Netherlands
Wooden houses, cheese making and those historic windmills of North Holland
he next day had a whole day trip to a bucket list destination and three more stops around North Holland: the villages of Marken and Edam (where the cheese is made) and the tourist town of Volendam. Between them we had the chance to visit the Henri Willig cheese factory and farm, try various flavors of Gouda, watch the cheese making process and say «hi» to the cows.
MARKEN
Our first stop, Marken, was an island in the Zuiderzee – today, its connected to the mainland by a causeway. Today, its wooden houses attract tourists who want to explore Netherlands a bit more. Truth is, it’s a beautiful but small coastal town with around 2 thousand residents, with everything you would expect from this description. Walking around the streets, seeing the houses, the shops and the cafés you will see they are all perfectly maintained to work as a time capsule. Marken was inhabited for the first time in the 13th by monks from Friesland, who lived off agriculture, fishing and cattle breeding.
The streets, the houses, the shops and the cafés you will see are all perfectly maintained to work as a time capsule
EDAM
The next stop was Edam. Its name originates from a dam on the little river E and as you could guess, the city is now known as the original source of the cheese. Our visit, even though quick, allowed us to admire the picturesque landscape, often looking like a painting. Since 1989, the cheese market in Edam has been revived as a re-enactment for tourists. It is held on each Wednesday in July and August. If you’re not visiting on those months, you could still catch a glimpse at De Kaaswaag Edam by Henri Willig, a store with a carriage covered with fake cheeses for pictures.
VOLENDAM
Volendam is a tourist town (in the municipality of Edam – Volendam) and it looks and feels exactly like that. That doesn’t mean it’s not pleasant. You will walk between houses, see old fishing boats, enjoy sweet treats and good food – though some are incredibly tourist friendly. The whole town is like a theme park for tourists, with stores offering photo-ops with traditional costumes, food trucks and restaurants. We almost missed our group and bus waiting for our mini pancakes to be made, but they were delicious.
Originally, Volendam was the harbour of Edam until 1357, when the inhabitants of Edam dug a shorter canal to the Zuiderzee with its own separate harbour. Farmers and local fishermen settled there, forming the new community of Vollendam or Follendam, which translates to ‘Full dam’’. In the late 19th and early 20th century, Volendam attracted a diverse community of artists who were captivated by the authentic and picturesque life of the inhabitants of Volendam. In the late 19th and early 20th century, the picturesque life attracted a diverse community of artists. Near the harbour, catch the statue of The Bap (which means grandfather), a fisherman wearing clogs, sitting on a bench, sculpted by Jans van Baarsen.
HENRI WILLIG CHEESE FARM
Before we made it to Zaanse Schans we had one last stop: the Henri Willig Cheese Farm, because you’re not in Netherlands unless you have a belly full of Gouda.
Before you go in for the cheese making demonstration, make sure you visit the cows. In farms like these I’m always curious to see the conditions of the stables and the animals, and this one proved to be excellent. You may even have the chance to see the milking procedure done by special machinery –, it’s fascinating to see the precision.
Afterwards we watched a demonstration of the cheese making process before we headed to the store, with more cheese than you could eat, all with samples by them for us to try – and we did try. Special favorite was the Gouda with beer where the beer is very subtle, it only gives a soft punch to the cheese.
ZAANSE SCHANS
The last stop of that trip was the one I was looking forward to the most: Zaanse Schans! Even though it’s a major tourist attraction, you should also keep in mind that its also a residential area. It’s a historic, mill village with wooden houses and old windmills relocated from all over Amsterdam. Its free to walk in and around but the windmills do have an entrance fee (€6).
This is where my bucket list comes in. I got the chance to walk inside (and go up) De Kat, the mill that once was used to produce paint. It was such a fascinating experience to see the machines and the old paints, and if you go up the narrow, wooden stair you will go outside, see the blades from up close and admire the view.
Our day ended with one more exciting stop in Zaanse Schans: a clog making workshop. It was exciting to see how a piece of wood turned into a clog, with work done by both hands and machines.
