Whilst anyone with common sense would choose a place to live above sea level, we the Dutch found comfort in doing the opposite. We built dykes to stop the water from coming in and we built windmills to get the water out, eventually creating Holland. Once the water was out we found different ways of using our windmills. Our mills started sawing wood, making paper and grinding the spices which we had brought back from long travels to the other side of the world by courtesy of the winds. Our ships sailed the seven seas. It gave us our Golden Age and made our country prosperous. For almost a century we ruled the oceans and gave the world our paintings and ideas. The Dutch men that made our country, through water and wind, were shaped by these forces, as was their character. These Golden Age Men were rugged yet distinguished as they paved the way for future generations.