Food, Windmills, and Picturesque Sunsets

Oceanside, Volendam, NL

Oh the Netherlands. Sometimes this country never ceases to amaze me! Especially when it comes to certain things, like little Dutch Villages! So, how did this become today's wonderful topic? Well, one of my classmates, Mimi, told me about this "traditional Dutch village right outside of Amsterdam". The second I heard her say that, I said, "let's go!" And so we did.

Amy, Mimi and I took the train to Amsterdam, and when we finally got there, I was so amazed at
how cool it was! And we were just at the train station. After searching for the bus platform, we took the bus to Volendam. It was about a 30 minute bus ride, and after we go there, we walked to where everything was, which was by the ocean. It was gorgeous. The way the air felt, and the smell of fresh fish being sold by the pier, oh, and the smell of the waffles. I swear if I closed my eyes, it would seem like I was in Seattle again.

Kroket, zalmsalade & zalm met gebakken ei

The only downside to this little adventure, was that it was freezing cold. And when I say that, I mean it. It was so cold and so windy, all we did was complain. After picture time by the water and the complaining was over, we walked around. I feel like we did everything while we were there. We went and had our pictures taken in traditional Dutch costumes, bought a little wooden clog keychain as a souvenir, went to the cheese factory and ate as much free cheese as possible, got our hands on some delicious poffertjes, and sat down for a nice lunch.

We ate at Restaurant de Dijk and Amy and I immediately ordered Chocomel (Dutch hot chocolate). I was feeling in the Dutchy kind of mood, so I decided I was going to order a traditional Volendam lunch. This is something I actually would recommend to someone, but you have to like salmon! This dish consists of a kroket, salmon paste type stuff, with raw salmon and an egg, all served on your choice of white of wheat bread. I thought it was the perfect dish when sitting and looking out the window to see the ocean.

Windmill, Zaanse Schans, NL

Next on our to-do list was to head back to Amsterdam to catch a train to Zaanse Schans, which is just 15 minutes north of Amsterdam. Now, if you want to see some windmills and giant clogs, this is the place to be. It was beautiful! Now remember, it was also freezing cold, so on top of trying to forget about how cold we were and trying to ignore the smell of something from the nearby factories, we were here to enjoy the views.

After we crossed the bridge, there was this area that looked like its own town inside this town. There were small houses with really pretty yards, tiny little stores, and bridges crossing over the water at every turn you made. It was like a fairytale! We also saw the very first Albert Heijn grocery store there. Turns out it was a house, and it started back in the 1800s. So it's not that old, but it was old enough to grab my attention!

Sunset, Zaanse Schans, NL

Anyways, so we walked around and looked at all the cool shops that were closed and what-not, and then Mimi led us to this watchtower. Now, it just so happened to be that we got there right when the sun was setting, so the view was perfect. We looked out into the near distance to see the windmills, the orange sun with the colored sky, and...well look at the picture and see for yourself! It was such a peaceful view, and it makes you wish you could look out your window and see that everyday!

It was a sight to see that is for sure. So, if you are ever just cruising around the Netherlands and have time to spare while you are in Amsterdam, I suggest you take a trip to Volendam and Zaanse Schans. You will not be disappointed when you see the breathtaking view of the windmills, or feel the cool ocean breeze with a hint of fishy sweetness on the coast.