Mis-Scheduled Visit to Volendam - 22 April

Marina in Hoorn

We drove to Edam on a road by a dike,

Road along a canal

Road signs

passing sheep and cows and ducklings, and

Tulip fields

We got to Edam about 4. This is the a parking lot where they let us off the bus

The first drop-off point was also the local bus stop for buses coming to Edam. There are tours from the Central Station in Amsterdam to Edam and Volendam. You take bus 514 to Edam (10 €) There are also ways that you can rent a bike. We did the

Walking tour

Edam is a pretty little town. The buildings reflect the wealth of the Golden Age. It was an important ship building and trade center. But when the harbor silted up in the 17th century, Edam declined, and today the biggest industry is tourism

Interesting doorway

We saw some typical Dutch bridges on our walking tour of Edam. Two of them were near where we got off the bus near Klein Westerbuten -Oosthuizerweg. The most picturesque bridge was the

Kwakelbrug bridge on Schepenmakersdijk

Small waterways like canals with a lot of boat traffic need to have bridges which are quickly and easily lifted. These are called "Tall Bridges" A tall bridge is a stripped down version of a bascule bridge with one lever. A tall bridge can quickly and efficiently be raised and lowered from one pylon (instead of hinges). This quickly allows water traffic to pass while only briefly stalling road traffic. A small bridge could rest on only one pylon, which is advantageous because it consumes less materials and energy

Edam canal

Tea Houses of Schepenmakersdijk

Tea Houses of Schepenmakersdijk

Window detail

One of the things that the guide would point out was how the fronts of the houses had that typical old style Dutch architecture with the stepped gables. There were several different styles - some had more "steps" than others. Unfortunately, I didn't take note when I took the pictures, what buildings I was taking photos of.

Single swoopy top

Two houses - one plain, one with 7 steps

Five steps

Building with stepped gable and crest

Sign translates as Dutch Water Board

The Crescent Moon

Ladies clothing store - nieuwe collectie

Shop - Drogisterij de Graaf (Beauty supplies)

Flower shop

Verse Boerderij Friet

approaching The Speeltoren

The Speeltoren

We saw the Speeltoren clock tower on our visit, but either I wasn't listening to the tour guide or she didn't mention that this was a 15th century carillon tower with 19 bells. I figured it out by looking at my photo. The octagonal part of the tower is made of sandstone and dates from the 16th century. The tower was restored in 1764 and also 1922 to 1924 and in 1972. The 1972 restoration apparently de-stabilized the tower and it had to be "further consolidated", The original device that rings the bells has been replaced so the bells can now be heard. They ring every 15 minutes. But I don't remember hearing them. Probably because I had the guide's voice for our group in one ear. Apparently the tower was originally part of the 13th century Our Lady a small church which was demolished in the 19th century. It is now a one of Netherlands historic monuments. The page about the carillon says "..the first chimes of 1547 were replaced in 1569 by a carillon from the Great Church. This carillon restored in 1999 consists of 19 bells, four of which were cast by Pieter van den Gheyn (1561).

old etching of The Speeltoren

I followed the group on my scooter up to the point where she took everyone up on a steep bridge. This apparently was formerly a lock which has been made into a bridge. I felt it was too steep for me to attempt on the scooter, so I asked Bob to go up and take photos from there. I probably could have gotten up there (with several people pushing), but coming down would have been hazardous. So I decided not to go up there.

me in the pink coat following the group

Bob went up and took photos. The page which lists all the monuments (listed buildings) says: Damsluis, wide overpass at the western end of the Voorhaven, placed according to the dates of the keystones in the present form in 1795- '98. It has iron railings; on the west side it still says XVI A. The quays east of the overpass have two courses of stone from 1701. At the top of the bridge you can see the Town Hall

Town Hall

Town Hall

Damsluis and Dam Square

I just took photos from the street beside it.

Damhotel next to Dam Square

Then we found someone from the AmaStella blue group who had lost her group. (Each guide had a colored paddle to hold up for us to follow).

Guide of the Green group

The cheese market is no longer the heart of the town. There is a smaller (smaller than the main one in Alkmaar) Cheese Market re-enactment in Edam on Wednesdays in the summer. We were there on Friday in April, so of course did not see it then. The original and actual market in Edam closed in 1922, and the re-enactment for tourists started in 1989. There is a statue of the cheese porters called De Kaasdragers outside of the weigh house which was placed there in 2013 at the celebration of the 25 year jubilee of the Edam cheese market society.

statue of De Kaasdragers (Cheese porters)

Old weigh house from 1778

The weigh house with the brightly decorated facade dates from 1778

I went into the Edam cheese weighing station to get out of the wind. Even if you are not there on Wednesday, the weigh house is open and has an exhibit showing how cheese is made.

Bob's photo of me heading for the Cheese weigh station

There was a description of the process inside

Scale

The brochure for this tour said we were to have a cheese tasting,

but we didn't get to that and Raul, the cruise director said it was just that there were places in Edam where we could taste cheese, but it wasn't actually part of the tour. If I had known that, I would have gone in and done some cheese tasting. But I was waiting for the guide to take us to where we would taste cheese. I was anxious to reach Volendam, so I did not stop or shop in Edam. This shop is located in a listed building which dates from the 16th century. From 1947 is a cheese specialty shop located here and from 1990 it is run by Bessel van Veen, who has a huge passion for everything to do with cheese and wine

Just before we got back to the bus (which drove around and met us on the other side of the town),

Approaching the Grote Kerk on Grote Kerkstraat

Steeple of Grote Kerk

Sign outside the church door

Bob and I saw a cemetery - the Algemene Begraafplaats Edam (which means something like Edam General Cemetery) and went in and took a few photos.

Gate to Algemene Begraafplaats Edam

Graves with the wall of Grote Kerk behind them

We didn't have time to go in the church. Then we got on the bus and went a short distance to Volendam. When we got to Volendam, one of the men refused to get off the bus. We could hear the guide pleading with him and his absolute refusal. He said his leg hurt. So he didn't get off the bus. We were walking through the town when the guide got a call - we had left two people in Edam and they were coming by taxi - where should they meet her. So she handed over to the other guide with us (Raul the cruise manager said they had sent him to help me, but the guide himself said that they had arranged for 4 buses and only needed 3).

Main street in Volendam

He told me to go around and meet him at the hotel (he said there was only one) as he was going to lead the group up some steps. I did meet them.

The Hotel meeting place - Volendam

I had prints of the photos that Daddy took in 1950 - two from Volendam and one which the guide identified as Markem. I was disappointed in Volendam - I expected to see people still wearing native dress, but they were not. Although apparently one of the things that one must do (if one is Dutch) when one visits Volendam is to have a photo taken in costume.

National Dress

I went into a photography shop (one where you could have your photo taken in costume) and showed the photos to one of the ladies and she brought the shop manager out. The shop manager explained the difference between the costumes that the girls in one photo were wearing (she said she would have been about 3 years old in 1950) and said she knew the man at the fish stall but couldn't remember his name.

My sister and me in 1950 - Netherlands

She also said that the very shop that I was in was in one of the photos. So I made a collage of the two photos

Then (1950) and Now (2016) - Volendam

After we were all re-united we walked back to the bus

Waterfront of Volendam

There was one stairway which the scooter had to be carried down. And we drove back to Hoorn and walked back to the ship. This time, the AmaViola was right next to the pier - no need to climb across a Viking ship.

Bob on the left - walking back to the AmaViola

This was Dutch night for cuisine. I had beef carpaccio


and cheese soup. Bob ordered the chicken consume

and when I looked at my soup it didn't look like cheese soup -- Bob had my soup and I had his. We switched. We both had chicken breast with curry sauce and rice.

I didn't like mine and my back was hurting so I couldn't get comfortable and Bob had a problem swallowing his dinner. He ordered hot tea, but it was too late.

Dutch Apple Cake

For dessert I had the Dutch apple cake but Bob's banana split sundae looked good too.