I was trying to sleep in a bit, but the bright morning sun didn't help that happen. I awoke a bit crabby, but was mostly over it by the time we got 
in the car to head out for our day. Joke was off, so the 4 of us headed first to Zaandam. Aunt Alice has a friend there that she's now known for over 60 years. She had sent a package along with mom, so we stopped by to deliver it. We had some nice coffee/tea and another helping of appel gebak (apple cake/tart). I don't think I can get tired of that! Aunt Alice's friend, Corry, has a really neat apartment on the top floor of the building she lives in. There is a sun room that opens to a balcony and the view was really spectacular. There was a small river with bridges and ducks.
in the car to head out for our day. Joke was off, so the 4 of us headed first to Zaandam. Aunt Alice has a friend there that she's now known for over 60 years. She had sent a package along with mom, so we stopped by to deliver it. We had some nice coffee/tea and another helping of appel gebak (apple cake/tart). I don't think I can get tired of that! Aunt Alice's friend, Corry, has a really neat apartment on the top floor of the building she lives in. There is a sun room that opens to a balcony and the view was really spectacular. There was a small river with bridges and ducks. We then headed to de Zaanse Schans which is along west side of the Netherlands. When you see pictures from the Netherlands of a whole row of windmills this is the place they were taken. It's a 
beautiful, old style town and working windmills. We spend several hours walking around. The first thing I noticed was the tiled roofs with names on them of the businesses or types of businesses. The first building we walked up to was called "Vrede." For those of you who don't know, we have called our home "Vrede House" for the past 8 years. We walked along the strand and Joke and I climbed up one of the windmills. There were 5 narrow staircases (more like ladders) up to the top. We could look out and see the sails spinning closely by the upper windows. There was one sign that said, "You are visiting this windmill at your own risk." There were also several signs in multiple languages saying that you should go down the stairs backwards (like a ladder) rather than try to walk down them the "regular" way. There was a large balcony around the windmill where you could walk most of the way around it. They didn't let you walk on the side where the sails were coming by because if you didn't watch out you would be hit quite soundly by one of them!
beautiful, old style town and working windmills. We spend several hours walking around. The first thing I noticed was the tiled roofs with names on them of the businesses or types of businesses. The first building we walked up to was called "Vrede." For those of you who don't know, we have called our home "Vrede House" for the past 8 years. We walked along the strand and Joke and I climbed up one of the windmills. There were 5 narrow staircases (more like ladders) up to the top. We could look out and see the sails spinning closely by the upper windows. There was one sign that said, "You are visiting this windmill at your own risk." There were also several signs in multiple languages saying that you should go down the stairs backwards (like a ladder) rather than try to walk down them the "regular" way. There was a large balcony around the windmill where you could walk most of the way around it. They didn't let you walk on the side where the sails were coming by because if you didn't watch out you would be hit quite soundly by one of them! We walked past several small shops and had a great time. For lunch, we s
topped by a little restaurant. We've been eating almost every meal outside because the weather has been so good. I got another of my "Things to eat in the Netherlands" list accomplished at lunch. We had delicious croquettes with mustard. The area we were eating in is famous for its mustard. We thought this would be a nice accent to the croquettes. However, the restaurant served packets of French mustard that was manufactured in Germany! It was still a nice accent, but not as local as we could hope.
topped by a little restaurant. We've been eating almost every meal outside because the weather has been so good. I got another of my "Things to eat in the Netherlands" list accomplished at lunch. We had delicious croquettes with mustard. The area we were eating in is famous for its mustard. We thought this would be a nice accent to the croquettes. However, the restaurant served packets of French mustard that was manufactured in Germany! It was still a nice accent, but not as local as we could hope. There was the original grocery story from the chain Albert Heijn, a local pewter shop, a small Dutch candy shop, a clock museum, and other cool things in the small strip of stores and houses. We did some shopping, but we did lots of photography. It was an absolutely beautiful weather day and we enjoyed being outside.
After stopping at a grocery story on the way home to stock up for gifts, etc., we came home to another great home cooked meal with chocolade vla for dessert.
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