Cheese, Beer, & Chocolate

When initially planning this trip, one destination day trip we all agreed on was the Dutch Wadden Islands, a chain of islands flanking the northern coast of the Netherlands, creating a barrier chain from the North Sea. This place was said to be somewhat of a secret Dutch vacation paradise, rife with forests, swamps, meadows, dunes, ocean, mud flats, and sea life. Sign us up!!! Accessible by ferry from the North Holland peninsula we were staying on, it's remoteness assures fewer visitors than might otherwise be expected. For a day trip, we could only hope to visit Texel, the nearest island to us. If time had permitted, we could have ferried from Texel to the other more remote islands, said to truly be a step back in time, with only bikes allowed. But in our case, we ferried our car plus the four of us, and set out to explore Texel.

The ferry turned out to be exactly like the ones we are used to riding in the San Juan Islands (state of Washington), so we felt right at home. The ride was short, about 30 minutes, as we crossed from Den Helder to Texel Island. Our first stop on Texel was an Albert Heijn grocery to pick up the makings for a picnic. The cute little town had lots of quaint stores, but it being Sunday, they were all closed. From there, we headed to the North Sea. It was a beautiful, low 70's kind of day, and the dutch were pouring from their cars to the large beach area.

An interesting part of the beach experience on the north sea are the "wind shields" that are ubiquitous. The sea side restaurants all have them, and the sun worshipers have individual sized ones as well. The drive out to the sea took us past an area of beautiful dunes that were covered in wild flowers that gave everything a beautiful purple hue.

Finding a picnic spot proved to be a challenge, as the beach was a bit too sandy and windy, and picnic tables were scarce. We finally located one on a windy interior canal area, and shivered through our homemade broodjes and snacks.

Of course, our next stop revealed the PERFECT picnic table, in fact the STONEHENGE of picnic tables. We made use of it anyway, and had a chance to explore the Wadden Sea on the leeward side of the island.

This water was much shallower and therefore warmer. The dutch often "mud walk", where they don boots and walk across shallow areas of the Wadden Sea for miles during low tide. In fact, you can actually walk during low tide from the mainland to the islands across the flats in one spot. We opted instead for shell hunting, and found some tiny sea creatures in the shallows.

The area is known for its birding, so we made a few stops at local birding hot spots, and talked to some local birders about what they were finding. They were eager to share their knowledge, but the language barrier was difficult, and the bird books they were referencing were dutch as well, so we are not sure the identity of the different species we were seeing. Windmills, canals, farms, flat greenery, and yes, a patch of celebrated forest!, rounded out our trip around Texel.

We caught a ferry back to the mainland in time to grab dinner at the same bruin cafe in Ooesthuizen that April and I had found the night before. Why, you may ask? Well, the answer is, "Chevre Chaud". A stunningly delicious hot goat cheese salad that surpassed all of the other food finds on our trip. We sent word back to the chef of this "best salad I ever had", and left with dreams of making it at home, someday, somehow.

So, the dairy farmer's wife, Jacqueline, said yes. "Meet me at the gate at 5:15am". While the rest of us lay sleeping, April slipped next door, where she was met with a full work suit and muck boots. It's still dark at 5:15am, and the cows are far out on the polder (raised land separated into fields by ditches of water, which are constantly flowing and being pumped out to keep the land dry for farming.....thus the need for windmills......the iconic dutch symbol). April's job was to help retrieve the cows, all 47 of them.

They moved them into the milking station, which was basically the back of a van, outfitted to milk 4 cows at a time. Because of it's small size, it is able to be hooked up to a tractor and moved as needed. All the cows went with the plan, except for the one who was "afraid of other cows"! This made her always last, and always a bit squirrelly. It also made her April's favorite cow (go figure!).

Though April was not allowed to actually do the milking, she did get to use the milk to feed the baby cows, and then got to help move some 3 month old cows out to the polder for their conversion to grazing. These young cows were not at all happy about this change. For the next few days (and nights), they spent their time mooing plaintively, and hungrily, as they were adapting to solid food (i.e. grass). All in all, April had a great experience, and eye-opening. The farmers did not speak a lot of english, but Jacqueline was able to piece together enough words for understanding. We learned that she is a huge Elvis fan, even naming her daughter Priscilla! She seemed to really enjoy the companionship, and showed up later that day with a set of photos she had taken of April as a farmer. April invited her to visit us in the states, but her response was, "I have to milk the cows". You do not get a vacation in that occupation, that was very clear.

The rest of the day we spent in Edam, as it was their annual town-wide market day. This really meant, we were to find out, a GIANT garage sale. In addition, there were festivities on the canals not to be missed, like the cow boat races. Jacqueline told us that this was the method cows used to be moved by when going to market, etc. Nowadays, the flat boats are loaded with teams of townfolk, who use poop-shovels as oars, a 2x4 as a rudder, and race to the finish, where they must ring a cow bell! It was fun to watch.

In one canal, you could take a spin in an "aqua bubble". The kids seemed to really enjoy this, although we were a bit anxious about their oxygen supply as we watched.....

We all really enjoyed perusing all the trinkets and treasures laid out along all of the little streets and alleys. Karen was happy to score 4 pairs of antique dutch ice skates (to stuff into Andy's back pack!). Why does it always seem that other people's junk looks better than your own? Good thing we were limited by the capacity of our suitcases!!

After a grueling day in Amsterdam, we took advantage of a little downtime on Friday morning, and created a tasty breakfast in our gourmet kitchen. The menu consisted of scrambled eggs with carmelized onions and aged gouda cheese, fresh local strawberries with a powdered sugar dusting, and the requisite chocolate jimmy bread. After fortification, the girls were ready to hit the town(s), while Andy decided to stay back and take advantage of some peace, quiet, and bike riding.

There are several quaint dutch towns that line the edges of Ijsselmeer, and we had only been to Edam as of yet. The towns are of the same approximate age (medieval), and all share a common fishing ancestry and certain quaintness. Volendam, on Edam's south flank, is a center of tourist activity, so we started there. The pace of this village was definitely an uptick from Edam, and after a tough time finding parking, we walked several blocks to find a bustling harbor scene. Alongside old marine vessels, quaint houses and water there were plenty of souvenir shops and eating establishments. April and I zoned in on the fresh seafood that was on display. At a busy food tent, natives were lining up for the raw herring and pickle delicacy that is so popular in these parts, and then standing nearby to down them headfirst with a quick gulp. We quickly ascertained that we were not brave enough to tackle this dutch treat. We settled on freshly fried fish chunks instead, while Karen happily ate frites and mayo.

We climbed aboard the ferry headed to historic Marken (founded by monks in the 1200's), a former isolated outpost fishing island on the Ijsselmeer that is now connected to the mainland by way of a dike.

The houses on this island were built in clusters on "terps" of land to keep them above water level and all have the same interesting architecture and strict look. Because of this, the place feels a bit like a movie set for a medieval religious penal colony, but we enjoyed walking the narrow streets and seeing the views of the sea from this perspective.

As we made our way back to Edam, we shopped for dinner supplies at the local grocery and actually marveled at how cheap the prices were! Escaping the grocery store with enough food for dinner that night and several more breakfast and lunches all for 37 euro, we set out for home. We were now cognizant of the pattern on the dairy farm next to our B & B and we arrived home just as the cows were being herded in for milking. That's when April decided to approach the farmer's wife and ask for permission to help out on the farm! To all of our surprise, she was invited to assist in the next milking session, at 5:15 am the next morning!!!! Needless to say, she was very excited. ( Did the farmer know what she was in for???!!)

After a simple dinner at home, we all climbed the dike and took a nice walk along the beach of the Ijsselmeer at dusk.

After packing up guidebooks and water, we headed into Edam to the "big church" where there was free parking to catch the bus into Amsterdam. Yes, this was true, but it ended up being filled up. After much scouting about, we settled on a tiny little spot on a canal street and prayed to not be towed. The bus showed up right away, and whisked us into the city in no time. The bus was amazingly clean and comfortable (mercedes benz), and for 7 euro we bought an all day pass.

We jumped a tram at central station, and headed for Albert Cuypstraat market, a daily street market with all sorts of goods and food for sale. Its about 6 blocks long, and quite mulit-cultural. We bought a few items here and there, and nibbled at snack stands along the way. This included our first "Loempia", a vietnamese eggroll of sorts, and our first "stroopwafel", which is a dutch treat, kinda like 2 pizzelles with syrup tucked between. Oh, yes, more frites. This time tried it with sate sauce, an indonesian peanut sauce and mayo. Weird, but oddly good. (a local turned us on to this combination). I also found a dutch bike seat for my new bike back home, which will hopefully make riding more pleasant....we will see!

Then we trammed to Museumplein, the area where all of the museums are located, and went directly to the Van Gogh museum. Karen and Andy took the audio tour, while April and I skipped around and tried to avoid big crowds. Paintings were grouped according to different moods/time periods in his life and was an interesting look into his art. After this, the Hudmon's jetted off to the Rijksmuseum to check out the Old Masters, including the famous Nightwatch painting by Rembrandt, which they said was HUGE. April and I wanted to explore the neighborhood and Vondelpark, so went off on our own. We met back up again for dinner, and headed to Wildschut, a local brasserie, and had some decent food and some belgian beer. Then it was back on the tram, to check out the red light district.

We had read that the time to visit was at dusk, and dusk it was. You actually have to slip down very narrow alleys to find it, but we did. The curbstones were marked with XXX, which indicated we were in the right spot. That, and all of the shops had changed to sex shops, and the bars to "coffee bars" (legally selling hash). Quickly, we spotted the red lights over the windows of the rooms housing the professional ladies. As we walked past, they offered their best smiles and winks, and waited for a customer to come knocking. We actually saw this exchange take place a couple of times. Our group was a bit taken back by it all, and of course, as we always do, starting discussing the pros and cons, the state of the world, and many other things. It was certainly an interesting glimpse into another part of society, and the world at large. Where would the U.S. be if we legalized some of these things? Better off, or not? Hard to tell, of course. But makes for interesting discourse.

After that experience, we were ready to head back on the bus for pleasant, quiet little Edam. Twenty minutes later, we had arrived, the car was still there (amen), and we headed down the dike to our beautiful apartment. The contrast was so enormous it was overwhelming. Out back, the cows were mooing, the sheep bleeting, and a light wind was blowing across the Ijselmeer. Sleep came fast.

We are tourists. We freely admit it. So, as tourists, we are required to attend the Edam Cheese Market, a weekly re-enactment of the ways of the past in this oh-so-cheesy part of the world. The day dawned as drizzly and dreary, but we were not deterred. We fought our way into the town of Edam and ran around trying to figure out where the festivities were. It did not take long to find the hoopla, bright colored costumes, sleds of cheese rounds, band instruments, and lots of laughter. The cheese parade began almost immediately, and we fell into line behind the band to march around the town in a glorious celebration of CHEESE!! (yes, April was in her glory....)

The parade ended up at the historic cheese weighing house where a costumed characters haggled the price of cheese for the day's customers. Karen quickly noticed that the new negotiated price was the EXACT same price all of the tourist shops were already selling the cheese for (was it fixed?? was it coincidence?? you be the judge!) We did not buy cheese. We did not cut it, either (that is left for David).

The rest of the day was spent strolling this unbelievably quaint and beautiful town, over old wooden drawbridges, down 16th-century streets, along cobbled lanes, beside small canals, among blooming gardens, and everywhere a better photo-op. We even went into the Edam Museum which was a preserved example of a 1600s fisherman's house, with all of the fixin's of living in that time. The most unique part was the "floating cellar," which was built much like a boat, to drift up and down with the tides. How cool is that??

Much later, after resting a bit, we decide to bike into Edam along the dike and catch dinner in town. A good dinner for sure, but ended much too late (those dutch are slow when it comes to dinner service), and we ended up riding home on bikes at night. We were all proud to make it home in one piece, just like a real native! We seem to be getting into the rhythm of this lifestyle quite well. We did not use our car at all today!!!

Although you have heard many food stories to date, and may be tired of them, if you know us, you know they will not stop here. Today was unremarkable, except for one thing.....yogurt. If you have read my blog lately,(www.thepickledbeet.blogspot.com), you will know that I have been making delicious homemade yogurt this summer. Well, I have been bested. We purchased zwarte-kirsch yogurt (dark cherry) at the town grocery store, and almost went insane when we opened it. How can I get some of this in my suitcase for you all to try back home???

Tomorrow to Amsterdam!