That popular Dutch icon besides clogs and cheese — Windmills! And Zaanse Schans with its collection of historic windmills and brightly painted green wooden houses and barns is sooo near the capital. Just 30 minutes. Maybe shorter. Seriously. If you’re a good and confident biker, why not check this one out? It’s full of tourists mid morning so if you’re biking or driving, make an early start. or maybe go by boat? I saw some boat tours. We visited this site as a day trip in combination with other attractions. So there. It could be better. Fortunately, we had a pair of very competent and young guides with us.
Zaanse Schans
Zaanse Schans
It was cloudy the morning we visited, but pleasant at 15-18C. Zaanse Schans is a good intro to Dutchland. Here you’d find a cheese and dairy factory, clog making shop, a tin factory and barns. That is, if you can stroll past the bakery where the aroma of freshly-baked cookies and those stroopwafels or syrup waffles waft so invitingly in the air. Had to stop. Sometimes, you have to allow yourselves to be led by the nose. Those 2 thin layers of dough sandwiching a layer of caramel (there are other flavours) syrup between them are too good to ignore. You just have to watch it because you find it nearly everywhere here and those thin waffles really pack some calories!
Zaanse Schans
Zaanse Schans
Cloudy skies. Cool weather. A slight breeze. A fine morning to visit this recreated 18th century windmill village in Zaanstad north of Amsterdam. A few windmills still stand out of the 600 wind-powered machines constructed in the 17th century. Like a prelude to an Industrial Zone. The few standing now still hit a spot. So charming in this countryside. And hey, it’s soooo Dutch!
Zaanse Schans
Zaanse Schans
lifeisacelebration 
great post 🙂