Say Cheese, Amsterdam!

The Netherlands: Amsterdam, Zaanse Schans
Winter 2013

Traditional wooden clogs at a workshop in Zaanse Schans
(Feb-2013)

Journal Entry... Hubby and I were down to the last three days to our winter travel (2013), before flying back to homeland. #SingaporeAirline's outbound flight was in Amsterdam... called the "Venice of the North", because of its never-too-many bridges and canals. 

19-feb: Arrived Amsterdam... 

"Sleeper Train"
to Amsterdam

I was a bit relieved to be out of OBB's Sleeper Train, after ten hours of overnight transit to Amsterdam, from Munich. It would take me more than one ride to get used to the Sleeper Train, even on a First Class accommodation that came with a full flat bed, and bath. Sleeper Train had rocked me to sleep, literally. Three days long after the train ride, my system still felt the rocking motion caused by the Sleeper Train. But, I can't complain now... after choosing to ride it for the experience.

Holland tulips-a-plenty

Check-in: #GovertFlinkstraat apartment. 
Fresh tulips on the dining table welcomed our arrival in Amsterdam. What a refreshing sight to see tulips for real, fresh from the source. Out the back porch were more fresh tulips, for which the city is known for in the flowers department. Apartment had two bicycles parked inside, and available to the guests. Around Amsterdam, bicycles rule!

A "water world" right in the city of Amsterdam

Two Peas in Amsterdam

What's in Amsterdam?
xxx  xxx
Me: "Cheese!" (And lots of it!) 
Hubby: "Holy S**moke!" (Go figure, in the red light district where photography is also prohibited.)
xxx  xxx
I had fun entering the cheese shops around Amsterdam. The cheese shops had free tasting of a variety of cheese products, from pasteurized cheese (that one can take home), to unpasteurized cheese (that won't go past airport immigration, we were told.) Cheese freebies came with crackers on the side. Yup, no tourist will ever go hungry visiting Amsterdam. Whenever hungry, enter a cheese shop for a sampler cheese*wink;) 

Amsterdam city sign in front of Rijksmuseum

My name in red
on Iamsterdam sign

Hubby and I also ended up the popular "Iamsterdam" city sign in front of Rijksmuseum, as well as on board "The Amsterdam" ship replica moored at the Amsterdam Maritime History Museum and next to Amsterdam's version of the cartoon fish, Disney's Nemo.
Of course, any trip to Amsterdam will not be complete without seeing a real windmill. Got to see not just one, but Holland's (now, the Netherlands) last twelve working windmills of Holland supposedly. It turns out that those twelve windmills have been uprooted from several towns for gathering in one touristy village, in Zaanse Schans...

21-feb: Day trip to Zaanse Schans... 

"Windmill Park"
in Zaanse Schans

In front of Amsterdam station was the bus stop to Zaanse Schans destination. Earlier, on the taxi ride to the apartment the day we arrived in Amsterdam, taxi driver, who had overheard us talking about going to Zaanse Schans where the windmills are, suggested taking a ride on his taxi; taxi driver made us believe that Zaanse Schans is in a far flung place, and also said it was going to rain on our scheduled date, so taking a taxi ride was convenient and easier, and handed a contact card to the hubby.

Windmill deck

Thanks to Wi-fi and Google maps, hubby and I rode the bus to Zaanse Schans, instead. Tip: Bus ride to Zaanse Schans, from Amsterdam Centraal Station, takes about an hour; it is not a far flung place. Where the 12 working windmills are is a village park set for tourists. What had caught me off guard in Zaanse Schans was the icy winds-- due to the streams in an open field that upped the wind chill factor to the equation. Well, it should be windy in Zaanse Schans for the windmills to work, right? Expect the winds over in Zaanse Schans to be chilly at winter time.

Twelve working windmills uprooted to a village park, in Zaanse Schans

Iconic windmills of Holland (now, The Netherlands)

This way up a windmill...

When the icy winds had become prickly to the skin, thus intolerable, hubby and I took cover inside one working windmill, for a fee. This particular windmill had a view deck, but going up to it requires climbing up a ladder angled to near 90 degrees. Imagine, carrying one's body weight on that incline. A lady visitor standing in front of the ladder was having second thoughts in climbing it, and motioned for me to go ahead.

On a tight rope
for photo-op

Ladder flashed an imaginary neon: DIFFICULT LEVEL. I was carrying a bulky crossbody bag that surely added pounds to my not-so-light body weight. Hubby had made it up the view deck, and was calling on me to climb up. Because the entrance fee did not come cheap, I made myself climb up the ladder...

On a windmill landing

Windmill deck had a rewarding vista of the village park. Up the view deck, I came face-to-face with the enormous wind vane making a thundering sound on every rotation. When I noticed I was stepping on wood planks that had spaces in between that I could see the ground far below my feet, and so it happened... Acrophobia attack! But I was not done with my time at the view deck, and still had photo-op to do. I held on to a rope that was tied to the wind vane for a photo-op, in trembling knees. And, if climbing up the ladder was already difficult for me, I found climbing down the ladder was next to impossible, without me free-falling down it. Hubby told me to (just) slide myself down the ladder... okay, not! My take on the iconic windmills in Zaanse Schans? "Go pick a choice windmill to climb in Zaanse Schans, but if you can't climb 'em, then just count 'em!"
That night in Amsterdam, and after a Zaanse Schans day trip, hubby and I went to #BazarAmsterdam for a dinner meal.  'twas past 9PM, and we were so HUNGRY, in capital letters, we ate in unusual silence wiping off the meal order instantly. Foodie Verdict: Best comfort food, big serving-- Bazar Amsterdam gets five spoons and forks. Hubby and  I had wanted to come back for more of the African dish, only it was our last day in the city. Back in the apartment, hubby took one of the bicycles out in the street for a joy ride. Sigh, only the hubby got to ride the bicycle, because I lacked those extra inches to reach the pedals of the grown-up bicycle. If only there was a trainer bicycle around for me...

22-feb: Outbound flight... via #SingaporeAirlines to Manila.

oOo
PHOTOSTITCH

#TheNetherlands #amsterdam #winter2013

On the Sleeper Train to Amsterdam...

Check-in: Govert Flinkstraat apartment