De Museummolen Windmill
We purchased ticket to the De Museummolen which is basically a windmill museum. The museum allows us to get an insight on what a windmill looks like from the inside. I have seen Dutch windmills before in books basiclaly know what one looks like. There is usually the head where the fans a attached to and a body which holds the head up. It is much like an electric fan except this is all mechanical. We approached the windmill and I realized how big this thing really is. The fans are massive which makes me think not to get in the way of the fans or there would be consequences. There is a fence to keep people from wandering where the fans will swing so there is no danger there.
Closer Look at the Windmill at De Museummolen
Upon closer inspection, I noticed that the body of the windmill is covered in what seems to be grass or probably straw. This material is used to keep the body dry. The thin straw guides water out to the outside keeping the inside dry. The head is likewise covered in straw. Somehow I always has this impression that they were solid structures but I was surprised to know that they used these kind of material to wick water away from the inside. You can really see how well designed these structures here. They had a lot of time to perfect this and it really served the Dutch very well.
[xmlgm {http://www.worldwanderings.net/kml/DeMuseummolen.kmz} zoom=19]