Windmills, Bikes, Clogs, Cheese, Swans, Plastics, Pride... Oh My....

ZAANSE SCHANS:

When in Holland, do as the Dutch do. We rented bikes and went for a ride through an area called Zaanse Schans. The weather said: "Disruptive Wind." Riding bikes through this kind of wind was... disruptive, but memorable. Made it clear why they have so many windmills in the Netherlands.

Not shown here: How fast the blades were moving...

Tourist poses

Swans everywhere.  And their really big!

In addition to the biking, this area was all about cheese and clogs.

The Dutch claim to have the best cheese in the world. It's good for sure. Better than Tillamook, or Wisconsin, or California.... debatable.

This dude made a clog in about 5 minutes.  

Holiday clogs. Not to be worn as everyday wear. Learned that clogs have passed safety standards and can be worn on a construction site here in Holland. Steel toed shoes are so... this century.

VOLENDAM:

Later that day we drove to a seaside village called Volendam. I learned yesterday from a local in a bus that this sleepy little town was once, sleepy. He said it has gone crazy in the past 10 years, lousy with tourists. I don't know. Seemed pretty chill to me.

Our dinner came with "A Prize" in the kids meal. Prize = crappy plane and a pack of stickers. Didn't realize the stickers were needed to mend the crappy plane.

These delicious waffle treats were going to be dessert, but we had a front row seat during dinner watching this stand be dismantled right before our eyes. 

The North Holland country side has a subtle beauty. Autumn kept remarking that the cows and horses were all so tall and long legged. 

PLASTIC FISHING

AirBnB has added a new feature to it's service - Experiences. Now you can book more than just accommodations (which, BTW, we continue to have amazing luck. Our Ilpendam place is totally awesome). We were officially the first people ever to book a Plastic Fishing experience in Amsterdam. This non-profit organization called Plastic Whale (plasticwhale.com) takes people out on the canals of Amsterdam to scoop up garbage and plastics for recycling. It was a great way to see Amsterdam, and make it a better place as well. It gave the kids something to do, and gave them an appreciation for keeping our world clean. It was really a rewarding experience. 

Our captain, Erik, gave us the low down. (Ironic that our previous boat experience in Lofoten was captained by a guy named Eirik)

Seven bridges view. Aptly named for the seven bridges you can see in a row.

"There's some lovely filth over there"

The swans were tough to net

Sometimes the gathering required disembarkment.

  

PRIDE:

Having been a 40 year resident of the Bay Area, I am truly sad to say that my first Pride Parade was in a foreign country - and it was completely unintended. When we booked Amsterdam seven months ago, we had no idea we would hit the perfect day with the perfect weather. Amsterdam, famous for tolerance and having a good time, really knows how to have a good time when it's a day dedicated to celebrating life and having a good time. 

What makes this parade so special is the fact that the floats, ARE LITERALLY FLOATS! The parade route takes over one of the main canals that curls along the perimeter of downtown, with masses of happy spirits dangling off the edges, bridges, and buildings. Each float thumps it's own party music, becoming a five hour perfectly DJ'd dance party. Whenever the news states a figure of the number of people that showed up to an event, I never really have a clue what it really means. What I can say is, for probably five straight miles, the crowd was 5 layers deep on both sides, totally packed on the bridges, and heads poking out of all four stories of the buildings along the canal.

With all the anguish we see on the news these days, it is heartening to see that when it all boils down to it, it's ok to celebrate who we are and why we live it. The only frown to be found... Bryce (he has about a 30 minute fuse for any activity - except youtube)

Google got clever with the parade route...

Post Parade Free Concert in the main square

FINAL THOUGHTS:

Tomorrow morning we head off to the British Isles, and I can safely say, we'll be back to this part of the world. It was so much more than I remembered. The city gives way to the country in the blink of an eye, both offering the opposite extremes. The city is wild, the country is serene. The people are so friendly and have such an appreciation for life. During our final dinner out (back at the local cafe), our neighbor visited our table and suggested we head in to the city for the parade. This morning, the fellow (Cor) that oriented us to the house, came by to check on us (had problems with the water heater), and already knew we were headed in to the city, having spoken to our neighbor.  

Being in the construction industry, I have been conditioned to life being plumb and level. That is not Amsterdam. As we wandered the caddy-wampus roadways, canals, and bridges of this city, it was slightly disorienting to look at the buildings, which would lean sideways, frontways, backways, and diagonalways. Each building has it's own style, height, and width - it's own identity. The buildings leaned on each other for support, and it all just works. 

 

My favorite pic of this trip. Nicole captured this one.