Amsterdam and Windmills of Zaanse Schans

12th August
Amsterdam
This mornings tour was out into the country side to a cheese factory, with goats, sheep and cows. Also our first look at the dykes. We were led astray at school about the dykes and the little boy who plugged the hole in the dyke with his finger. The dykes are just grassy embankments, often with foot paths on them, planted with trees that really like lots of water, not a wall as I had always pictured from school days. The canals are above the road ways. It looks a bit strange at first. The area is sooooo flat you can see for miles. There are little windmills along the canals and these are just to keep the water moving. The large ones are the working windmills. We drove into this lovely little village of 'Zaanse Schans'. It has a big tourist area but many people also live there in beautifully kept cottages dating back to 1700's. They are mainly painted dark green, black and white with a very glossy paint. The people keep the houses in top condition, with the paint being touched up every few months. The front doors do not have door knobs on the outside as the only time the residents go in the front door is on their wedding day and when they are taken out for their funeral. Other than that the front door has a knob on the inside to let visitors in and out and the residents use the back door. They all have lace cafe style curtains. Many had a decorative screen in side the windows to protect pot plants sitting on the inside window sills.
The windmill we went to see was the only one working that day. It is used for the production of powder to make paint (art paint). We went in and it was amazing to see the lack of any barriers to keep people away from dangerous cogs and wheels. We went upstairs to see the next section of more wheels and cogs and then onto the roof section and were shown how the brake is used etc. There were some great views from here also. The steps here were even more steep that our old place in Glebe and you had to turn around and climb down like you were on a ladder.
There were a few coloured sheep in the surrounding paddocks so of course I took a few photos.
Back to the boat for lunch and then free time in Amsterdam. This is of course a huge city. Smoking pot is legal infact you can even buy cannabis lollies if you want..er no thanks. Although a huge city it manages to be quite a nice looking one with the picturesque canals, lined with house boats etc. The worst part about Amsterdam is the cyclists. They whizz about corners with no regard for anyones (including their own) safe guard. They just ring their bell and ride through. Den and I got pretty jumpy because we naturally move to one side but it seems that in Europe, just as they drive on the other side so do the pedestrians escape to the other side as well!!!! Another opportunity to get skittled.
We wanted to go to the Van Gogh Museum. When we went to Arles in 2010 we were disappointed that we could only see prints of his work and were told that the originals of many of his paintings were in Amsterdam. We remember thinking 'oh great - as if we will ever be going there - but here we were. It took a lot of walking, 4k or so to get there. Along the way we were checking our map and our 'Amsterdam angel' appeared to see if he could help. He showed us where we were which was as we had thought, so that was good but this angel then asked for money. We only had a few euro coins as we were also seeking an ATM so he had to make do with about .80euro cents.
So on we went through the flower market - very pretty - and finally reached our destination.
There was virtually no queue to get in and only 14 euro each. No photos, no back packs, and I had to take off my glasses so that the photo taken by securityof me, as we walked in, was accurate. The ground floor is divided into the years and places he was when he painted. One of the four famous daisy paintings is there, The Yellow House and the Bedroom are the main ones that were painted during his time in Arles. Upstairs was the workshop drawings of Van Gogh and painters that were influenced by his styles and the third floor held more works of Van Gogh along with Monet and Manet, Gaugan and many others. A trip to the museum shop for a book on the colection, a cuppa and off we set on the road to do battle with the cyclists.
Back to the boat in time to get ready for our last dinner, and a time to sit and chat with the friends we had made over the last fortnight. Of course we had a bit of a dance and then off to pack.