Day 2

Good Morning


I open my eyes to find that it is very early in the morning, so early, in fact, that the sun hasn't even woken up. I close my eyes, and after a few hours of dozing on and off with some tossing and turning, I open them again to find that the light of day is filling the room. I decide to get up. Jason is still sleeping as I quietly grab my toothbrush and deodorant out of my bag. I make my way toward the staircase. I can hear that someone is awake downstairs, and I make my way down to the little bathroom.


After I'm done brushing my teeth and such, I go into the kitchen to discover Diane making breakfast. Rob is not home, as he has gone to work. Diane asks me to go wake Jason up for breakfast, so that we can get going on today's adventure. I carefully make my way back up the steps, and wake Jason up. My waking him up is not anything unusual in our relationship. He tends to sleep way more than I do, and more often than not, needs to be woken up if he wants to participate in the day's adventure.


I get dressed for the day and head downstairs. I help Diane by getting dishes onto the table for breakfast, and Jason joins us a few minutes later.


"Do you have to work today?" I ask Diane.


"No, I thought we would go see the windmills since you guys are here," she replies between bites.


I'm a little surprised that she doesn't have to work, but I will not complain about being able to go see these windmills.

Entering De Zaanse Schans


Upon entering, I think for sure that we must be going to the museum. There's a huge building right next to the parking lot, and upon seeing it, I figure that's our destination, especially since it is literally called the Zaans Museum.


I seem to be wrong. Diane parks the car, but instead of walking toward the museum, she starts heading across the parking lot. Jason and I follow along. We get to the tour bus parking lot, step around one of the busses, and then I see them. There are several windmills scattered throughout the land in front of me, and little shops too! It's like I went and stepped into a village from the past now only kept alive in parks such as this, and in stories.


De Zaanse Schans is free to wander around in, and as we are exploring, I am noticing a lot of greenery, canals, and of course, the buildings. While it is free for us to be in the village, if we want to tour any of the windmills, we do have to pay. Diane goes off to pay for a few places for us to check out. Jason follows her, and I take photos of my surroundings.

Traditional Dutch windmills line a green landscape with water canal and puffy clouds.
Serene garden path with wooden footbridge over narrow canal surrounded by lush greenery.
Colorful traditional Dutch houses line the waterfront of a canal on a sunny day in the Netherlands.
Traditional Dutch windmills stand along a waterway with boats sailing under blue skies and puffy clouds.
Close-up of a bright green window frame and red door on a dark wooden building in traditional Dutch style.
Green pastoral landscape with a narrow canal cutting through flat farmland under a cloudy Dutch sky.
Black and white photograph of a rustic countryside house beside a tranquil pond with reeds.
Wooden footbridge with windmill crosses a canal in a traditional Dutch village landscape.

De Zoeker Molen


Diane and Jason find me on a footbridge taking photos, and we start walking to the windmills. As we approach, I realize that they are in operation. This is amazing! I had figured we would be touring windmills from ages past that no longer operate, but I am very wrong, and I am very glad that I am wrong.


The first windmill we walk up to is De Zoeker Molen which was built in 1672. It is a windmill that makes peanut oil. We walk in to find it in full operation. There is a pile of peanuts next to the grinding wheel, which is going around in circles grinding the peanuts into a powder. A man is operating the windmill, and he takes the peanut powder and places them into a roasting device. Once the powder is roasted, it goes into another machine that compresses the peanuts to the point that it squeezes the peanut oil out of the peanuts. There's a tray at the bottom of this third device that catches the oil, which is then later put in a barrel to be bottled and sold.


We are really the only few people in the windmill besides the man in charge, so I really am able to walk around and see the whole process which I am extremely thankful for. The windmill smells amazing inside.

Classic Dutch windmill with large sails stands beside a traditional farmhouse on the waterfront.
Dark interior view of a vintage mill showing curved machinery and gears.
Interior view of an old windmill showing large millstone machinery and wooden beams.
Pile of raw grain or seeds flowing across wooden floorboards in a traditional mill.
Historic windmill mechanisms with wooden support beams and gears inside an old Dutch mill.
Person working at an old mill control station with vintage equipment and gauges.
Large circular grinding apparatus filled with brown material inside a traditional windmill.

Het Jonge Schaap


It's time to move on to the next one. Het Jonge Schaap is a sawmill, and it is busy! There are several men working in the sawmill, loading up logs, running them through the saw, and and then loading the planks onto another area on the other side. They even collect the sawdust!


I go and stand at the end of the work area to get photographs of the men working the sawmill. They go down to the loading dock area, and put a log on this type of conveyer belt that rolls it up to the saw. Then the men line up the log to get as many planks as possible out of one single log. After the log is all set into place and aligned, then they all stand back and let the saw do the work. It's really neat to watch! I like that they collect the sawdust too and use it for other purposes - minimal waste!

Mill workers inspecting and operating traditional wooden milling equipment.
Looking up through wooden beams at historic milling machinery and gears.
Traditional windmill with white blades against blue sky featuring teal structural supports.
People working inside a rustic wooden mill with machinery and beams.
Workers operating historic milling equipment inside a traditional wooden structure.
Close-up view of windmill's textured exterior wall with green-trimmed window.

The Shops


We walk out of the windmill and start heading back towards the car. There are a few shops that we stop in on the way out, though. The first one is really more like a museum, but they do sell cookies and peanut oil inside. It is really dark inside this shop, but I snap a few photos of the baking items on display, and then we head over to the other store.


This other store is definitely the main gift shop. There are wooden clogs covering the walls, hanging from the ceiling, and other gift items like key chains, stickers, and so much more. I really want to buy a pair of clogs. There is even a gentleman at one end of the store that is explaining how the clogs are made, and makes a pair to demonstrate! It's all very neat. I convince myself to not buy a pair since I don't really have room in my luggage. In fact, I don't buy anything at the store.


We exit the building and there's a humongous pair of clogs outside for photo ops. I have Jason take a photo of me standing in the giant pair of clogs, and then we leave and head to Amsterdam.


P.S.: I totally regret not buying the pair of clogs.

Antique woodworking tools and carved wooden panels displayed in a rustic setting.
Giant yellow wooden clogs displayed outside a traditional Dutch building with brick pavement.
Craftsman working with traditional tools in a historic woodworking shop.

Lunch in Amsterdam


The drive to Amsterdam only takes twenty minutes, and we drive directly to our hotel for check-in. We are now standing in the lobby of the Double Tree Hilton - Amsterdam. Diane is talking to the front desk getting the room keys. Jason and I stand a few feet behind with the luggage. Diane thanks the hotel clerk and we go to the elevator to head up to our floor. Diane likes to have her own room, so she hands Jason and I our room key, and we go our separate ways to our rooms. We literally just plunk our luggage down and then head back down to the lobby.


We all walk toward Amsterdam Central Station in the hunt for a place to eat. Dianne seems to have an idea of where we are going, having been here before, so she leads. Jason walks next to her, carrying my camera bag, as I trail behind. We end up at a restaurant called Loetje. It's a charming building located right next to one of the many canals of Amsterdam. We sit outside, and I notice there are no guard rails or anything protecting people from falling into the water, and I think that's pretty neat. This set up would never be allowed in America, I think to myself, and someone would surely sue the restaurant if they fell into the water.

People sitting at outdoor cafe tables with umbrellas near harbor.
Waterfront restaurants and shops with outdoor seating along a canal in Amsterdam with moored boats.

De Wallen


After lunch, we start just walking around Amsterdam. We don't really have any sort of goal in mind, we are just adventuring. I take photographs of several buildings along the canal before we end up in a shopping center surrounded by tall buildings and full of narrow passageways. One of the first buildings that catches my eye is Stichting Muziek in de Nicolaas. The Stichting Muziek in de Nicolaas has interesting tower structures on the building, and stands out on the canal.


We stop along the canal so that Jason can go inside of a Coffee Shop (hint, they don't sell coffee in "coffee shops" in Amsterdam), I look back and see the the Amsterdam Central Station, and snap photos. It really is an extravagant building, standing tall at the end of the the main central area of canals in the city.


We turn down several streets, and I am snapping photos as we go. We keep turning down streets that are built only for pedestrians, and are lined with shops, restaurants, bars, casinos, and more. I find it magical that so many people walk or bicycle around the city, and you really do not see that many cars. Many of the roads are not made for cars, which I am sure helps, but it is still fascinating to me.


At some point in time on this walk, I look down and notice that there is a bronze breast in place of a few cobblestones. It is in this moment that I realize that we are walking around in a Red Light District.

Narrow cobblestone street in Amsterdam with classic Dutch architecture and outdoor cafe seating.
Busy shopping street in Amsterdam's historic center with traditional Dutch buildings.
Historic street view in Amsterdam with traditional architecture and a church spire in the distance.
Pedestrians walking on a brick shopping street lined with stores in Amsterdam's city center.
Narrow alley in Amsterdam showcasing colorful traditional Dutch architecture and bicycles.
Bronze art installation of a hand embedded in cobblestone street pavement.
Canal bridge in Amsterdam with locals relaxing along the waterfront on a sunny day.

Dam Square


The tight alleys of tall buildings end suddenly at an open square. Here, crowds have gathered to stare at the palace which is at the head of the square. Musicians and artists perform in the square. It truly is a lively place. A church stands next to the palace but it appears to now be a museum. We walk around the square as I photograph the buildings and the people.

Gothic church windows with colorful shop display below in Amsterdam's historic center.
Royal Palace on Dam Square in Amsterdam glowing in late afternoon sunlight.
Historical Madame Tussauds building facade in Amsterdam with crowds of tourists gathering in the sunny square.
Street performer entertaining passersby on a busy cobblestone street in Amsterdam.
Gothic architecture of Nieuwe Kerk church featuring ornate windows and spires against blue sky.
Ornate dome of the Royal Palace in Amsterdam decorated with classical statues and architectural details.
Bustling Dam Square in Amsterdam with tourists walking across the historic cobblestone plaza.
Lively Amsterdam street scene with bicycles parked and people relaxing in an urban square.
Medieval Gothic church architecture with pointed arches and intricate stonework in Amsterdam.

Evening Explorations


We are now just heading down more streets and avenues on foot, just exploring as one does. It's a very relaxing, laid back day. The sun was starting to set, so we start to walk back toward the hotel. I take more photographs of the sun setting on the buildings and canals, and we find ourselves back in the Red Light District. By this time we are very hungry and we start to scope out places to eat dinner at.

Modern glass domes and blue-lit buildings along Amsterdam waterfront at dusk.
Black and white photo of the Munttoren clock tower in Amsterdam at dusk.
Amsterdam canal houses at sunset with characteristic Dutch architecture and a passing tram.
Historic buildings along Amsterdam's canal with colorful flags and evening lighting.
Moody sunset over narrow Amsterdam alley with historic buildings and cobblestone street.
Dramatic sunset sky over Amsterdam streets with historic buildings and evening traffic.

The Old Sailor


We end up ducking into a bar called The Old Sailor. The bar is amazing. It has a Popeyes theme, and it is busy! We sit at the bar to order dinner and drinks. The bartender asks where we are from and I tell him The United States.


"Where in the United States?" he asks.


"Wisconsin," I reply.


"Is that somewhere close to Florida?"


I laugh, hopefully not in a mean way. "No, pretty much just the opposite. It's on the Northern border, but in the middle."


"Oh, I feel so stupid, I know hardly anything about where the states are in the US."


"Oh gosh! No, don't feel stupid! I wouldn't expect you to know. I couldn't even tell you what part of Holland I'm in right now besides stating I'm in Amsterdam. I have no idea if I'm in the North, South, East, West, whatever of the country."


The woman sitting next to me starts to take an interest in our conversation, and turns toward me and introduces herself.


"Hi, I'm Amanda! I'm from Washington."


She and I connect on our similar educations in college, and additional conversations around LGBTQIA support, the United States in general, and more. We actually exchange information and become Facebook friends. Typical Millennials.


We stay in The Old Sailor well into the evening.


Back to the Hotel?


We leave the bar all feeling extremely tipsy, and we think we choose the right direction back to the hotel. None of us think to use our phones, as the alcohol has made us extremely confident in our ability to make it back to the hotel without asking for directions, electronic or otherwise. Below is a screenshot from Google Maps showing the walk from The Old Sailor to the Double Tree Hilton Amsterdam.

Walking route map showing directions from Central Amsterdam to DoubleTree hotel.

We head out of the bar, and unknowingly to us, turn in the wrong direction. Here is a screenshot of the direction we headed toward, which is quite obviously the wrong direction on the map.

Google Maps walking route from Cafe Old Sailor to Rembrandtplein in Amsterdam.

I take some photographs in the darkness of the night. Jason and I follow Dianne, just completely trusting her to lead us in the correct direction. We have been walking for a while now, though, and doubt starts to seep into our minds.

Night scene of Amsterdam city intersection with illuminated historic buildings.
Amsterdam canal at night with colorful lights reflecting on dark water and busy sidewalks.

Rembrandtplein


Still very much inebriated, we find ourselves amongst these statues that are human sized. In my tipsy state, I am quite certain that they are soldiers, kind of like the Korean War Memorial back in Washington DC in the United States. In my defense, some of them are soldiers, or at least are holding weaponry. I think it would be funny if I pose with the statues, so I hand my camera over to Jason to take my photo. He hands it over to Diane who takes the picture.


It wasn't until the next morning when I was reviewing the photographs that I realize we were at a Rembrandt memorial.

Metal statues stand illuminated at night in an urban plaza.
Silver-painted street performers pose dramatically in an evening city scene.

End of Day


She hands the camera back over to me just when one of those pedicabs starts to ride by. She shouts for the bicyclist to stop, and asks how far we are from The Double Tree Hilton hotel. We find out that we went the completely wrong direction from The Old Sailor, so we hire the pedicab to take us to the hotel where we each go to our rooms and sleep.