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Published: June 20th 2006
Windmills in Zaans Schan
Don Quioxte wasn't there, but nonetheless, I enjoyed seeing these!Our first stop is Zaanse Schans. The area was named 'De Zaanse Schans' after a trench was built in 1574 to hold back Spanish troops during the eighty year war between the Netherlands and Spain.
Zaanse Schans was built up on dikes. The dikes were probably built as early as the thirteenth century, the first villages were built along these at a later date. Until late in the last century these were typical 'dike-villages'.
In the beginning of the 18th century there were about 500 windmills in the area, of which very few are in operation today. Zaanse Schans has a few windmills that are operating and they include: an oil mill, a paint mill, a mustard mill and a sawmill.
Other places to see include a cheese-making dairy, an old bakery, a grocer's shop, a clog-maker's workshop, a pewterer's workshop and the Zaans Uurwerken Museum (Clock Museum), with a collection of old Dutch clocks.
We stopped in the cheese-making dairy and I didn't escape without buying 10 pounds of cheese! They had a variety of cheeses and it was hard to choose. After sampling cheese, we went to a Clog Maker's shop.
Our second stop
Cheese whiz
Who moved my cheese? is Volendam which is a world-famous fishing village of Volendam located on the coast of the former Zuiderzee (now called Ljsselmeer). It has wooden houses built on poles and an unique open harbor still in its original state. The timbered little church built on stone dates back to 1658.
The traditional costumes of the 'Dutch cheese girls' as worn at international exhibitions are a variation of the Volendam costume. Volendam is also known for its eel, which I was not about to sample any.
Our third stop is Delft, which is in the western Netherlands, in Zuid-Holland (South Holland) Province, on the Schie River, near Rotterdam. The city was founded in 1246. The city owes its name to the word 'delving', digging the oldest canal, the Oude Delft.
Their major industry includes: chemicals, tobacco products, carpets, cloth, soap, mathematical instruments, pottery (called new delft), and leather.
The manufacture of Delft ware, which was world-famed from the 17th to the mid 18th century, has regained its popularity. I enjoyed touring the factory, the amount of hand work that it is involved in creating these porcelains is incredible. I doubt if I would want to take small children
Cheese
Come one, come all, get your free cheese. NOT! in there.
Some of the places to visit include: House of Orange, Vermeer (Johannes Vermeer - famous painter in 1632-1675), Waag, Townhal, and other museums.
Our last stop is Madurodam. This is a stop that you will want to add to your travel list because it is a one of a kind city.
In miniature city Madurodam, miniature town Holland is reduced. Holland is reduced to 1/25 of its actual size. Visitors can recognize different Dutch townscapes and famous landmarks. There also is an operating harbor, airport and railway system, as well as a playing barrel organ.
In Holland's tiniest town, you will see the canal houses of Amsterdam, the Alkmaar cheese market, the Peace Palace of The Hague, the Dam Palace of Amsterdam, bulb fields and parts of the Delta Works, all replicated in detail on a 1:25 scale.
Windmills are turning, boats are sailing the canals, a fire is extinguished in the harbor and modern trains are running to and from the stations on the world's largest miniature railway.
At dusk, the town turns into a modern-day fairy-tale with more than 50,000 lights
Madurodam is a special tribute from the loving
Clogs
Time for clogging. parents of George Maduro to commemorate their son's life. George served with honors during first days of World War II and died as a POW at Dachau concentration camp in 1945. Look for the memorial plaque left of the entrance gate.
Ending the day, we did a quick drive by The Hague and returned to Amsterdam. I enjoyed visiting all of these places!
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Saman
non-member comment
Very good writeup and pretty helpful to me as I am planning a trip this summer with the family.