Two days ago, Dineke and I rode our bicycles from Edam to the neighboring town of Volendam. I saw a windmill up close then we arrived at the main market in town.

We visited the Volendam Museum where it showcased musicians from the area and how people lived back in the day. The most interesting thing is a room that’s decorated with cigar bands. It was a man’s obsession. The cigar bands  formed images of the windmill and other famous sites. In a sense, they are like paintings.

Afterward, Dineke and I rode on the harbor in Volendam. It was the touristy section of the town with many people. We ended up walking our bikes around a neighborhood with small houses that are tightly packed together. That was the old town and people still live there.

Before we ended the morning tour, Dineke and I rode on the dike and we saw a working canal lock when a small boat was moving through it.

Dineke did a great job explaining to me about the dikes and how the Dutch used windmills to move water. Some land areas in this section of The Netherlands were made by first building a dike to separate the sea so that the enclosed section formed a lake. Then with the use of the windmills, they were able to pump the water out of the lake. Below the lake is clay land, which is very rich in nutrients and is used for farming. The land that’s reclaimed from the sea is called a polder. The polder is lower than the sea level so the Dutch built canals and they are connected by Windmills so they can pump the water back into the sea to prevent flooding. The old windmills are not in use anymore since everything went electric. Now they are tourist attractions. By controlling the water and using their advanced ship building techniques, the Dutch are really the masters of water.

In the afternoon, Tom joined Dineke and I to cycle around Edam. We saw the old city hall, the canal that runs through the middle of town, the houses and courtyard of the water board, which is a group of people who makes decisions about the canals around the region. We also went to the cheese market since Edam is also known for its cheese. Lastly, we had an excellent dinner at Strandbad Paviljoen Edam before coming back.

Yesterday morning, Dineke drove me to De Museummolen, a windmill museum. I was able to tour a real Dutch windmill! Most of the windmills were built in the 1600s. They worked by wind power. At a certain angle, the wind would turn the blades of the windmill, then the gear transfers the power to an Archimedes screw that will then pump the water from the lower part of the canal to the upper part. It was really interesting to learn the working of a windmill while inside of a real one. Definitely one of the highlights when touring in The Netherlands.

In the afternoon, I cycled back to Edam and went into the Saint Nicholas Church to have a look. Then I went by the cheese market again to sample some Edam and Gouda cheese. The Edam cheese is harder than Gouda so I prefer the Gouda cheese. Lastly, I checked out the Edam Museum, which showed how people lived in the old days.

I bought some groceries for myself and for Dineke and Tom at the local Albert Heijn supermarket. It was Tom’s birthday that day, but he didn’t want a cake or a big celebration since he still wasn’t feeling well. I ended up buying his favorite ice cream for him.

Back at the house, I cut my hair and took a shower. Tom and Dineke’s son came over and we had pizza for dinner. I went to bed around 10 PM.

This morning, Dineke will take Tom to the hospital for his appointment in Amsterdam. I will leave at the same time cycling to Haarlem.

Nothing better than a windmill and a bike!

The market square in Volendam

Musicians who were popular in Volendam

Cigar band artwork inside the Volendam Museum

So interesting!

They are like paintings.

Different cigar bands used in the artwork.

Display that showed how people lived back in the day.

Just playing some cards

Close-up of a woman’s hat

Volendam Museum

Riding on the harbor

One of the few fishing boats in Volendam

Street in Volendam

Houses in the old town

Cool car!

The touristy area in Volendam

Canal lock is opened so a small boat can come in.

The other lock

The house in Edam where Tom and Dineke used to live

The canal in Edam

Edam’s old city hall

Another view of the canal

The houses and the courtyard of the water board

Sculpture in the Edam cheese market

Dinner at Strandbad Paviljoen Edam

At the Windmill Museum

Using a wheel to pump the water is one way.

Using the Archimedes screw pump is better.

The glorious windmill

The long piece of wood is the brake for the turbines.

The turbines rotate the main shaft.

The gear that will rotate the pump.

Archimedes screw

Another windmill in the distance

Close-up of the Archimedes screw pump

No matter how hard I turn the water won’t come up. That’s because I was turning in the wrong direction!

This guy is doing it the right way.

Me being a tourist.

Kwakelbrug bridge in Edam

Carillon Tower in Edam

Saint Nicholas Church

Inside Saint Nicholas Church

Two of many stained glass windows in the church

The organ pipes in the church

Edam cheese market is open today.

Some delicious Gouda cheese

Edam old city hall

The three Miracles

Information about the Miracles

The pink shop in Edam

Edam Museum

How people lived back in the day.

A nice local music shop

Buildings in Edam

Tom and Dineke