AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS

We travel by coach to the windmill village Zaanse Schans – a name deriving from the defending wall (schans) which was erected at the end of the 16th century for the war against the Spaniards.

We travel by coach to the windmill village Zaanse Schans – a name deriving from the defending wall (schans) which was erected at the end of the 16th century for the war against the Spaniards. Although the wall has disappeared, the name was revived in 1950, when it became the location for a collection of houses and small businesses from the 17th and 18th centuries. Most of the houses are wooden and painted green – typical of the Zaan area. We shall visit one of the windmills whilst we are here. In the village several typical Dutch crafts can be seen, including a cheese farm and a wooden shoe factory (visits to these are not included as a group, however some free time is included – which may allow individual visits). Leaving Zaanse Schans we continue through the countryside to Edam – world renowned for its cheese. Since the streets are too narrow for coaches we will continue on foot through the village. We shall see (from the outside) the tower with its carillon – once part of the church, destroyed in the 19th century. We will walk to the cheese weighing house and the Dam with its 18th century Town Hall, after which we rejoin our coach and return to Amsterdam. For maximum enjoyment of this tour there is quite a lot of walking in Zaanse Schans and in Edam (approximately two hours in total). Some of it is over uneven or cobbled surfaces and steps may also be encountered. A bottle of water will be provided for each participant.