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Holland is a place where the ultramodern and the historical seem harmoniously balanced. Over 1200 historic windmills, those icons of the Dutch landscape, survive to this day. Some still function, thanks to teams of volunteers who help maintain them. Gristmills grind grains, while polder mills maintain water levels in a specific area. (Photo by participant Mary Deutsche.)
And for waterbirds, water levels mean (almost) everything! Not so long ago quite an uncommon sight in the Netherlands, Eurasian Spoonbill has been making a comeback, thanks to careful environmental planning and preservation. (Photo by participant Mary Deutsche.)
A highlight of the tour was an immersion in the paintings of Vincent van Gogh at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, here his sombre interior "De Aardappeleters" ("The Potato Eaters"), which depicts peasant life of the day--edgy subject matter for art of the 1880s. (Photo by guide Godfried Schreur.)
