Yes,
we are back in Amsterdam The cruise we are doing is actually two
cruises back to back. The first was the Baltic Sea. The second is the
fjords of Norway Today is change over day for those not doing both
cruises.
Given
that we have seen most things one can see within walking distance of
the cruise terminal, we took an excursion to Zaanse Schans where we
learnt a lot about windmills and the various purposes for which they
have been used over time. Extremely interesting.
The
windmills are located in a restored historical village where a number
of craftsmen work including clog makers.
We
also got an insight into the local cheese making industry.
One
of the secrets of success of the local cheese industry is the
incredibly lush paddocks in which the cows graze. The Netherlands is
a water logged country, so much so that all paddocks are below sea
level and are drained into ditches from which water is pumped into
canals at a significantly higher level than the ditches. Dykes act as
dams to keep the canal and river water from flowing back into the
paddocks.
From
there we went to the delightful village of Edam, in historic times
the home of rich merchants who lived and worked in the area. Very
cute.
We
noticed these buses which attached themselves to overhead charging
stations while waiting at their terminus – presumably battery
powered electric buses.
Tomorrow is another sea day before four days of different Norwegian ports.
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