During summer breaks when I was in high school, I would sometimes drive around aimlessly with my little sister. Once in a while, we’d slow down in front of an interesting looking structure and I’d tell her we should go knock on the door just to see what it looked like on the inside.  She’d giggle in a way little sisters are wont to do when they still enjoy tagging along, but I was serious. I’ve always had this annoying habit of gazing inside windows from afar (not to be mistaken with casing a joint, mind you), then outside once inside, curious about all the lives that weren’t mine. The world seemed impossibly infinite then–as it still does now–and I wondered where all this endless wondering, wonderment, would lead me. For today, anyway, it’s led me to door number 2 in the Netherlands:

 

As promised yesterday, I’m walking you inside  Nederwaard Molen 2 in Kinderdjik:

 

There are a few bedrooms, kitchen, bathrooms, and living areas inside just like in any house, but everything is compact and somehow magically squeezed into the circular structure:

 

 

There are 4 sets of steep, narrow stairs that are better descended sideways or backwards:

 

It’s both claustrophobic and dizzying to climb to the next floor, but the views are worth it:

 

And if you ever wanted to know what the blades looked like up close…

 

A few last looks at the windmill…

 

and then we’re ditching the car for the subway.  Where we’re heading tomorrow we’ll be better off on foot.