By Tim Brosnan, Staff Writer

Windmills in Kinderdijk still pump water the old-fashioned way. Visitors can climb inside the windmills to see how they work.

They have a saying in the Netherlands: God created the world, but the Dutch created Holland.

And it's true.

As demonstrated by Holland's dense network of canals, dikes and floodgates, it's a country wrung from the sea over centuries of back-breaking work and one that the Dutch struggle daily to retain.

Medieval chapels, colorful modern buildings, thatched roofs and windmills dot the landscape, and real farmers wearing real wooden shoes tend their herds and flocks beneath a frequently overcast sky.

The Dutch are besieged by water from all directions and, not surprisingly, they take scrupulous care of their land.

Streets are clean and trash is recycled. Yards large and small are landscaped as if they were expecting royalty.

Our travel party was based in Amersfoort, a town about 30 minutes by express train from Amsterdam. In Amersfoort, we enjoyed free accommodations thanks to a house-swapping program coordinated by a company called Vacation Exchange Club.

Send VEC $70, and it will list your house in an international directory subscribed to by people around the world interested in swapping houses with distant strangers.

The program requires a certain amount of trust and caution, but it's one that, used properly, can be much preferable and far less expensive than staying in a hotel, eating out every night and renting a car.

Our home away from home had all the amenities -- microwave oven, cable TV (with some channels in English), central heat -- even a car and the names of neighbors on call to translate guidebooks or recommend points of interest.

Homes vary, of course, but specifics can and should be ironed out well before you book a flight.

Bicycle heaven.

When bicycle enthusiasts who've led good, clean lives pass away, they ought to get the option of going to Holland as their reward. It's a cyclist's paradise.

Separate paved bike paths parallel almost every road in Holland except the largest highways. And, since Holland is a predominantly flat country, biking is easy, even for the novice rider.

Where cars are prohibited, bikers mingle with pedestrians and, where motorists are present, cars slow down to let bikes pass by. Bikers arriving at a busy intersection need only press the biker's button, and a special biker's traffic light will intercede on their behalf.

Bike parking is plentiful -- racks, trenches, covered and uncovered ``bike lots'' -- free for the using and overflowing with bikes. And if there's no room for your bike, don't worry. Just lean it against the nearest wall or drop it on the ground, never looking back, as you walk away.

That's what the Dutch do, anyway.

Strangely, considering how much deference is given to bikers, nobody seems to worry much about bike theft. The mostly utilitarian-looking bikes have only flimsy wheel locks and paths leading to train stations are lined with hundreds of bikes left unchained all day by commuters.

Public transport in Holland is fast, efficient and affordable. Here, a tram zips through downtown Amsterdam.

Getting around.

Holland's public transportation is superb. Trains and buses -- and trams in the larger cities -- will get you to even the most obscure locations if you're willing to take the time to read a map and a schedule.

We found all modes to be punctual, comfortable and relatively inexpensive.

A ``Nationale Strippen Kaart'' -- or strip ticket -- is a good way to pay for bus and tram rides. They're available at post offices and cost about $7 each.

How long they last depends on how frequently they're used, but they can be used anywhere in the country and drivers (like just about everybody else in Holland) speak English well enough to understand most mispronounced place names.

Trains are fast and, in designated cars, smoke-free. (We were surprised, on the other hand, at how prevalent smoking is in Holland. Many Dutch people roll their own and smokers can be found fuming freely in almost any public place.)

If your house swap includes a car, be prepared to pay the equivalent of $4 to $5 per gallon for regular unleaded gas.

Traffic rules are generally the same as they are here and the Dutch drive on the right side of the road. Road signs are not intuitive, however, and you should plan to spend a few minutes studying a driver's handbook before taking to the road. Driving in larger cities, especially Amsterdam, is not recommended.

If you're a long-distance biker, by all means hit the back roads of Holland with a vengeance. Paved bike paths stretch across miles and miles of flat, impossibly green pasture land. The sheep are standoffish, but the ubiquitous cows will let you pet them if you're patient.

Travel on foot and your ears will soon become attuned to the faint ``ching-ching'' of the bike bell that pedestrians hear when they stray into a bike path. Bike paths are not sidewalks.

Eating out.

So you've got yourself a place to stay, a sturdy bike and a strip ticket, but you're hungry and you're still on a budget.

Stay home.

We found restaurant food in Holland to be pricey and, though well-prepared, rarely out of the ordinary.

One exception, a restaurant called Aandevork in the town of Odijk, specializes in pancakes unlike any we'd ever had, and visitors can stroll through the adjacent bee museum after their meal.

During day trips, we stretched our ambience dollar (while resting our feet) by ordering espresso and pastries at sidewalk cafes. Light meals were easily assembled at specialty shops for eating en route.

But as often as possible, our group preferred to prepare at home the wide variety of fresh foods available at local markets. Cheese and bread complemented our meals, as did fruit and vegetables bought from the veggy man's van whenever he drove through our neighborhood.

Open-air markets that set up in some towns several times a week are another fun source of vitamins and minerals.

And homesick travelers will be relieved to know that iced drinks, difficult to come by otherwise, are served at McDonald's.

The American franchise also offers one Dutch favorite that we avoided -- french fries with mayonnaise.

Boxed "highlights"

Holland's centuries-old battle with the North Sea continues to this day. For a fascinating glimpse at the technology, both ancient and state of the art, of dams, dikes and flood control in general, visit the Delta Expo near Schiedam.

For about $2, a man wearing wooden shoes will let you climb around inside a windmill in Kinderdijk, Holland's largest accumulation of working windmills.

Reserve time for several day trips to Amsterdam. A strip ticket will get you to within easy walking distance of most places in the city, but it won't get you any discounts in the notorious red-light district.

Nobler pursuits can be joined in Amsterdam at any one of the city's many museums and cultural centers. Visit Rembrandt at the Rijksmuseum and sit in on a matinee at the Concertgebouw. Street musicians perform throughout city.

For information about the Vacation Exchange,call (800) 638-3841 or fax (305) 294-1448 or write to them at P.O. Box 650, Key West, Fla. 33041.

Get a free ``Consumer Kit'' that contains a map of Holland and helpful brochures by calling The Netherlands Board of Tourism at (312) 819-0300.