The Zaanse Schans

We went on a special adventure yesterday - to the Zaanse Schans.  The Zaanse Schans is a delightful village on the banks of the river Zaan with characteristic green wooden houses, stylized gardens, small hump-backed bridges, tradesmen's workshops, historic windmills and engaging little shops.  This village was established by relocating local houses, windmills, storehouses and barns to form a replica of a typical Zaanse village of the seventeenth and eighteenth century.

The Zaanse Schans is located about 10 miles northwest of Amsterdam.  We knew the day would include a great deal of walking (as do most all of our outings), and we decided it was time to figure out a way to bring the double stroller with us this time.  The challenge is in order for us to get to the train station that is 2.5 miles away, we ride our bikes...and our double stroller is not dainty.  But we overcame the obstacle and successfully mounted the stroller to the back of Brant's bike!  (You seriously didn't think we were going to add that weight to my bike, now did you?)

Living the day-to-day just like the locals - by strapping your load to the bike!

Waiting for the train is always an exciting thing for our kids.  Although it is becoming a bit more of a "normal" thing for them, the anticipation never ceases to be dull. :)

What good train travelers you all are!

Maddie got a new pair of boots on Friday - we are super excited about them! :)

 We arrived in the Zaanse Schans after two trains, to find a peaceful (albeit touristy) destination. 

Once again, Maddie saw these windmills and cried out, "Daddy! Look! We're in the Netherlands, now!!"  Who knows if we'll ever convince her that we have actually been here the whole time.

Martha, with the Zaan River behind her.

Charming and quaint.

Nothing like the love of your mama.

We enjoyed a delicious lunch at the pancake house.  Traditional Dutch pancakes for our guest!

One of our favorite stops of the day was the wooden shoe house.  It was fascinating and beautiful, not to mention filled with fabulous photo opportunities. 

The kids kind of participated. ;)

Martha and Brant were charming.

And I suppose, true to form, I added the drama.

That is one giant shoe!

Maddie was excited about every single shoe we saw, but she told me she particularly liked the ones that had flowers painted on them.

So much creativity!

Even shoes that were made into musical instruments.

Maddie: "Mommy! Mommy!  Take my picture by this cutie little dutch girl!"

 

The choices were endless... and yes, we did make four excellent choices.  You will just have to wait for another post to see the results!

The making of a wooden shoe was quite fascinating.

Maddie, longingly staring at the windmills off in the distance.

Somebody wanted to pose for a picture, showing off her new boots again. :)

Maddie went to tour the inside of the windmill with Daddy and Grandma.

And yet another set of steep stairs.

Geoffrey and I were camped out on the bench in the distance, failing at his nap time in the stroller.  Cool view, though!

This particular mill was a "dye mill" that ground chalk to make paint.  Look what color Maddie found - rood!  She was pretty proud of herself.

Are you getting tired of pictures with us in front of windmills, yet?  Too bad.  We are in the Netherlands, now, so get used to it!

See that factory in the background?  Funny story.  When I was a child, we used to drive by a paper factory on our way to our grandparents' houses.  In Oregon, where the weather is gray quite a bit, I would see a scene of a factory similar to the one pictured above.  For the longest time, I specifically thought it was a "cloud making machine." Are you with me? Can you see it?  Well, I have never shared that story with Maddie, and yesterday, upon noticing this factory, said, "Mommy, look at that cloud making machine!"  Seriously??  I was so happy to hear her statement, that I didn't bother to correct her, but instead indulged her comment with a brief conversation about the puffy white clouds that were billowing into the sky. 

And finally, a picture of our wooden shoes.  We must be a Dutch family, now! :)