Windmils and More..

Yesterday I had the day off and hence I needed to get out of Amsterdam. I travelled to Zaanse Schans, a famed spot for catching glimpses of windmills. It was a little more impressive sounding than it appeared to be. Nevertheless, it was still a great place to checkout. There is a museum there and even a some windmills that you can tour and see in action. But me, being the cheapskate that I am, did not want to fork over the dough to see such things. I just enjoyed the view from the outside of the picturesque windmills. There is also an Albert Heijn museum there; it is the first Albert Heijn store. There is a wooden shoe making shop to check out. It is interesting to see wooden shoes made in the traditional way of using an automated power saw. There was also lots of animals about just in case the windmills were not comfy enough. You can buy cheese at high prices as well. The prices are probably high because of the old-timey computerized cheese making machine; which, by the way, makes some tasty cheese.

There is more to the Zaans district than the windmill collection. I did not actually make it there untill about four hours of exploring the town. It is a very nice place to visit. Koogerpark is a beautiful, peaceful place to relax, listen to children playing, and watch the ducks napping. There are some old churches to scope out and nice parks to visit; as is the case in most all of Europe. There is an abundance of wildlife in the area and also some marsh-like fields that are quite picturesque. There were a wealth of factories there as well as a busy River Zan. The stores were all ominously closed though. I recommend a visit there for anyone if you can find a nice day.