MICHIGAN

DOUBLE DUTCH

Bidisha Bagchi found that the tulips and windmills of Holland, Michigan evoke delightfully authentic images of the real Netherlands!


WE WERE amid thousands of tulips, yet it wasnt the Keukenhof; people around us spoke in Dutch, but it wasnt Netherlands; a beautiful windmill stood tall, almost touching the sky. It was definitely Holland....
But not the European one, but a pretty town in Michigan, in the United States, just an hours drive from my home in St Joseph, a town in the same state! Holland, in fact, was the place where the early immigrants from Netherlands came and settled . They have, very assiduously, preserved their precious culture, food and tradition, so we got a wonderful taste of being in Netherlands over the weekend, without even crossing the Atlantic!
Hollands prime attraction is the beautiful windmill island; a place straight out of a picture postcard. Thousands of tulips bloom during season and the colours are just mind boggling. When we reached the island, the place was absolutely packed with visitors from all around, most of them equipped with hi tech cameras to get the best shots of the flowers. I quickly joined that group and did the same.... They were irresistible.
As we wandered around admiring the rainbow colours panning out in front of us, we came across the post house museum . Built in the pattern of a wayside inn in the Netherlands, this museum has a small show that described how windmills work. Many traditional Dutch items are on sale there too, including what else! tiny intricate models of windmills. Wax figures of Dutch villagers in traditional costumes are also displayed here and it goes without saying that its also a top photo stop.
As we were leaving the museum we heard beautiful music and noticed an organ house nearby. Inside was an antique Amsterdam street organ De Vier Kolommen or the Four Columns built in 1928 by a famous Dutch organ maker Carl Frei. This 69 metal key organ was played in Breda, Rotterdam and Amsterdam, and was gifted to the city of Holland, Michigan by Amsterdam in 1947 as a gift for helping liberate Netherlands in WWII.
As there were crowds waiting to take a closer look at the antique, we too awaited our turn to enter and listen to the music. As the music played, we proceeded to see the windmill, checking out an antique carousel on the way that featured handcarved and painted wooden horses, a Dutch village made by the early settlers, a beautiful green house with plants and windmill models of different sizes.
A simple bridge over a pretty stream took us de Zwaan the Dutch word for The Swan , a beautiful 24-year-old windmill. Brought in from Vinkel in North Brabant, Netherlands, de Zwaan was the last windmill to leave that country as present Dutch laws prohibit the sale of windmills as they are considered national monuments!
We climbed up the windmill (which is actually a grain mill) to see floor by floor how everything worked, starting with the fanning to separate grain from the chaff. From the gallery we could see the blades of the mill closely and even touch them. They were 80 ft long and 6 ft wide, weighing 3 tonnes each and had a capstan wheel that turned the top cap of the mill so that the blades could be directly pointed to the wind There was also a set of wooden shoes hanging which stood in as a mail box!
Emerging from the windmill to admire the beds of tulips surrounding the windmill again, we realised that hunger pangs had struck. So naturally we went in search of authentic Dutch dishes. A parade featuring the various communities of the city was out on the streets Holland. Traditional Dutch klompen dance was being performed by boys and girls dressed in folk costumes and wooden shoes.
But our stomachs were persistent so off we went to a caf to sample Banket, a delicious traditional Dutch almond pastry, and Stamppot, a meal consisting of mashed potatoes with other vegetables and served with smoked sausages Yum!
Next, we ventured out to see the Marktplaats , the Dutch market place where genuine Dutch arts and crafts, souvenirs, lace and most importantly, handmade quilts were sold. Needless to add, like most Indians on holiday, we emerged with lighter wallets and heavy shopping bags! No one thought of going Dutch there!