Windmills, a forgotten Technology - a photo journal from Flanders

I am a huge sucker for old-world technology, from the time when tablets were medicine I hated and blackberries were seasonal fruits I picked and stole from farms.  I have always been fascinated by Windmills - and there are plenty left in Europe.  Some of the best preserved ones are in Flanders (an old region that is now north-eastern France, Belgium and the Netherlands).  I recently re-visited a few of them in Western Flanders, right in the border between France and Belgium.  The ones in Boeschepe and Steenvoorde are really beautiful, not to mention the charming villages and countryside.  There a couple more in these border towns, both on the French and Belgium side, and it is a must-see for those who are driving past the region.  

The Boeschepe windmill, also called 'Moulin sans merci', actually has Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/moulin.boeschepe

The Steenvoorde windmill, which has been standing since at least the 16th century, sits outside the town with an interesting history: http://www.tourisme-nord.fr/cdtnord_fr/offer_reservation/detail/MOULIN-DU-NORD-(NOORDMEULEN-)-STEENVOORDE/(id)/57c5198a-ce2b-44f1-8e91-2188ea0a36b6,PCUNOR059FS00313,84

Signs pointing to the windmills are everywhere (Moulin à Vent in French), an example is shown on the first photo.  

​風車一向是我鐘情的「舊世界產物」。不要以為現在只能在卡通片中見到風車，其實在歐洲你仍然可以在很多地方看到風車。例如在法蘭德斯 (Flanders) 就有很多保存得很好的風車。在歷史上「法蘭德斯」一直沒有一個非常明確的定義，但是一般是指法國東北部、比利時及荷蘭一帶的地區。我最近重遊於法蘭德斯西部，法國與比利時接壤的邊境。在那裏除了可以欣賞到十分迷人的鄉郊景色外，更發現在小鎮 Boeschepe 及 Steenvoorde 都保存著氣勢令人震懾的風車。在法國與比利時邊界沿途的小鎮都有很多古老的風車，當你駕車經過這一帶時一定要停下來欣賞一下。