We left the big city behind heading to Zaandam, in particular the neighborhood of Zaanse Schans, land of historic windmills, chocolate and wooden clogs.
Buffeted by gale force winds we ventured out on the walk around the canal to capture an amazingly picturesque scene.We began our excursion with a stop at the museum detailing the history and heritage of the Zaans area.
The Zaan district with it’s many windmills was considered the world’s first industrialized area. There were many mills such as wood mills for sawing wood, hemp mills for extracting fibers from hemp and flax, oil mills for crushing oil bearing seeds, flour mills, and paint mills for the production of paint and dyes. It was also known for the production of chocolate.
The following are shots taken from inside the wood chopping mill.
The Zaans area inspired Claude Monet, a French impressionist painter, who captured the area in a series of paintings of the Zaandam area.
A stop inside the weavers home to find out how they made the sail cloth for the ships.
The windmills, surrounding land and chickens…
Anyone need a good pair of wooden shoes? They are still worn today and as we were told can stand up to any abuse, are water proof and keep your feet dry.
No shoes? A little comic relief then?
How’s that for the ending?
Along the Way 