Amsterdam, The Netherlands. 10th May,2018
If the tulips of Keukenhof had mesmerised us, the tiny hamlet of Zaanse Schans simply took our breath away! Petite, black/brown houses identical in size and shape, spread over a small area, around a large lake and along narrow water bodies, cute black/white bridges, well-trimmed hedges and above all, the trademark of the Netherlands - windmills! It was a surreal setting! I remember in my childhood, I had leafed through a colourful book showing the different countries of the world; and the first page on The Netherlands(Holland) had the picture of a windmill. Little had I imagined then (always associating windmills with Holland) that one day, in the distant future, I would actually be admiring these gentle giants twirling their huge arms, helping to produce oil! The Netherlands as a country was mostly below sea level and the original purpose of the windmills was to clear the area of sea water by draining it out.
Today they are used for extracting oil from groundnuts and for grinding spices. We entered one windmill(never had I imagined this!!) and saw the working; even climbed up by a narrow metal ladder and had an amazing view of the superb village and the countryside. Magnificent! Tiny dwellings nestled by the side of the lake on one side with the windmills a few hundred feet away from one another, on the other; a part of the village lay behind the windmills, boasting the charming black/brown wooden houses outside which ran a narrow walkway, lining an equally narrow canal. It was heavenly stuff! After an hour and a half of soaking in the incredible ambience, we bid goodbye to this extraordinary village and within twenty minutes or so we were at Volendam.
We took our time visiting the washroom, while the rest of the group went ahead with Diana (tour guide). Jamil (tour guide) was waiting for us, trying to converse with me in Hindi. Later, he too went away, asking us to climb a broad flight of stairs and turn right at the top. After a while we followed the path Jamil had taken and climbed up the stairs, expecting a narrow road with the village at the top. However, as we climbed the last step, we were simply taken aback! We were staring at a huge sea, which had not been visible from where we we were waiting at the washroom, near the parking area. It was simply super! We turned right and with the 'sea' to our left, followed Jamil who was conspicuous even from a distance, tall as he was. In addition, he was sporting a bright red jacket. We were soon amidst the lovely houses and shops of Volendam, with the 'sea' (actually a lake-the largest fresh water lake in Europe) facing the village.
The layout of the village resembled that of a north-Indian hill-station. The group had followed Jamil into a cheese factory and a demonstration on the making of cheese was in progress. The factory with its shop was lovely, with cheese of all sizes, shapes and colours! Never before had I seen so much variety of cheese! We then had an hour free during which
we paced up and down the main street, hunting for souvenirs. Purchased a few fridge magnets; tried the famous waffles but did not relish their taste. Then sat on a bench with the 'sea' behind us, facing the row of shops and restaurants. A Nepali girl, who said she owned one of the souvenir shops, occupied the bench too and struck up a conversation. At 17:10, Diana gathered the group and directed it to the local ferry that would take us across the 'sea', to our last destination, the village of Marken. We preferred to sit on the lower deck of the boat, as the Nepali girl had warned us that it would get very cold on the upper deck, which was open. It was a wise choice as most of those who had been sitting up, came down within minutes of the boat having commenced its short journey. The journey from the comfort of the boat's interior was fun, with views of Marken in front and Volendam behind; and a coupe of other villages in the distance.
Marken stood out even as we approached the pier, owing to its small, wooden houses painted either black or green. On alighting, Diana gathered the group around her and furnished information about the village, in chilly winds! She saw our expressions and laughed, assuring us that it was not at all cold - the 'real' cold was to be felt in February when winds blew at 80 km/hr, temperatures dropped below freezing; and the lake actually froze! She then led us along narrow, cobbled paths between the green/black wooden structures, occasionally crossing a tiny bridge over a narrow stream. It was a fantastic experience!
Many of the houses had elegant decorations outside - well-dressed stuffed animals adorning the lawns and the porch! Many of the windows had lovely, lace curtains in pure white, adding to the elegance. Simply wonderful! We then crowded into a wooden shoe factory, where a lady named Alice (who definitely belongs to wonderland!) demonstrated how a shoe is made from a block of wood!! Wooden shoes are a tradition of the village. These are worn on feet covered with woollen stockings. Many colourful wooden shoes were on display, reminding me of the childhood fairy tale, 'The shoemaker and the elves'. This was another first for us! We left the village at 18:50 and were back at Amsterdam Centraal station at 19:25. Back to our hotel at Biljmer Arena, by the metro M54.
It was an unforgettable day that presented a different face of Europe. As I have recorded at the beginning of my Keukenhof write-up, it was one of the most memorable days on a Europe trip, the others being the first day at Prague and the visit to Cesky Krumlov in the Czech Republic (2014), the visit to Harder Kulm at Interlaken in Switzerland and the visit to Ulm and Waldenbuch in Germany with our hosts the Salgarkars (2016), the sight of the housing colonies at Bratislava in Slovakia, the visit to Tovaroskert in Hungary and the Sound of Music tour at Salzburg in Austria (2017).