Savvy Sightseer - tips and insights for seasoned travelers!
Windmills, Cheese and Clogs
Venturing past the city limits, the Netherlands offers a wealth of options to tap into sights and culture typically Dutch. Among the many scenic destinations nearby are an age-old cheese auction, the quintessential windmill town and a clog-maker’s, where iconic wooden shoes are carved.
Alkmaar Cheese Auction
As one of the largest cheese-producing countries in Europe - almost 1,500 pounds are produced in the Netherlands and exported to 130 countries – experiencing the cheese industry through the Alkmaar Cheese Market is a great way to learn more about this country’s culture and people.
Tradition is the word of the day when discussing the time-honored summer weekly auctions at Alkmaar. In a wide square, local cheese merchants bid on lots carried on a barrow by a pair of handlers, much as has been done since the 16th century, when the cheese guild was first formed.
Four groups or forwarding companies, are active in the guild. Carriers for each wear white shirts and pants, but show their affiliation to their company through their straw hats, bow ties, and barrows each of them color-coded: red, green, blue, and yellow.
Fascinated visitors can watch as over 66,000 lbs of Dutch cheese, stretched out in long rows, are knocked on, smelled, crumpled and tasted by samplers and traders.
Although doubtfully understood by sightseers cramming around the square, the bidding process - an exciting exchange of clapping hands and shouting prices - is nonetheless fun to observe. Once a deal is done, the color-coded carriers run the barrow of cheese, hitched by ropes slung around their shoulders (a total weight of about 286 pounds!), to the weighing station. Well, they don’t quite run; actually they do a little speed walk called the “cheese carriers’ dribble,” a particular walking rhythm to make it easier to carry and ensure the barrow hangs as still as possible.
After the Friday morning auction is complete, it’s time to move on to the rows of cheese stalls (and tastings) and booths of local craftsmen.
Mouse over the pictures, or click on any set of pictures, for a slideshow and more information. Click the play arrow on the video to the left to see the auction in action!
Windmills and Clogs - Zaanse Schans
Mention the Netherlands, or as commonly referred to as Holland (only two of its provinces carry that name), and for certain, two images come to mind: windmills and clogs. Both of these are represented in one compact open-air museum at Zaanse Schans.
Dotting the Netherlands countryside are statuesque windmills, many of which provided the means to drain tracts of land below sea level to create farms and communities. They are graceful and majestic structures that are much more than just pretty faces, though, some are still functional - grinding a variety of products for manufacture. Hundreds of years old, at one time numbering about 10,000 in the country, windmills are key in Netherland history.
They dominated the battle between land and lake and paved the way for Dutch industry to flourish. The Netherlands is credited as the first industrialized region of the world and had around 600 industries operating on wind power by the end of the 18th century.
At Zaanse Schans a collection of working windmills are open to the public. Some transplanted from other regions where progress trumped history, the massive structures literally stand with their faces to the wind. Visitors can tour the sawmill; paint mill, where raw materials are ground to make paint pigment; and oil mill, where nuts and seeds are ground and their oil extracted. A spice mill also on the premises grinds out the key ingredient for Dutch mustard.
An enduring symbol of Dutch culture is the clog. Made entirely of wood, these were the must-have accessory for working in the soggy reclaimed fields of the Netherlands.
Clogs or klompen constitute a far better footwear alternative to leather or fabric shoes. They provide protection from nails and debris on the farms, as well as from the elements, keeping feet dryer in the mud. Wood absorbs perspiration, and clogs are said to keep feet cool in summer and warm in winter when coupled with thick wool socks.
Wooden shoes were not solely for human workers. Even field horses were outfitted with clogs for easier walking in the muck and mire.
These hand-carved wood pieces also factored into the heritage of Dutch society. Young men would demonstrate their artistry and present a fiancé with a specially carved set. Brides wore ornate versions down the aisle.
Today, more sales are made to tourists than to native Dutch, but the strong footwear is still popular among fishermen and farmers. Made out of a solid piece of wood, these shoes were also at the forefront of the eco-movement - when they started to wear out, owners recycled them by throwing them in the fire.
Mouse over pictures for some more information, or click on the set to view it as a slideshow.
Continue your trip through Amsterdam with a visit to the Museums-Fanciful and Unique or Museums-WW II Remembered pages,
or go back to the Amsterdam home page.
