A Dutch love affair part II

A Dutch love affair... part II

The next day dawns bright and sunny.. perfect for a trip out of the city. I visit Alkmaar... a town famous for its weekly cheese market, a 370 year-old tradition.

Looks like i'm not the only one... the market square teems with locals and tourists alike.

The cheese stalls do a bustling business.. i also get down to business hee. I take slivers of cheese from this old lady to try, then buy slices to nibble & munch on for the day... then i buy in whole rinds to bring home. Edam, Gouda, naturel, mixed herbs, garlic... i buy them all.

A dutch beauty...

The picturesque dutch countryside lifts my spirits. Although the terrain of the Netherlands is predominantly flat... there is beauty to be found in every landscape non?

I reach the Zaanse Schans, a lovely hamlet on the banks of the river Zaan with charming 18th century villages. I love the green wooden houses and little workshops. Very quaint. But most importantly, i was there to finally see for myself....

Windmills! What's a trip to Holland without visiting one of these?

Humpbacked bridges..

One of the windmills is open for viewing so everyone grabs the chance to climb up and check the view.

The rickety old wooden staircase is the only way up. Many of the old ladies decide to give it a miss. But i don't really care... i happily clomp my way up in my heels.. with a little help from some friendly dutch kids!

i take many shots but this is my favorite :) Feeling the breeze & hearing the excited voices of others who joined me on this little visit, i have the sudden urge to laugh & shout. 

A Dutch love affair part I

A Dutch love affair... part I

I am in love with Amsterdam. Really & truly. The compact city is so pretty in spring. Its numerous canals form concentric circles around the city centre with names like Prince's canal, Gentlemen's Canal, so that every few hundred metres u walk, u come across beautiful waterways like this.  

Hmmm I must say that dutch guys are also a charming lot. Met quite a few of them on the streets and although french guys still take the cake in the flirting department, the dutch can hold their own too!

I check out Bloemenmarkt, which is the most famous flower market along the Singel canal.. Here u can find tulips in every color, bulbs to bring home, basically a garden lover's paradise.

And look what i found: your very own marijuana starter kit hee. Now i know that Amsterdam is a city where authorities seem to be tolerant towards drugs but this? Not only that, you can actually see cannabis plants being grown in cafes and shops hehe!

The whole afternoon was spent walking around the city and visiting the famous Van Gogh museum... on one of the little side streets, i find a little piece of Belgium!!!

Big fat homemade fries with a generous dollop of whatever topping u want - mayo, mustard, ketchup... it used to be such a common street sight in Brussels and I would indulge in a cone whenever i see one.

I get a helping and end up eating only 2 fries.. was quite full but i just wanted to relive those months spent in Brussels...

Alfresco diners remind me of the weekends in Antwerp with V... amsterdam is really like antwerp in so many ways, the culture, the landscape and the architecture.

I join my colleagues in the night for some 'window shopping' at the infamous red light district. You really do see girls posing and gyrating in french windows mouthing their prices to any man who passes by. This was the closest pic i could get without them banging on the glass and asking me to f**k off.

next up.. i visit a cheese market & satisfy my craving... and the dutch countryside leaves me captivated.