One of the first “European Roads of Culture” Mister Benz has driven so far is the so-called Via Molina – Lower Saxony’s famous Road of Mills. And as pictures often speak for themselves (and if like us you happen to love these old mills) I would like to keep my comments fairly brief this time. After all – there are more than 600 ‘mill locations’ in the Northern German county of Lower Saxony alone and we have randomly picked out a few for this trip. Highly recommended are also the pretty museum villages in Hösseringen and Cloppenburg (allowing us to delve back into the past and a bygone age of rural life). These beautiful mills are mainly water- or windmills which are either still operating or now used as museums; some have been converted into very cozy private homes or transformed into quirky hotels and cute cafés. You can visit the International Wind- and Water Mill Museum in Gifhorn – featuring a rare Ship Mill. A fun journey back into my childhood was enjoyed at the wonderful Museum Village of Cloppenburg: Of all the various different types of mills the one that springs to mind is Ross Mill as it is a very “rare beast” these days: Unique to Germany is the five-sailed windmill in Wendhausen: One of our first mill stops was the charming little spa town of Bad Zwischenahn – their imposing mill overlooks a big lake with sailing boats: And here’s a lovely scene on an old picture postcard from the Luneburg Heath: The friendly East-Frisians are often the butt of jokes… but a Windmill Café like this one in Leer is definitely a smart idea: East Frisia became part of Lower Saxony’s Road of Mills in 2010 – and quite rightly so! One of the most impressive visits was to the picturesque Twin Mills in Greetsiel, in the Aurich Region: Also included were the areas Aurich, Leer and Wittmund as well as the small town of Emden and in the Oldenburg Region the Ammerland, Friesland and Wesermarsch - not forgetting atmospheric Wilhelmshaven: Mills are great to look at any time of day! For us this is the best the North Sea coastal area has to offer: We drove back via Heiligenthal near Luneburg; this former water mill is now an attractive hotel: Our appetite for travel has certainly been stimulated! So now off for more travels… Next Stop: The Land of 1000 Windmills! Groetjes from famous Kinderdijk in Holland.
Benz Meister is enjoying his time ‘aan de grachten’:
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