Diamonds, Cheese, Clogs, Fishing Village in and around Amsterdam

---

---

The next morning we were treated to a wonderful breakfast. Lots of food choices. I had crispy bacon, scrambled eggs, and chicken sausage. I had water and apple juice to drink. I did notice that they don’t serve milk as a beverage just like in England. We headed out for our first location, the Gassan Diamonds Factory.



The Amsterdam diamond company, Gassan Diamonds, is located in the former steam-driven diamond polishing factory. In this monumental building, we saw the diamond cutters at work while our guide explained the diamond cutting and polishing process. Gassan Diamonds has over 425 years of craftsmanship and tradition. It is famous for the ‘Amsterdam Cut’ diamond and also, Gassan's inhouse cut diamond; the Gassan 121, which has 121 facets.

During our visit to Gassan Diamonds, we had the opportunity to purchase diamonds after the Gassan guide showed us how diamonds are rated and priced. We had to sit/stand in a locked room due to the security for the diamonds he showed us which ranged from €800 to €54,000. They also had watches set with diamonds for the men. And just like any other tour, your final stop ends in the gift shop. But this gift shop was a jewelry showroom of their highly desired jewelry collection, which they claim is the most exclusive and extensive in the Netherlands! I did pick up a black and white bracelet. No not with diamonds! It’s made of zirconia crystals. I normally don’t like these type of jewelry preferring turquoise and silver, but it was very pretty and it fit well on my wrist.





Next was a stop at a local farm where they make cheese and wooden clogs. Getting to the farm only took 10 minutes from the city. The family owned farm was small but a great little tour. One of the workers introduced us to his trained pig named Charlotte. It was entertaining. We then headed inside to see how the cheese process was done. Then we entered the clog making area. The man who showed of his trained pig was the same person who was the clog maker. He was very funny. Gave us lots of information and demonstrations about wearing clogs. He started with a very heavy block of wood called a bread and throughout the conversations, he began to shape the log using a very long cutting blade. Cameron, a young man on a delayed honeymoon, got the rough clog to take home as a souvenir. I was planning on buying a pair, but during the clog maker’s discussion, he stated that they sell 50%!o(MISSING)f their products to Holland, Michigan. I went to Holland, Michigan a few years ago, where I bought a child’s size pair for my students to try. At that time we were reading the story, The Hole in the Dike. I was happy that I didn’t have to worry about spending the money or carrying the large item. Unfortunately, I couldn’t purchase the cheese I wanted to bring home. Since we were traveling into hotter regions, the cheese would spoil even though it has a 3 months shelf life. I checked about shipping, and for 2 logs of cheese and box of their ginger cookies (which were delicious), it would cost €35! I can just wait until I get home and drive to Holland, Michigan and buy it there, if I really need it. Although short, this was a nice little tour.





Our next tour was to Volendam. A town in North Holland in the Netherlands, in the municipality of Edam-Volendam. The town has about 22,000 inhabitants. It’s sits on the shore of a man made lake that was made by damming the inlet from the ocean. They then changed the salt water to fresh water. It was definitely a tourist trap area of mostly souvenir shops and restaurants. One of the shops actually had cheap Native American statues and fake dream catchers! Why would you have that in your shop in Holland? It rained for about a half hour while we were there, but I was prepared. I wasn’t hungry, but wanted to try the local dish of pickled herring. Now while I am not a fish person, I did want to try it. I found two women from our group standing under an awning to keep dry from the downpour. They were just finishing eating from little containers of food they had gotten from the fish cart across from us. The cart was selling the pickled herring and one of the women said she just had one. So, I told her I would try it and if I didn’t like it she could have it. So I got the pickled herring which is served on a long roll along with a couple of pickles. I made my way back to the two ladies. I took a bite and it was fine if you like the strong flavor of pickles. I don’t! There was no fish taste at all. I could feel the meatiness of the fish, but the over powering flavor of pickles ruined it for me. I gave the rest to the lady, and she was nice enough to give me €2 for it. I finished the tour by walking back to the bus for our next trip.



The bus took us to the center of town so that we could spend 2 hours on our own. I headed for the main shopping area on Nieuwendijk and Kalverstraat streets. I was hoping to find a plus size women’s clothing shop to supplement my wardrobe. Unfortunately, the shops here only went to XXL which is equivalent to American L or XL. Maybe I’ll have better luck in Germany. There is a store called FEBO that looks like an old fashioned food mat from the 1950s in America. People put in money in the coin slots, turn the knob, open the little door and take out the food. It was very popular. Along these two streets I noticed some of the stores were in small converted churches. Between these two streets is the area of Amsterdam called the Dam. It’s a very large plaza with the Royal Palace as the main focal point. The Royal Palace is not used except for formal occasions. No royalty lives there. They live in The Hague. I got back to our pick up place an hour early so I decided to try to get something to eat. I found a restaurant that served pulled pork. When it came out, it did not match the picture. Instead of stringy strips of pork in a savory sauce, it was large chunks of pork with no sauce. I told the waitress that I hadn’t ordered that. She insisted that it did match the picture. I declined the food and left. I ended up meeting with the same two ladies from Volendam at another restaurant. Unfortunately, due to a large group placing an order, I would not get my meal for another 30 minutes, so I settled for a slice of carrot cake and water. Which was good!





For the rest of the night, after a 2 hour rest at the hotel, a large group of people went to a country Dutch House that has been converted into a restaurant. This excursion was an additional €69 for the dinner and a trip to the Red Light District. I had wanted the other excursion which included a trip to a small town but it was not offered. So, instead I headed out on my own to the Red Light District. The metro link was only a 7 minute walk from the Mercure Hotel. I paid for a 24 hour pass (€7,5) {when using anything less than €1 they use a comma instead of a period to indicate less than 1) since it was about the same price for a 3 hour ticket. I got on at Overamstel Station and traveled to Nieuwmarkt Station. Although everything was in Dutch I just matched the words from the metro map to the map the hotel had given me. I got off the train and headed up the stairs to start exploring the area. Lots of cafes and restaurants. I had missed the open air market by an hour. I headed over to the Red Light District. Even though it was almost 7 pm, it was still light outside. It doesn’t get truly dark until 10 or 11. I must say that I wasn’t impressed with the area. Lots of bars. Lots a people, especially men, who were either drinking, drunk, or stoned. Yes there are pot shops, shops that sell pot paraphernalia, and even in the souvenir shops you could purchase a cannabis lollipop. As far as the sex stuff. The buildings that hosted the prostitutes were regular buildings. Former tall windows were turned into glass doors where if you liked what you see, you would tap on the glass and she would open the door to speak to you. Then you would go up into a room to finalize the transaction. I was there early enough to see some of these women arrive. The had on regular clothes but carried a duffel bag or bag. They would enter their door, close the curtains, and then when ready open the curtains. Their outfits varied in coverage, but no nipples or private areas are allowed to be shown. If the light was red, it meant they were true male or females. Blue/Purple lights meant other sexual orientation. From what I gathered through research, most services start at 30 euros. They can make almost 4000 Euros a month. They don’t allow pictures being taken of themselves while waiting for customers. I walked around a bit. Actually passed a Domino’s Pizza. I decided to get a slice and try their Dutch pancakes. Dutch pancakes are little puffed up dough covered with melted butter and powdered sugar. Both were very good. I decided to head back to the hotel since I didn’t really see any point in staying later in the area.

---