Of all the things that The Netherlands is famous for, canals and windmills are perhaps the most known (tulips too, but that is not part of this blog post 😂).

Most people take those two somewhat for granted, but there is a connection between the canals and waterways and windmills that is not that well known. You see, the most of the windmills were created as “pumps” – to pump the water out of areas that are subject to flooding. When you realize that 2/5 (almost a half) of the entire country of the Netherlands lies BELOW sea-level it comes as no surprise why windmills even existed. Of course, some windmills are also used to grind wheat into flour, but their original use was to move water.

Over the centuries, the Dutch have become leading experts in managing water. So much so that they “export” their flood-control expertise, which is as old as the Netherlands itself and, as global seas rise, the Dutch are on the front lines in dealing with flooding and sea-level rise. They are now “going all around the world consulting and selling their engineering expertise,” says journalist Jeff Goodell, author of the 2017 book “The Water Will Come” They are “trying to export that expertise; it’s their growth industry. … It’s their Silicon Valley.” And coastal cities in the U.S. and elsewhere are hoping Dutch ingenuity will work for them as well in fighting back the encroaching seas.

Their prowess is very evident all over the place. We visited places like Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Leiden, Gouda, Alphen aan den Rijn, and Delft and saw water everywhere. Most of these rivers and canals are connected, creating a vast network of waterways across all of the Netherlands that will rival the road network in every way you can imagine. Goods are transported in barges of all sizes, similar to the trucking industry in the US.

Barges like this transport good all over the Netherlands.

Recreation on the canals and waterways

No surprise then that “water” plays a huge role in everyday life of many Dutch people – they LOVE everything that has to do with water; boating, swimming, wind surfing and, of course iceskating (remember how the Dutch dominated the Speed Skating events at the Winter Olympics?), if it involves water, the Dutch are into it!

The weather was kind to us and the moment the sun breaks out and temperatures reach anywhere above 60-65F, the Dutch are out on the water (or near the water). Enjoying a drink at Cafes along the canals, outing on pleasure boats on the rivers, bike riding along the rivers, you name it, the Dutch are there doing it.

The images throughout this blog are a testament to all that activity. We tried to capture the waterways and all the activity that goes on on around (and on) the water.