All six of us had been to Amsterdam before, had done the canal boat tour and visited a couple museums. This time our friends wanted to see the Anne Frank House. However, they had never seen a windmill close up and were very interested when I told them about the Zaanse Schans. Jerry and Lorraine were also keen on going there. So, here is what we did.

We had passed through the locks at Ijmuiden early in the morning and, as we pulled up to the dock in Amsterdam, a tug boat was standing by to assist. The ramp to the modern passenger terminal was ready to hook up to our ship as we had breakfast.

The area along the river Zaan used to be an industrial beehive of activities. Numerous windmills lined the bank to catch the westerly winds and power the machines that cut lumber, ground spices and produced paper. Pieter the Great of Russia spent some time here learning about ship building. Now it is the site of a restored village with several operating wind mills, quaint old houses and demonstrations of making wooden shoes and cheese. This is also where we met our dear friend who lives near here.

You can visit the inside of one of the mills, watch the wooden shafts and gears in action and learn how seeds are ground and made into table mustard. Climb the narrow stairway and watch the large blades with their canvas sails turn in the wind while standing on the raised platform. Talk to the miller who again speaks perfect English and can tell you all you want to know about windmills.

Being a bit of a wood worker myself, I found it interesting to see how wooden shoes were made on this antique equipment. Both machines used a model to trace and carve one shoe at a time. Many years ago this was done strictly by hand and would take several hours per shoe. This one was done in a few minutes.

Wooden shoes come in a variety of colors and sizes as shown below.

These old houses were reconstructed on this site and give you a good idea how people lived three or four hundred years ago. They were tiny by today's standards and probably had no plumbing, electricity or many of the amenities we now take for granted. There are some wooden and some brick houses with more ornate fronts. There is also the original Albert Hein store, so prevalent throughout Amsterdam.

One more look across the Zaan where we may stay someday in this neat hotel, Sans Pareil, with its perfect view of this recreation of time gone by. Then it was time to say goodbye to our dear friend and take the bus back to Amsterdam. Too bad we did not have more time to spend with her and experience more of this scenic spot.

We arrived back in Amsterdam around 12:30, got off the bus one stop before the end, right across the street from the Schreiers Toren where our Amsterdam Walking Tour begins. The tour was just what I had in mind when I put this together a few month ago and rather than rehashing the same pictures here, I refer you to that page. We stopped for lunch at the Dam and our friends made it to the Anne Frank House with plenty of time to spare. There were a few additions, however, such as the last part along the Nieuwedijk and some pictures of the Anne Frank statue.

There was also this Party on Bicycle, a moving bar where several drink and pedal around town. Hopefully the one who steers stays sober. Then we also took one more look at the narrowest house on the Singel. It is number 7 with a front that is perhaps four feet wide. It widens out towards the back, however, so you don't have to sleep standing up.

I had planned to hold up a sign on the top deck as we passed through the Noordzee Canal where our friends typically wave goodbye. However, a male passenger got lost in town and the ship did not depart until an hour later. Rumor had it that he was drunk when he finally arrived. He had spoiled out fun with the following sign. So, we just held it up for this picture a few days later.
Tot ziens is equivalent to the German 'auf wiedersehn'. Next day Kiel Canal then Warnemunde, Germany.