SUMMER 1963 p.52
Ben Oostdam's Autobiography:
 please click to enlarge |
August 20, (cont.): After Brielle, we passed through the windmill profusion of Kinderdijk where we stopped for an excellent and expensive dinner of "tong" - a delicious flatfish.  |
 Windmills reflected, Kinderdijk by Webshot Prints the windmills of Kinderdijk |
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Our last visit was to one of the earliest (1958) structures of the Dutch Delta Plan : the "stormvloedkering" (stormbarrier)
of the Hollandse IJssel (left). Here I made the tactical error to ask a question in Dutch about its workings, which was answered with the preface: "Are you a stranger in your own country?" The results of my embarrasment are still evident from intermittent research, showing of videos to my students, and searching for more and more links about the entire Delta Plan (almost 50 years of labor - of which the earliest parts are almost forgotten) as shown below: |
It is worth mentioning that this giant set of hydraulic works- combined with Europort - the World's largest harbor starting at Rotterdam - has greatly enhanced the reputation of Dutch engineers, and resulted in contracts a.o. with
St Petersburg, Shanghai, and Vietnam.
Also, that Ma, Rose and I were dead-tired when we got home and that I am still grateful to Tom Vervaat for this excellent tour!