Today was a tour day. We started very early to be sure we could get to our tour meeting place on time. We started our tour leaving Amsterdam to the north. It was surprising how fast we were out of the city amongst the beautiful Dutch cows in the countryside. All the places we visited were reclaimed land from the sea. Most of Holland is below sea level. Our first stop was in the village of Marken. It was a charming little peninsula where they still make wooden shoes by hand. It was a little touristy but still interesting. We walked the village and their lovely gardens. Lastly, we walked to the docks and boarded a ferry to our second stop. The lake we crossed used to be part of the Zuider Zee but they closed it off from the North Sea with a dike and slowly over the years it has become fresh water. The boat ride was fun and we drank coffee and ate a piece of apple cake on our way to Volandam.
Volandam was a quaint fishing village. It is amazing how different the two villages were even though they were so close to one another. We walked about the little town and looked at there darling houses. It was just as neat and clean as could be. Toby and I sat an watched the water before we met the group for lunch. At lunch we sat with a couple from Singapore and a couple from Romania. We truly had an international representation. They were a fun group!
After lunch, we boarded the bus again and headed to the world famous cheese-making town of Edam. It was such a peaceful place! We had a cheese tasting and bought two of our favorites. The dairy in this country far surpasses any in the U. S. The favors of the butter, cheese, ice cream, and sour cream are unsurpassed.
Our final stop was at a place called Zanse Sans - the windmill place. I had been to the windmills at Kinderdyjk, but those windmills are for water control. These windmills were for product production. We visited one that made peanut oil. Another one made pigments for paint. It was very interesting.
We returned to Amsterdam tired and sunburned. We had a message from my friend Petey's niece that my elderly friend wanted to see us. We took off to her nursing home for a short visit. It was good to see her and let her know we think of her often. All in all it was bittersweet as I don't think I will see her again.
We rested for a time and then went down the street to Fidellio's for dinner. The start of the World Cup was on and it was interesting to see everyone so excited about the match. We finished off our dinner with the most amazing crime brûlée I have ever eaten. Exhausted, we returned to the hotel and reflected on the very busy day.
Tomorrow a canal tour and maybe a very famous brewery tour......
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