Zaanse Schans and Amsterdam - Holland


Zaanse Schans and Amsterdam



Saturday 11th September 2010

Arrived by ferry to Hoek van Holland in the morning, got the train from there to Amsterdam, and then headed straight to Zaanse Schans for some windmill spotting. Then back to Amsterdam for the remainder of the afternoon and the evening, before finally getting a train to Den Hague at the end of the day.

Holland


08:49:31 Chie and Yuka asleep on the train from Hoek van Holland to Amsterdam.09:20:52 Chie and a vending machine, possibly as we were changing trains in Rotterdam.09:23:20 Yes I think this is Rotterdam Central station, where apparently they're doing some building work.
09:23:33 10:21:09 A picture of a windmill and a church (cathedral?) somewhere between Amsterdam and Rotterdam.10:58:35 Outside Amsterdam station.
11:13:01 No I'm not proud of the fact I'm eating frites at 11am. However we only had a few minutes before getting the train to Zaanse Schans to grab something to eat, and this was all I could find...11:48:14 Our first windmill sighting in Zaanse Schans.11:48:38 There seemed to be a lot of pumpkins on display in Holland.
11:50:47 Close up on the first windmill.11:54:21 The main group of windmills at Zaanse Schans (I wonder what the collective known is for windmills? flock perhaps?) at Zaanse Scans as seen from across the river.12:06:52 We stoped off for a quick coffee here with a view across the river, and that first windmill behind us. I think Chie was annoyed here because I gave the waitress a tip.
12:07:13 Me and some windmills across the river.12:07:20 I hadn't slept that well on our first night on the ferry, so look a bit tired here.12:07:58 Zoomed in on one of the windmills.
12:08:09 The other side of the river with some attractive Dutch gables.12:12:52 Still at the place here we had coffee..12:17:00 OK I think we're walking over the bridge now. Four windmills in a row for you there.
12:17:12 It was hard to get a good shot here, I think it really needed some kind of panoramic aspect ratio to avoid having the interesting bit in the middle lost amongst a large expanse of not very interesting sky/water.12:22:28 This was apparently Albert Heijn's first shop in Zaanse Schans. His name is now on a big chain of supermarkets in Holland.12:22:36 Some more little shops etc along that row.
12:23:34 Yuka and Chie on a bridge.12:25:57 Yuka and Chie and some windmills.12:26:09 I may stop trying to write comments for pictures of windmills.
12:26:26 That's rather a nice shot isn't it?12:28:26 12:30:15 A glimpe into the inner workings of one of the windmills.
12:43:01 Inside the windmill which ground up chemicals for making dyes.12:43:14 It's quite an intimidating thing up close!12:43:54
12:44:07 12:45:55 A few pictures of the display I thought Mum might be interested in...12:46:02
12:46:09 12:47:14 Chie and some very big cogs. (see later for a picture of Chie and some very big clogs)12:49:02
12:49:26 From a little window just behind where the dail goes past.12:52:58 12:53:06 The view from the little deck thing half way up the windmill.
12:55:23 Yuka and Chie on the little deck thin.12:58:05 It's a bit scary getting this close to the sail!12:59:43 As if windmils weren't Dutch enough, the guy maintaining this one is actually wearing clogs.
13:07:38 ...and, for added dutchess, here's a Dutch cheese factory. Complete, slightly worrryingly, with a one legged chicken eating some of the cheese.13:07:46 There's a close up on that chicken. Maybe he wasn't actually one legged, just hiding the other leg?13:23:05 As promised, a picture of Chie and some very large clogs. The Dutch-o-meter was going crazy at this point.
13:24:13 Me and the clogs, and oh look some Dutch flags, in case there was any confusion about which country we're in.13:24:29 I think this is the most Dutch Chie and I have ever looked.13:53:24 On the way back to the station now from Zanase Schans, we were treated to the bridge being opened up.
14:01:13 There was also a chocolate factory between the station and Zaanse Schans - I think this apparatus in the window here is something to do with chocolate making.14:44:49 In Amsterdam Centraal station now, looking at the interesting things adorning the roof. A flamingo...14:44:55 ....and a person or two.
14:45:38 I think this might be something like the sovereign's entrance to the station, it looked very nice.14:45:46 I love a good bit of panelling.14:46:02
15:25:55 A late snacky lunch eaten by one of the canals.15:56:47 Good name for a hotel in Yorkshire.16:09:24 I went on a little exploration of bars whilst the girls went off to a museum. This is the first, De Drie Fleschjes, with all these rather nice barrels adorning the wall.
16:09:31 The other side of the bar room in De Drie Fleschjes.16:13:14 Outside De Drie Fleschjes.16:26:17 Next, Café Belgique.
16:55:40 Some nice tiling in Van Ouds 't Loosje.16:59:46 17:03:31
17:12:43 Not sure why I took a picture of all these maneki neko.17:17:34 I thought it looked a bit Venetian here. A sort of Dutch vesion of Venetian.17:17:51
17:22:29 Nice wooden panelling, in Het Elfde Gebod (I think).17:33:32 I think this is in De Ooievaar, wherein I seemed to be the only person who wasn't a local.17:46:49 I think this is inside Café In 't Aepjen.
18:01:11 Outside Café In 't Aepjen.18:01:58 18:55:46 The outside of In de Olofspoort. Very friendly people in here!
19:24:37 This didn't strike me as a very good business model.19:34:56 After meeting up with Chie and Yuka again, we decided to get on one of the canal tours. So here we are waiting for the boat.19:37:10 Ornamental cabbages and a pumpkin. Nice.
19:46:54 On the boat now.19:47:23 Somebody had left these under my seat.20:09:59 Well the pictures from our canal trip are a bit uninspiring frankly...
20:11:35 20:15:00 Presumably a Chinese restaurant.20:16:31 A bit of presumably political graffiti there.
20:17:28 Interesting tower building.20:22:27 Starting to get dark now...20:24:06 Some of the bridges were lit up by night which was quite nice I suppoe.
20:30:29 Hard to get a steady picture from a boat though!20:30:57 20:44:16
20:45:00 21:30:01 On the train from Amsterdam to Den Hague now, where we were going to be staying for the night. All the hotels in Amsterdam were full!22:41:37