Holland -- Amsterdam and Volendam

Visiting Holland

Cosmopolitan Destination

We visited Amsterdam as a family shortly after moving to Germany. Steve went one other time on business.

Amsterdam is the most international and liberal city we experienced in Europe. While it's sometimes hard in Stuttgart to find a shopkeeper or taxi driver who is comfortable with English, it's difficult to find anyone in Amsterdam who isn't! If it weren't for the canals (Amsterdam is the "Venice of the north") and lack of cars (everyone's on bicycle), and short buildings, you might think you were in New York.

The Red Light district is truly disturbing with storefront after storefront displaying "wares". You often see a door ajar leading into the storefront (from the back) with a bedroom set up there. Interspersed are the "live sex shows" perhaps similar to New Orleans in the US.

That's Barbara talking to two wax figures!

There are plenty of things to see and do in Amsterdam. The Tousaud Wax Museum is outstanding (picture, right). Museums with famous Dutch art abound. The flea markets are active as are the antique stores. Anne Frank's house is particularly compelling, a must-see for tourists.

I'd like to share some photos not of Amsterdam, but of Volendam, a tourist destination some 20 miles north of the city. Volendam is perched on a dike, overlooking an inland sea. It is steeped with Holland's history rather like a Williamsburg VA.

These buildings, on top of the dike, have settled so severely that they tilt wildly in multiple directions.

Volendam's tourist center is lined up on the dike, facing the water.

Behind the dike, homes are built on canals with access to the sea. Volendam is traditionally a fishing village.

Gregory watches a pottery artist decorate a ceramic object.

Several craftsmen practice their art in Volendam. We'd been to Delft to see the famous pottery factory. The same techniques are demonstrated, with the results offered for sale, in Volendam. It's difficult to leave Holland without purchasing Delft (or similar) pottery. At the Delft factory, we procured a couple of modern tiles, about 4 x 4 inches (100 x 100 mm).

I also purchased an antique one, dating to about 1830 according to the dealer. The new ones have a blue cast all over while the old tile has a bright white background. I much prefer the old one.

A typical souvineer store in Volendam features wooden shoes and other Dutch trinkets.

The Volendam experience includes shopping, eating and gawking. Barbara went to a woman's house that is portrayed as a working historical home. The woman dresses in period costume and shows off her living style, for a fee. We didn't see any other museums there but check your guide book!

This is perhaps the largest shrimp I've ever seen!

We enjoyed our lunch, happily posing for the camera after.

Being on the sea, seafood is in abundance. It was once right at the North Sea, but the dikes have been extended over the centuries to reclaim more land for farming. Now, Volendam is far from the fishing grounds and few fishing boats remain.