Amsterdam Day 2 continued... Cheese and Clogs - Volendam - Monnickendam

So this afternoon we had a few excursions to complete...

Back on the bus.... it was my turn in the back seat! But I can't complain, it's a fair system,,, and luckily our drive was not too far out of Amsterdam.

The first place was to a farm north of Amsterdam, where I'm sure all bus tours go.... for a demonstration of how cheese is made and how clogs are made..

The big Clog!

Demo of making clogs

Cheese factory

It was pretty commercial with the compulsory shop at the end.... but  I guess that's what funds tourism around these parts.

Our next stop was a pretty little village right on the shores of the lake Ijsselmeer. From what I can gather, Volendam used to actually be on the North Sea, but they built a dyke across the top and now it is on a fresh water lake, rather than the sea....

See the wikipedia explanation once again...

The IJsselmeer (Dutch pronunciation: [ɛi̯səlˈmeːr]; West Frisian language: Iselmar), is a closed off inland bay in the central Netherlands bordering the provinces of Flevoland, North Holland and Friesland. It measures 1100 km² with an average depth of 5.5 m. The river IJssel flows into the IJsselmeer.

Due to considerable amounts of water from the Rhine flowing through its distributary IJssel into the IJsselmeer, the closed off bay functions as a large freshwater reservoir, serving as a source for agriculture and drinking water. Outlet sluices in the Afsluitdijk regulate the water level of the IJsselmeer.
The IJsselmeer is used for transport and fishing. It also offers a number of opportunities for recreational activity, both on the water and on its shores. Due to the shallowness of the IJsselmeer, the Markermeer and the bordering lakes, its cities and fishing villages remained mostly unspoilt and have many historical buildings.^[3]

It is a very pretty little village with a long promenade  with lots of shops... especially souvenir shops!

Volendam

Volendam House

At the back of Volendam

So much of The Netherlands is under sea level. We were driving the bus beside a dyke today and our road was under the level of the sea. The only thing that separated us was the dyke. The Dutch have done remarkable things in reclaiming their land from the sea.

Our last thing for the day and for the tour was to have our celebration dinner together in another pretty little village called Monnickendam.

Our restaurant in Monnickendam

Monnickendam

Fellow travellers at my table.

So, tonight the tour comes to a close. It has been a wonderful experience in many ways, as I have seen things and experienced things that I would never have done on my own. Especially in a country where English is not the first language (although most Dutch people can speak English!)

I am very grateful to Nathalie our tour guide, who took special care to make sure there was food I could eat along the journey. I have to admit I was a bit worried about how I would cope with this aspect of bus travel, but I've made it through, with a bit of extra help along the way.

Tomorrow I begin a new part of the journey as I fly into Edinburgh, pick up a car again and head north to travel the North Coast 500  

Wattle Wanderings is moving on again.... I wonder what the next part of the journey holds....????