Editor Pick
Wooden Shoes, Cheese Factories, Windmills, Oh My!
- January 22, 2006
- Rated 4 of 5 by
bridgettesb from Boston, Massachusetts
So you want to see the land of wooden shoes and windmills? In the mood for some Gouda? Go outside of the city walls and see what Holland has to offer. Many tour operators have day trips to different places in the Netherlands.
On our first trip to Amsterdam, we took a bus trip to a wooden shoe factory, a cheese factory, a windmill farm, and a small fishing village, Volendam.
The day was wonderful. You had the chance to drive through and see Holland and the people in their daily lives. As soon as you got to the cheese and shoe factory, conveniently located at the same place (not too touristy, huh?), you had the chance to walk around and see people's homes in between much smaller canals with windmills in the distance. It was very beautiful, very surreal, and VERY Dutch!
The Wooden Shoe factory was very neat, with rows and rows of beautiful and colorful wooden shoes. They had live demonstrations about how they make the wooden shoes. The people in Holland do really wear their wooden shoes. If you look around out in the countryside, you will see locals in their wooden shoes. They obviously sell wooden shoes and all things Dutch here.
The Cheese Factory--YUM! This honestly was the best cheese I have ever eaten in my life. We bought about eight wheels of cheese between four of us and had almost all of them eaten by the end of our trip. I recommend the smoked Gouda. My husband and I still dream about it. The factory also had live demonstrations worth watching.
The Windmill Farm or Park was very beautiful. It had a windmill you could go into, climb upstairs, and walk around the outside on the upper level. People showed you how the windmill works and its purpose.
The Fishing Village was not in the same place as the others. It was a bus ride into a small village called Volendam. This little village was so insanely quaint that it was hard to leave. The people were extremely friendly and the area was so picturesque. It is great to have some time to spend here. Just walk around the cobblestone streets and get some coffee and a pastry or whatever floats your boat.
I would definitely say that this side trip is well worth it for anyone looking to go outside the city. The Netherlands is a wonderful place that has so much to offer beyond the coffee shops. Please go out and see it all.
This was all very touristy, but for the first-timer, it was a nice way to get acquainted with Holland.
From journal Amsterdam: A Delight!