong choice of the area, over crowded with tourists besides being very expensive. After about an hour’s search I was able to find a room in a hotel for which there were two aspirants, the other chap being from Italy. Contrary to my whims I was given preference over the Italian, the reception clerk telling the young man that Italians were undesirable guests. Years later when I visited Paris with my family I chose to stay on Champs de Mars across the river Seine near Eiffel Tower. The prices were reasonable. 

During the day time I would take the tours to see the historic places and spend the evenings walking up and down Champs Elysée. The area from the end of the shopping malls to Concord Square was green, serene and flowery and that was the stretch I enjoyed walking in cool summer afternoons. The bougainvillea bushes on the majestic Gulberg Main Boulevard in Lahore often remind me of my stroll on Champs Elysée. Two of the oldest and famous gardens of Paris, Tuileries and Luxembourg, are also situated close by. During my childhood days I had heard that the roads in Paris were made of glass which was obviously far from being true The Boulevard was paved and not metalled. The pavement stones had become very shiny by the grind of the traffic and reflected the rays of the summer sun during the light hours. So much for the roads of glass.

I booked a river cruise with my family which took us to the Notre Dame Cathedral. This 12th century Gothic monument, seat of the Archbishop of Paris, is built on an island in River Seine that is regarded as the original birth place of Paris. In French they call it ‘Cathedral of our lady Paris’. ‘Our lady’ stands for Virgin Mary. This Roman cathedral may have been well known to the French and the visiting tourists but it rose to international fame after the release of Victor Hugo’s block buster The Hunchback of Notre Dame starring Anthony Quinn in the lead role. I had seen the movie during my college days and had a chance to meet the legendary super star later while I was working in the Middle East. The actor was there in connection with the filming of the movie ‘The Lion of the Desert’ when he developed a dental problem. I being on call attended to him and extended necessary treatment. When he appreciated the services extended by me I told him it was a privilege for me to treat the Hunchback of Notre Dame. ‘No, you have treated the lion of the desert’ he said laughing, ‘you are a very courageous person’.

Arch de Triomphe and Concord Square are on the two extreme ends of Champs Elysée. This Napoleonic monument stands in the centre of Place Charles de Gaulle on the western end of the boulevard honouring those who fought for France especially in the Napoleonic wars. Concord Place, on the northern end of the broad avenue lies between the boulevard and Tuileries garden. It is supposedly the most beautiful place in Paris offering a superb sight of the avenue Champs Elysée in all its length along with Tuileries garden and the famous Louvre Museum where the original painting of Mona Lisa is displayed. During my first trip to France I, along with other excited passengers saw the inaugural flight of Concord, the Anglo-French supersonic joint venture, take off for New York from Charles de Gaulle International Airport. The plane has now been grounded. 

The Eiffel Tower was just a walking distance from our hotel on Champs de Mars besides River Seine. This 19th century structure is the tallest building in Paris and one of the three most famous Parisian land marks there. Six million tourists visit this place annually. The aerial view of the city from the upper terraces of the Tower is eye catching. The meandering River Seine flowing nearby looks great. Professional painters abound the area near the river and the pavements of Champs Elysée and make quick sketches on demand.

The French, like most western Europeans, have a knack for foreign languages but they are well known for feigning ignorance about English if one encounters them in France. I was trying to work out my route with the help of a computerized device installed at a metro station but could not locate Champs Elysée on the computer map from where I was to start my journey. It is spelled and pronounced in absolutely diverse ways failing me in my effort to decipher the French name for the station. Seeing a pleasant looking person walk by me I asked him if he knew English. He did and guided me on the map. I thanked him for his help and told him about my unfounded fears about the French not willing to communicate in English when in France. He smiled and said that my fears were certainly not unfounded but he was from Britain.

There is a lot else to see in France especially the Disneyland Resort near Paris but the romantic feel that one gets walking on the side walks of Champs Elysée is nowhere to be found. In France the romance with nature is never ending.

In a Nutshell

Welcome Readers!


Inspired by the mesmerising poem "Footprints in the Sand",the developers of this blog have decided to trace the footprints of  some memorable journeys made by enthusiastic travellers.


To begin with, we have decided to reminisce the memories of a few of Dr. Shahid Qayyum's  own footprints in the sands of time. Dr. Shahid Qayyum, an avid traveller, frequently  pens down some of his cherished experiences encountered across the globe, thus, not only providing his readers with an insight into myriads of cultures but also taking his readers on a virtual journey; cutting across all geographical boundaries. 


Therefore, we present a few of his travelogues before you and hope that you enjoy them. 


Note:
This blog will be updated at least once a month so please keep in touch. Any comments, suggestions and even your own experiences in black and white will be appreciated. You can even email your own travelogues to amta95@gmail.com.