We are still in Harlingen, at least until Sunday morning, when we MUST be on our way! This morning we were joined (at the next table) by a magnificent, gigantic, beautiful, white Great Pyrenees dog (and his owners). What a beauty!
During breakfast, after reviewing maps and options and consulting with our hotel owner, Jenny, we set off for the traditional cheese market in Alkmaar. The market happens on Fridays and is carried out with great fanfare. Girls in traditional Dutch costumes are a pleasant sight and the vendors have all things Dutch. The 16th century Weigh House for weighing cheese is the tallest building in the town. The cheesemakers line up their big orange wheels of cheese in neat rows in the square. The cheese is sold off with great pomp and costumed cheese carriers run the giant wheels back and forth as they have for centuries on a "cheese-barrow", a kind of wooden stretcher with one carrier in front and one behind following precise rules and conduct for the cheese hauling. Quite a sight and fun to watch.
The crowds were very congested until the cheese market was done, around 1 p.m. We enjoyed looking at the boats on the canals in the town and all the interesting people, including a couple with three little fuzzy dogs in a baby stroller!
Driving to and from Alkmaar, we passed field after field of blooming tulips in every color imaginable. We can't get over being amazed at their beauty and the huge acreage devoted to producing tulip bulbs. We timed this trip just right!!!
There are also modern windmills everywhere and, with the constant wind in this part of the world, they probably make sense as an energy source. I still love the old-fashioned windmills used to pump water off the land.
Also interesting are the traditional Dutch farmhouses which appear to be huge, but then one realizes that they are not only the house for the family, but also about 3/4 of the building is the barn for the farm animals and probably hay and feed. All are so tidy and generally well maintained.
We had lunch in Alkmaar and enjoyed some excellent Espresso Macchiato Lattes. After we returned to our car, we drove on to a small, very quaint village by the name of Hindelooper. Cute and quaint with a very large marina and many canals.
We are amazed at the number of bicycles here. Everyone rides them including the grandmas and grandpas. The train station has a big bike parking lot as does the ferry station. Bikes are all over every little town and there are many nice bike paths. Riders have the right of way and ride with great skill and confidence. I'm sure they have been riding their whole lives.
After Hindelooper, it was time to return to Harlingen for dinner, which is when we decided to stay just one more day! Yeah! Tomorrow we will take a ferry to one of the outer islands.
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