Windmill 'De Huisman', De Zaanse Schans, Zaandam

'De Huisman' sounds almost like 'the Houseman', and means this, too.
'Zaanse Schans' = 'Zaan-suh SHKHans'.  The word 'zaan' has the same roots as the English word 'sand'.  A 'schans' translates as 'ramp' but the Zaanse Schans now simply refers to a special area where there are several sawmills, the function of which was explained in yesterday's post.  In short, the sawmills in the Zaanse Schans were primarily used for processing the wood needed to build the ships for the Dutch navy, but also for Dutch merchant ships.

'The Houseman' was not a sawmill like the others.  It was actually built elsewhere and was used to ground first 'snuff' or tobacco, and later cooking herbs and spices, exotic products that arrived on the same ships that were built in the area and which now returned, laden with all kinds of mechandise.  It was built in 1786 and worked all the way up to the early 1900s.  When it finally broke down after WW2 and had to be repaired, they took it apart and rebuilt it here in the Zaanse Schans.  As it was 'only' used for tobacco and spices, it isn't really large -- 7 meters tall is all it is, small enough to be put on top of a house.

And did you know that Czar Peter the Great came here to Zaandam to perfect his knowledge of shipbuilding by working as an intern in the sawmills and wharves?  The house where he lived is now a museum and I should visit it sometime soon.

This is where I brought my guest, Katy.  I think this is her third visit to The Netherlands, possibly her fourth.  Before we got here, though, a lot happened during the day, which began with me finishing off some housekeeping early in the morning before I left.  We had already agreed to meet at 11.00 at her hotel in AMS, after which I had planned to drive her to The Hague to view the exhibits in the Mauritshuis Museum (think 'Girl With the Pearl Earring') and possibly other points of interest in the city.  The original plan even included my having breakfast at the hotel.  As 'luck' would have it, though, grey clouds and drizzle and all,...

09.20  Left the house; some creep-crawl traffic on the A59 due to an accident on the A16 which led to vehicles looking for alternative routes and ending up on the A59 and other motorways; but moderately heavy rain had already caused traffic elsewhere
10.30  First signs of trouble on the A2 -- a bit of smoke coming out of the Donkey's nostrils but this blew away quickly, and the familiar 'funny' smell of burning rubber, but I thought the smell was coming from another vehicle near me
11.20  Finally on the A10 just outside AMS -- the Donkey was really smoking now, and the smell came back in full force, so I left the A10 quickly at Exit 13 (I actually needed Exit 12), and the road curved downward so the Donkey was able to stop at the last moment, about 5 centimeters just before the railroad tracks.  This could only happen to me.  Right?  Opened the trunk and pressed my warning lights.  After about 15 minutes, a police car arrived and two ex-colleagues pushed me to the other side of the motorway exit so that I was no longer hindering regular traffic.  Very gentlemanly of them.
11.20 to 12.30  Frantically phoning the hotel because Katy's US phone and mine could not connect.  Even more important, finally got hold of the KIA Helpdesk online and was able to request assistance.  So thankful I finally have roaming WiFi -- everything could be done online.
13.10  It is always busy in the AMS area with accidents and engine trouble, so a dreadful delay, but a mechanic finally arrived and, after putting his stethoscope and AED equipment to the engine, and looking at various parts, sadly had to conclude that the Donkey was basically... deceased.  All resuscitation attempts would be futile.
14.00  Finally, a tow truck arrived and loaded the Donkey at the back, and I rode with him to the nearest KIA dealer, in S-E AMS.  As a KIA client, all of this at no cost.  I would be allowed to avail of another vehicle, free of charge for three days.  We left the car there, and they got in touch with my own KIA dealer and told him the sad news.
14.30  I was driven to the tow truck company warehouse where the replacement car was waiting for me.  A very modern car with a modern dashboard that I had to get used to on the spot.
15.10  Back to the KIA dealer so that I could empty the Donkey of all our personal belongings.  This took about 10 minutes altogether.

Of course I had updated AW the whole time.  And now, I told him that I was hungry and thirsty and tired, but I thought I owed it to Katy to go to the hotel and try to see her and explain (receptionist had already left a note under her door and I had left voicemail messages in her room phone but that was not enough), and I might as well relax a bit at the hotel before driving back.  So off I went, requested another note to be left under her door, and went to the ground floor café for a cup of tea.

Who should call after another 10 minutes than Katy herself!  What an adventure she'd also had!  She was able to read the earlier note so she knew I wouldn't make it, so to avoid boredom, she went out and took a taxi all the way to The Hague!  She had asked the taxi to wait while she explored the Mauritshuis all by herself and saw all her favourite paintings, and she was now riding the same taxi back to AMS and the driver had kindly lent her his phone so she could phone me!  I was completely shocked!  We now agreed to meet in the lobby after I'd finished my tea, and 20 minutes later, there she was!  We shared adventures and agreed it was a good idea to have dinner.

All the while, we noticed together that the clouds were disappearing one by one and there were now large swathes of blue and the sun was out in full force.  I Googled the Zaanse Schans because I had also planned to take her there, and thought it would be useless as it was now past 17.00 so they would no doubt be almost closed.  Imagine my surprise when the website stated in very clear terms:  'Open 24 hours'!  I asked Katy if she was tired, and she was not.  I asked her if she was 'game', and she nodded enthusiastically.  What about dinner?  We agreed to have a quick one in the dining room upstairs -- a double order of sea bass with a bit of mashed potato and herb butter veggies..... divine!  We were done in half an hour and left the hotel soon after.

And that is the story behind this shot.  The Zaanse Schans is indeed open for 24 hours in the summer months for walking, cycling, walking your pets, and photography.  The shops and cafés close at 17.00, but that did not bother us at all, and parking was free.  Fabulous or not?  We spent 1.5 hours walking around, thankful that the hordes of tourists were gone and there were only the locals enjoying the late hours and waiting for the sunset, which was glorious.  Of course, I took shots of the mills, but I will be returning more often now, most likely around dinner time.  We even spent some time talking to one of the millers.

After the wonderful evening, I drove her back to the hotel, and tomorrow she will take the train to the south and visit our little town.  Now very comfortable with the car, phoned AW and told him that I would drive directly to Sweed's place to pick him up -- he'd used his bicycle to go there but would be too tired to cycle back.  It was good to see everyone again, they are such good friends, Sweed and Benna.  They were glad I was back in one piece.  A rather full day, I'm sure you'll agree.