Holland

Just in case anyone else is as ignorant as I am - Amsterdam is the city, Holland is the region, and Netherlands is the country.  I got totally confused about the Holland versus Netherlands thing.  Geography just isn't my forte.  I forgot to study for Mrs. Hill's geography test in the 7th grade, and I have never recovered.  

Yesterday our bus driver Alan and Angelique conspired to create a surprise for us.  It was not on the itinerary, but they decided to take the scenic route to Amsterdam so we could stop by the beach.  It was a chilly but beautiful, sunny day by the North Sea.  We were only there for about an hour, so we quickly found a restaurant with a fire pit to keep us warm.

I can't pronounce the name of the beach, but I do know we were close to The Hague - the seat of the government in the Netherlands.

I couldn't help but take pictures of the restaurant where we ate. 

Someday I would love to decorate my house in this style - neutral, warm colors and comfy, cozy materials.

The shore is lined with all kinds of adorable restaurants, but the fire is what sealed the deal for us. 

Cindy and I shared this delicious mozzarella, tomato and pesto sandwich - my second of the trip.  This will be going in the recipe rotation immediately!

These fries are done right.  Fry them once to cook them and a second time to make them hot and crispy.  Just make sure to add sea salt - never table salt.  Right Madame?

Our next stop was the clog and cheese factory.  I had assumed this would be two separate stops, but family specialized in both.  

The Gouda cheese is in the drying out process.  Somehow I missed the sampling of the cheese, so I didn't buy any.  I'm afraid the dogs might sniff it out in Customs anyway.  Don't worry.  I have plenty of other souvenirs!

This block of wood was turned into a shoe in less than five minutes.  They use poplar because it is so wet.  In fact, he blew into the wood and water came dripping out.

There are only 30 traditional cobblers left in Holland.

Our girls happened to think he was pretty cute, so they asked for his help as they tried on every shoe in the shop.

Many Europeans use these wooden shoes instead of stockings at Christmas time, so I got a pair to start a new family tradition.

I wish I could have bought a weathered pair like these.  I guess I'll just have to take a hammer to them.

Our next stop was in Volendam, a fishing village.

Too cute.

It reminded me a lot of Bruges.  I strolled into some great shops, but nothing I wanted would have fit into my already overstuffed suitcase.  I've already made peace with the fact that I'm going to have to pay for the extra-heavy luggage.

We eventually made our way into Amsterdam and immediately went to dinner.  The tour company, ACIS, likes to give us many different experiences, so tonight's menu was Indonesian food.

It was very different from anything I am used to.  I'll just say I really like the rice.

Dessert was an almond flavored ice cream.  Pretty good.

The city of Amsterdam is built on reclaimed land so it's really unstable soil.  As a result, their buildings can't be very tall and many of them are now leaning.  The variety in the facades is so interesting.

I'm a day behind in posting; we're actually leaving tomorrow even though I haven't covered today's events in Amsterdam yet.  That will come either Friday or Saturday.  After all, what would a trip to Amsterdam be without some pictures of their famous windmills?  For now, I'll leave you with this image of mine and Cindy's bags.  Wish me luck as I try to pack it all in one carry-on and one suitcase under 50 pounds.

I hope I can get it all through Customs.  They better not take away my tulip bulbs, champagne or chocolate!