A cheesy day in Volendam & Edam

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We are extremely impressed by how clean and tidy and pretty are all the Dutch towns. There is no litter anywhere. The houses and gardens are all well kept and all their windows are shiny and clean. Even in the busy front of Volendam with all it's fish shops and bars , there is no litter to be seen. It was here that we finally had some delicious prawns and french fries. There is no seafood on board so we have withdrawal symptoms! There are so many shops and cafes selling gorgeous food in this place right on the sea front so a lovely place to visit. We also visited the pretty town of Edam which is smaller and very cute. One of the attractions of the day was a visit to a cheese making factory for a talk by a lady on how the famous Gouda and Edam are produced. She was hilarious. Then we had a talk by a man about how clogs are made with the demo. He was also very amusing. I always thought the Dutch were so serious but not so. After the demos we were of course guided through a huge shop of cheese samples and loads of souvenirs. We did buy some Gouda as it lasts a long time. Back on the boat later we had a chance to paint and decorate our own clog so Trish and I had a go. Hers was more artistic but mine was done in about 3 minutes as I haven't the patience. I am sure Eve our grand daughter will love it! It has been a beautiful sunny day and quite nice to sit in the cabin with the picture window down and the sun streaming through. We have been very fortunate with the weather. Every day has been dry and sunny.

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