Zaanse Schans, Holland: Windmills and Roosters

Zaanse Schans is a small cozy windmill town about a 15 minute train ride outside of Amsterdam, Holland. It sits on the banks of the Zaan River and is dotted with beautiful small homes. When you exit the train at the Zaanse Schans stop (Koog-Zaandijk, double check this with a station attendant) you will only have about a 10 minute walk to get into the heart of where you are going. As you walk into the town you will immediately notice the smell of chocolate. There are many bakeries there and you can almost scoop a spoonful out of the air. Wander down the streets and check out the small stores and shops that flow out towards the water. On our way into the town we stopped in at a small pastry shop and selected two delicious items from the glass casings. Walking over a bridge, littered in bicycle riders like all of Amsterdam, the fan like structures dotting the waterline are quite amazing to view.

There are a variety of different windmills including some that make mustard, dye, and flour. We walked to the town and entered the cheese shop where we purchased hot coffee and tea. We ate our breakfast outside of the cheese shop on a bench with two roosters pecking around us trying to steal our food. It was a great crisp morning, seated with our new friends, looking out over the green pastures and watching the people mill around. If you go in the wintertime I strongly recommend wearing a jacket and packing a hat and scarf. Sample a variety of different cheeses at the cheese shop, with flavors like basic mozzarella, garlic pesto, spicy, and even one called old cow cheese. They set out generous sample plates so try each one and if you can't decide pick up a variety pack to take back with you. If you enjoy a sweet wine pick up a bottle of Ambrosia to go along with your cheeses.

We were able to tour De Kat paint mill. We climbed up to the very top of the windmill and stood right behind the enormous blades as they spun grinding out dye for the paints. It was amazing. Check out the Zaanse Schans website or tourist guide for times as not all the mills are open every day, especially in the winter time. Again, remember to wear warm clothes if you go in the winter, we went in late November and it was very cold standing up by those blades. Admission to the area itself is free but you will pay a fee for touring the windmills and any of the museums. The fee is not much and I will remind you to bring some change to pay for entrance to the bathroom if you need it.

Zaanse Schans is definitely on my list of favorite towns to visit. I wish I could purchase one of their little wooden houses with my very own bridge carrying guests over the river. I hope to go back again and visit in the summertime as I can only imagine how wonderful it must be when it is actually warm and things are in bloom. Keep an eye out for goats and other animals as they graze around the fields. To my English speaking travelers, English is spoken by nearly everyone but it never hurts to have a language book with you. Enjoy, be safe, and have some cheese for me!