Holland: Part 2, Amsterdam, Volendam, Zaanse Schans

While we were in Amsterdam, we also did a typical canal tour in one of those glass top boats.  It was about an hour long with some interesting facts and a great way to get a different view of the city while staying warm and dry.  We left near the Anne Frank House and ended up right by the train station so we could hop on our bus back to the rental.  We enjoyed some typical stroopwafels which may have saved us our sanity while we floated around trying to keep them occupied.

Then we drove to a couple little quintessential Dutch towns before heading towards the coast.

Everything was within one hour of Amsterdam so it was very convenient and very much worth it to get out of the city.  I think the second half of the week was our favorite considering the change in weather and change in pace.  Somehow there's such a difference in pace even when visiting a city versus smaller towns.

First, we drove 25 minutes to Volendam.  It's a very cute old fishing village.  It's also known for it's traditional Dutch clothing still worn by some residents, particularly, the women's high pointed bonnet.

First order of business after getting our bearings...silly, old fashioned family photo time!  We felt like such tourists and even more silly since it was in the morning and they were still opening the stores.  If you can imagine, here we are storming in with our double BOB stroller speaking English and our two toddlers grabbing at everything eye level including lots of little porcelain trinkets, "Good morning, where can we take one of those photos?!"

Volendam is right next to Edam and we eat Edam cheese all the time.  Also, did you know there's actually a town called Gouda in Holland?

Then we drove another 25 minutes from Volendam to Zaanse Schans.  Some would say it's too touristy, but we really enjoyed it.  Most times, I think, "well, there's gotta be a reason why so many people want to visit, right?!"

You park in this big parking lot and kind of walk your way through this little town.  There are no cars in the village.  There are windmills, farms, museums, and actual houses.  You can learn about how they make the wooden clogs (and maybe even watch them do it), how they make cheese, or just walk around like we did.

We went to a nice restaurant on the water.  It was actually really enjoyable-Carter napped and she played with her souvenir little Dutch dolls.  She's just now started playing pretend all the time.  It's so cute.  She personifies anything, even grapes, making them have conversations and go on adventures.

Carter is our animal lover.  Maddie likes animals, but he is obsessed and fearless when it comes to any bug or animal.

Okay, I thought that our trip would be two posts, but there are too many pictures that I want to share :-)  The last couple days of our trip coming up next.  Stay tuned...