The Netherlands

I've been away for a few days from posting, and wasn't sure what to write about today. I've decided to share some photos from one of my favorite places in the Netherlands, Zaanse Schans. It is a wonderful museum that shows different periods of Dutch life along the Zaan. The Zaan is a small river not far from Amsterdam. There were once more than a thousand windmills situated alongside the Zaan, six of which can now be found at the Zaanse Schans: two oil mills, a mustard mill, a paint mill and two saw mills.





My family really enjoyed the windmills, especially the paint mill where the "ingredients" for paint color powders were milled. Another favorite was the clog factory. There was a fascinating demonstration of traditional clog-making, and then the craftsman whipped out a clog in a matter of minutes with modern machinery. We also saw cheese-making - both delicious smelling and tasting!




Okay, I personally found that my favorite experience at Zaanse Schans was early in the morning when we first arrived and parked. As we got out of the van I took a breath and decided immediately that I should live there! Do you know what I smelled?????
Chocolate! The breeze carried the smell from the cocoa factories in the area. This is what my heaven smells like. What a wonderful experience. Enjoy the photos.

Shar