Zaanse Schans
9/8/10
We started our one full day in Amsterdam with a day trip to the adorably charming town of Zaanse Schans. Here windmills from across the Netherlands have been relocated for preservation and traditional tradesmen reside to preserve their craft (cheese and clogmaking among others!). Despite the mist and rain (or maybe because of it since it enhanced the Dutch-ness of our experience), we had a fantastic time exploring.
Most importantly, the cheese! We watched a video of the traditional process of cheesemaking and got to try over 10 types of Gouda…smoked, herb, smoked herb, pesto, regular, something that make the cheese really red, etc, etc.
Wooden clog factory…where we saw a live presentation of a guy making a clog with really old-school machines! We also got to try on a billion pairs. Our favorite: the giant yellow ones outside.
Cafe for Dutch pancakes which are plate-sized and delicious. We split the apple and topped it with powdered sugar and cinnamon. I’d like another right now.
Windmills…a few are still operating – we toured one that made oil!
Sheep. If you’re a sheep aficionado like Ruth apparently is, there’s a field with probably one hundred grazing sheep where you can take TWO hundred pictures to share with family and friends upon your return home ;)
We also meandered around the other little buildings of the town – it’s a really cute place! Definitely recommended for a pretty inexpensive (no entrance fees!) day trip from Amsterdam. Added bonus, the town you’d take the train to, Koog Zaandijk, smells strongly of CHOCOLATE thanks to its cocoa factory. From there, it’s a 10 or so minute walk (well marked) to Zaanse Schans.
