For her very first excursion, my 3D printed Kitty doll took a trip to the quaint, old fashioned “Nelis’ Dutch Village” in Holland, Michigan. Even though the tulips were no longer in bloom, it was still a fun place to visit. Kitty was surrounded by old-style architecture, reminiscent of the Netherlands from 150 years ago. The immersive and educational surroundings were a good fit for Kitty, and she learned a lot. Below are some highlights from her trip.
See the classic Dutch canal houses in the background?
“De Gouden Engel” (Golden Angel), an antique street organ from 1880, played music while dancers dressed in costumes of the Netherlands performed folk dances in their wooden “Klompen” shoes.
Kitty went closer to see the beautiful carvings on the organ.
Next she visited a one-room school. The chalkboard showed words in English and Dutch.
Kitty especially loved the Dutch children’s books.
She felt right at home on the horse and wagon.
After that, Kitty made friends with a dog pulling a cart filled with cheese.
She loved all the dolls dressed in traditional costumes of the Netherlands.
Next she learned how the traditional wooden shoes are made.
Wooden Shoes
Dutch “Klompen”
Because of the scarcity of leather, shoes made of wood were used for footwear in the lowland countries. Shoemaking became a profession as wooden shoes were worn by all classes of people. On entering the home, shoes were left on the doorstep, and strangers passing could count the members of a family by the number of shoes. At Christmas shoes were left on the hearth to be filled with goodies and toys by St. Nicholas. “Poplar” and “Willow” were the woods used.
A docent demonstrated the process of carving a wooden shoe. First, he used a shaping machine, which followed the contours of a shoe and carved a copy from a block of poplar. Then he used a boring machine to hollow out the center. He did all of this from behind a metal screen, because the chips flew everywhere.
Kitty ended her visit with some fun souvenirs: miniature delftware and wooden cookie molds to make speculaas, a traditional spiced cookie.
Kitty enjoyed her trip back in time to the Netherlands of the 19th century. Hope you did, too!
