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Published: November 1st 2021
“The windmill doesn’t care for the wind that’s gone past”- Dutch proverb
We were very happy the rain stopped today! Apparently it’s not common for it to rain so much and so hard here in Amsterdam. Our B&B host Katrien said how unusual it was and how it might be related to climate change. But today was a lovely sunny (though quite windy and cool) day.
We had a leisurely morning in our B&B, enjoying our breakfast, and then we headed out for our 1/2 day tour to Zaanse Schans. We walked to Centraal Station (I can’t believe how close it is now that we’ve figured out the direct route), then took the ferry over to Buiksloterweg. This free ferry makes frequent trips and only takes a few minutes to make the crossing. We walked a few minutes to the meeting place, and the guide was there waiting (she was actually on our ferry over). There were two other couples on our tour (one from Italy and the other from Germany) and we quickly headed out for our 1/2 hour drive to Zaanse Schans. It is a very picturesque village with numerous old windmills, which have been preserved. Holland
used to have lots of windmills but there are very few like these left. It was a nice change from being in the city, and a pleasant, short drive, to the countryside. We first visited a clog shop, and watched a short demonstration on how the wooden Dutch clogs are made (I thought this would be kind of lame, but actually was quite interesting). Then we visited a cheese shop and enjoyed lots of samples. We didn’t buy any cheese, as we don’t want to carry it with us through Kenya, but we likely will at the Amsterdam airport during our layover back from Nairobi in a few weeks.
We then wandered around the village, and had a nice walk among the windmills. There are various shops, including a chocolate shop (the Netherlands exports lots of chocolate), a bakery, and others. We had a hot chocolate at the chocolate shop (you partially make it yourself, mixing the cocoa, sugar, and a small amount of milk, then going to the counter for the hot milk). It was nice on this windy cool day. Later we got a waffle at the bakery (they are quite yummy). We had a very pleasant
time during our time in the village.
We got back to the meeting place a bit before 3 pm, and we took the ferry back to Centraal Station, where we bought our train tickets for the train to the airport tomorrow. Since we enjoyed our liqueurs at Wynand Folkink so much yesterday, we decided to pop back in for another (plus they are very warming on chilly days ?). My first one was a mixture of blackberry and cranberry (the cranberry added a nice sour taste), and my second was sour cherry. I really like the sour cherry and if we were going straight home I would definitely have bought a bottle to take home. I also had a small Pilsner with the liqueurs. Susan had an anise liqueur, then an aged genever (which is similar to Scotch), and a small Pilsner also.
We walked back to our B&B, and I started the blog. We didn’t have too much time before we had to head off for our 6 pm dinner reservation at “Moeders” - a restaurant serving traditional Dutch food. It was about a 1/2 hour walk, and it was extremely chilly! I was jealously looking at
the sweaters in the shop windows, and dreaming of my warm winter jackets. I didn’t think it would be quite this cold here.
It’s good we made a reservation, because despite it being a Monday, it was full and if we didn’t have a reservation we wouldn’t have got in. I had a white wine and Susan had a elderflower blonde beer. Susan had a pea soup with ham to start which she really enjoyed. I had the vegetarian stampot (it was really good) and Susan had a beef stew with potatoes and red cabbage. We finished with apple pie and cappuccinos. We were extremely stuffed! We walked back to the B&B, and it was even colder than during the walk over. We could have gotten an Uber, but I wanted to walk off the meal. We’ve been walking a lot in Amsterdam (today I got over 22,000 steps).
So, tonight is our last night in Amsterdam. I’ve enjoyed it here, and would like to come back, preferably in the summer. I was surprised how busy it was here. Considering that travel is really just getting going again, I am amazed by the sheer number of tourists here.
The streets are just packed with people (and of course, zillions of cyclists). Our guide today said she was also surprised how busy it was this weekend, and that it was even busier than pre-covid. Everyone is so eager to travel again. People mostly aren’t wearing masks here, though they are required on public transport (and in the mini van on our tour today today). There is no distancing at all here - it’s impossible, there are too many people! In restaurants and bars we have almost always been required to show proof of vaccination (we use our Canadian proof of vaccination which we were just able to download the day after we got here - previous to that we had our provincial proof of vaccination).
Last night we filled out the required online health forms for Kenya (and we got our QR codes required for all incoming passengers). I’m not sure it’s required, but we also signed on with the Trusted Travel website, and uploaded our proof of negative covid test.
Our flight to Nairobi leaves at noon tomorrow, and we plan on being at the airport by 9 am. We’ll walk to Centraal Station, and take
the train to the airport. See you in Nairobi - I’m looking forward to warmer weather!
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Faye Walker
non-member comment
Amsterdam: Windmills and Sunshine
An interesting last day in Amsterdam, Food is always a highlight. Your B&B sounds quite special.