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Wednesday, August 8, 2007

Tour of Europe - Holland

After our time in England, our tour brought us across the English Channel and into Holland.
One of our first stops was a jewelry shop. They showed us lots of different diamonds and jewels. More than we'd ever spend on a whim, but it was interesting to see. 


Then it was time to check out how cheese and clogs are made.

A worker gave us a demonstration of how a block of wood is turned into a pair of shoes.

And of course he was wearing wooden shoes himself. 

A giant pair of clogs.


Dipping cheese in wax I think.

So many different cheeses.


Outside was a giant clog to pose in.


Back on the bus to visit the next location. Of the 16 days we had on this tour, a lot of it was spent on the bus. Waking up early in the morning to get moving to the next stop.

Off to a real working windmill.



Thatched sides. 

Do you want to climb to the top? Yes!

After that, it was back to the bus to make our way to a port. Here we tried a few different treats. Like fries with mayonnaise of course.

Theresa got a waffle.

Our tour operator was talking up these poffertjes on the bus, so we had to try it.

They're made fresh, right in front of your. They're like a pancake




Our last event had us on a ferry.




2 comments:

  1. Must have been really interesting watching the clogs being made from a block of wood. Seeing a plain block of wood turned into something beautiful (especially if decorated w/ personal touches) is an amazing creation. Did the artisan/worker say how long to make one pair ("standard-size", that is!)? A cheese lover must have been in "cheese heaven" to be surrounded by all those different cheeses. A relaxing ferry ride to view more of the country...how enchanting! Brings to mind the Storybook Land attraction and its "Yesterland" windmills. EOM

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    1. I don't remember if he said how long it took to make those clogs. But even after all his praise for clogs, after trying them on, they just weren't comfortable. I'm sure it's like any new shoe and takes a while to break in, but still.
      The only problem with the cheese is that there wasn't a good way to buy any and save for later! With all this traveling there's no guarantee of a fridge to keep it cool! It was fun to try all the samples though.
      I hadn't thought of the ferry like that, but you're right. Similar to Storybook Land.

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