We berthed alongside a
small pier in Axel, a sweet little Dutch town.
We walked to the 18th century grist mill that burned in a
1911 and was rebuilt in the 1950s. It operates on demand and we were lucky it
was working the day of our visit. The mill grinds only local grains and
delivers it to a local bakery.
As we walked the narrow cobbled street
we had a good view of the miller turning the sails to catch the wind. He was
turning a large wheel similar to a ship’s wheel, and I finally understood how
the cap moves. I just couldn’t
visualize how the whole top of the windmill would move, and it doesn’t, just
the cap on the top moves.
An interesting video was playing on the
ground level explaining how the mill works. The mill is run by the 5th
generation of the family. Afterward, I climbed up two flights of narrow stairs
for a good view of how comfortably a family lives in a wind mill.
On Main Street is a small museum, Land
of Axel. As we entered the museum, a couple dressed in
traditional costume of the early 1900s greeted us. We gathered round to hear
about the rather unique costumes.
The lady bent over at the waist moving
her hair forward, twisted it and pinned it to the top of her head. Then she
placed a metal coiled form on her head to hold her white lace bonnet in place.
This metal has a 2-inch coil, as if wrapped around a pencil, at each side of
her forehead. She wears no earrings but can place decorations on the coils.
The
shoulder wings are formed by pleating a triangle of fabric over heavy paper,
then bending to form the wings which are pinned in the center, front and back.
Years ago ladies wore no underwear but she wore seven skirts! The first, next to the body, was flannel. Others were
cotton, linen, or velvet and topped with a black on black silky print. After 1860 black was the color of the day.
Some of the skirts had a bottom ruffle. Only the first three layers were
washed.
The
docent explained, “When out in the fields and she had to go, she just stopped,
spread her legs and peed.” She demonstrated for a visual effect!
She
wore woolen socks and leather shoes if she could afford them, wooden shoes if
not.
She had long black
sleeves to cover her arms if it was cold, and a large wool scarf to wear as a
shawl for warmth. A lady had three outfits, one to wear, one to wash and one in
the closet.
The male outfit was a bit simpler. A flat
black hat topped his head. A wool vest with buttons sown on each side was worn
over a pleated sleeve blouse. A colorful small scarf was worn at the neck. His
pants were cotton/linen and had no zipper. The front flap was held in place by
a large silver buckle. The flap reminded
me of old sailor uniforms where the flap was held up with 13 buttons.
The pants were full in
the back by means of gathers. The man wore no underwear either.
Laughing
the docent said, “The front flap of the pants was referred to as the big barn
door.”
The fellow wore wool socks and the same shoes
as the female. He always wore a good size knife with a wooden handle, often
carved, in a side pocket of his pants. The blade of the knife was in a sheaf.
It was an excellent, very interesting and entertaining demonstration!
Axel is
one of a few cities in the country having a distinct costume. The small museum
highlights life of centuries past.
From the museum it was only a few steps
to the café that once was home of the first practicing physician in the area,
dating back to the 1500s. Here we to enjoyed
sticky buns and hot drinks.
Delightful!
The 60-meter high water tower can be seen from
anywhere in town. It houses another small museum on the ground floor.
The charming small village of Axel has a
population of 8000. During WW II under heavy fog the people were liberated by
Polish forces. Today the area is a popular art colony.
I love charming small villages and this
one was wonderful.
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