We arrived in Volendam and found the VVV (tourist office) for a map. All of the major 'action' takes place at the harbor, so that is where we went. Since it was still fairly early, the streets weren't at all crowded. We could just walk along the harbor and admire all the beautiful Dutch homes. Not sure if I have ever mentioned how lovely and well-kept most homes are. The brick is nice, the paint is fresh, the windows and patios are clean, and the front curtains are always open to show a well-decorated front room. The Dutch clearly take a lot of pride in their homes. And, these homes all had back patios right on the water, the Markermeer. Jealous! I liked the turquoise colored home in the picture below...made me think I was in California or Florida, not a little town in the Netherlands.
We found a bench to stop and have a snack. I had read in a travel book about Volendam being a popular place to have your photo taken in traditional Dutch costume. I was really hoping that Ben and Greg would oblige me in having our pictures taken...like they had a choice. :) So, we found one of the shops, and the girls in the shop started getting us dressed into some Dutch gear. Ben was not too excited about the "bib", the "black rope necklace", or the traditional black pants - but you can't even tell since he was such a good sport with the red jacket, hat, and clogs (he LOVED the hat and clogs!). While the woman was placing us for the photo, she brought over a pail of fake fish. Right away, Ben picked them up and started playing with them. The photographer was able to get his attention away from the fish long enough to snap a great photo, we were so pleased! It was hard saying goodbye to the clogs and fishies, but we were so glad we did this. What a fun way to remember Volendam!
After our photos, we wandered along the Haven (harbor) street some more...past the shops and cafes. It was very "touristy", but still had a charm about it. We found the Hotel Spaander, where many artists stayed in the late 19th century while they were painting views of the town. The walls of the hotel cafe are covered with paintings accepted by the owners in lieu of payment. We walked along the water and found a quiet spot to eat our picnic lunch. After we finished, we slowly made our way back through town to the bus stop. Volendam was a really cute place to spend the morning just soaking in the sun along the water, watching all the boats and the people. Next stop, Edam!
Just a short 10 minute bus ride to Edam. As we started walking toward the city center, we could see the Speeltoren (Carillon Tower) from 1561. Lots of lovely little homes (these purple flowers are in bloom all over Holland right now) and narrow lift bridges.
Our first major stop in Edam was - where else? - the Kaaswaag (Cheese Weigh House). The weigh house dates back to 1592 and has a cheese-making display inside (although now, cheese-making is an automated process). In July and August, the cheese market is held here, basically a re-enactment of the cheese buying/selling that used to take place. Then, it is weighed in the weigh house. If you're curious, the color of wax used to wrap Edam cheese means something - red for export and yellow for local consumption. Near the weigh house, we found this cafe sign that made me smile...and made me hungry!
We walked along the canal toward Dam Square and the Stadhuis (Town Hall), built in 1737. The Town Hall is said to have a really lovely wedding room, which we didn't get to see because a wedding was taking place. :) We thought, what better way to celebrate the newlywed couple than to stop for a quick rest and ice cream cone? Ben clearly loves to celebrate marriage...or maybe it was the ice cream? ;)
With some renewed energy, we walked to the Grote Kerk (believed to be built in the 15th century). Near a quiet field, this church is very big and very beautiful, with lots of stained-glass windows, many donated as gifts from neighboring towns after a fire damaged the church in 1602.
By now, it was early afternoon, and we considered heading home. Greg saw a sign for "Fort Edam", so we decided to make that our final sight for the day. We walked along the pretty canal in the center of town, following the signs. And, we walked. And then we walked some more. We didn't see any more signs, and so finally, we gave up and started walking back. Ugh. As we walked back, I happen to spy a sign written in faded black marker nailed to a tree. Seriously?? So, although annoyed by this tiny and rather unhelpful sign that we missed the first time around, we were happy to have found our destination. Until, we use the very little Dutch that we know to deduce that the fort is only open on the first and second Sundays of the month. Seriously?? It always feels like the Netherlands shuts down on Sundays - but this is open ONLY on Sundays? Oh well, we took a photo of the (stupid) fort and turned around and left. As we walked away, I had to take a picture of the house right next to the hidden gate that must have distracted us when we passed by before. What is that stuff on the roof and why is it there? And, will we ever know the answers to these questions??
And now, our legs/feet were exhausted, and it was time to go home. We loved Edam, much less touristy than Volendam, but much more quaint. All around, a fabulous day exploring more of what our adopted home country has to offer!
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