Zaanse Schans

Windmills and wooden clogs; two dutch traditions that I needed to see during my Amsterdam vacation. I took a bus day trip to Zaanse Schans, a popular tourist attraction that is a village comprised of historic homes, preserved windmills, and a wooden clog making demonstration.

Clogs are traditional shoes that are still worn today. I walked through a small exhibit showcasing the different types of clogs; including ones worn on Sundays, made for weddings, and even rollerskate clogs!

The clog making demonstration was led by a college student, who showed us the various tools used to make a clog from a single piece of wood. It took him about ten minutes, but he probably could have made it faster, if he hadn't been explaining the process. We sat on stumps of woods and watched. When he was finished, he walked in front of the machinery to reveal that he was wearing an enormous pair of clogs. It was a funny contrast to his modern clothing, but he admitted that when worn with a thick pair of socks, that they are quite comfortable.

Naturally, this was all leading up to a sales pitch for the souvenir clogs that were on sale in the shop. I liked the decor on the exterior of the building.

The windmills are scattered throughout the village. Some are open, and for a small fee you can enter and learn about the windmills, including getting a better look at the mechanisms. With the bus tour, I had just enough time to run around and take a few pictures. If you have time, I'm sure the interior tours are fascinating.

I came across an employee feeding a very friendly goose that had wandered outside of the petting zoo.

Here's the petting zoo. I like the straight-forward warning sign rhyme.

As I was heading back to the bus, I found these characters walking through Zaanse Schans. Check out the clogs!

Zaanse Schans: the perfect half-day, or in my case, one hour, excursion from Amsterdam. It's a bit of a tourist trap, but it's beautiful to see the Dutch countryside dotted with colorful windmills. Zaanse Schans looks like it's straight out of the pages of a fairytale.

Brussels: Part Two

I experienced a magical moment in Brussels. An awe-inspiring, Disney-esque magical moment. It took place in the Grand Place, which is an enormous town square in the heart of the city. First, the Grand Place is overwhelming in its scale and opulence. Just looking at it, I have a wave of emotions as I tried to process everything that I was seeing and feeling. Here are some picture, none of which come close to showing the magnificence of the Grand Place.

My magical moment, that I was certain had been orchestrated by Disney's atmosphere department ( everything goes back to Disney with me), happened here, when seemingly out of nowhere, an orchestra appeared and began to play.

We continued our city tour and visited the statue of Everard t'Serclaes. Legend goes, if you touch the statues' arm, you will return to Brussels.

Another famous statue in Brussels is Manneken Pis. Manneken Pis is small, only standing twenty-four inches tall and done in bronze, depicting a little boy peeing. Yes, the peeing is a water feature. Manneken Pis is dressed up in various costumes that are often given as gifts from visiting dignitaries.

Some shop owners have created their own Manneken Pis statues.

More pictures from the city.

We were left on our own for the last two hours of our time in Brussels. I had to navigate dinner solo. I actually love to dine solo. It gives me a great excuse to people watch and eavesdrop under the guise of reading my book. I'm totally nosy and unashamed to admit it.

I steeled myself, prepping for the hard sell, and headed back to the narrow streets with all of the restaurants. I was determined to peruse and picked a special place for my Brussels meal. Almost immediately I caved. I'm a push-over. A manager from the first restaurant I passed, caught my eye, grabbed my arm and led me to a table. So, I ate at Le Jardin de l'llot Sacre.

I had a salmon fillet and a glass of chardonnay. Although this wasn't the crazy memorable meal that I was hoping to have in Brussels, it was good. When I returned home, I saw that the ratings for Le Jardin de l'llot Sacre were very low and that it's seen as a total tourist trap. I guess I got caught here!

On my walk back to the bus, I saw a Smurf statue. As a kid growing up in the 80's, I used to LOVE the Smurfs.

And the final images of Brussels were these statues in a park near our bus. I hate that their covered in graffiti, however the spray paint colors add another element.

I absolutely loved Brussels and I look forward to returning. I touched Everard t'Serclaes' arm, just to make sure that it would happen. Although every terrorist attack has been devastating, I was extra heartbroken with the recent attack on Brussels. I may have only spent three hours in the city, but the grandeur and beauty made a huge impression. Brussels was pure magic.

Brussels: Part One

Our evening in Brussels lasted about three hours, enough time to explore the city and to eat dinner. Brussels is a big city, certainly a place that warrants a multi-day visit, so I felt like this was just a tease. I'll be back.

The first hour of Brussels included a guided tour of a few highlights. The Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula, was the first stop.

We were able to do a walk through of the gothic style cathedral, as they were prepping for Friday evening mass. Living in the United States, where nothing is quite so old, I'm still mesmerized when I visit churches and cathedrals in Europe.

As we made our way to the Galeries Royales Saint Hubert, we saw cool statues and a street fair.

The Galeries Royales Saint Hubert is an indoor shopping arcade that opened in 1847. It's so pretty and truly made me feel like I had stepped back in time.

As most people know, Belgium is famous for their chocolate. Our tour guide told us something that I didn't know; how chocolate got started in Belgium. It began at this place, Neuhaus. There are now many locations around the world, but the Neuhaus in the Galeries Royales Saint Hubert, is the original location.

Prior to getting involved with chocolate and Smurfs, Neuhaus was an apothecary. Neuhaus moved to Belgium from Switzerland, and used chocolate to mask the flavor of medicine. Soon, he realized that people were coming to his store for the chocolate (taking medicine they didn't need, as a way to get the chocolate) and he shifted to a confectionary shop. According to our tour guide, Neuhaus is what started the chocolate craze in Belgium. I bought the story and a few pounds of truffles. Yum.

Our guide walked us out of the arcade and into a series of narrow streets: Rue des Bouchers, Petite Rue des Bouchers, Rue de la Fourche Petite and Rue Gretry.

On these intersecting streets, really more like alleys, exists over seventy restaurants. It's an international feast, all types of cuisine. The restaurant owners are like carnival barkers, trying to sway you to eat in their restaurant. Aggressive marketing! In many areas, we could only walk single-file, because it was so cramped. I imagine that there are some wonderful food tours in Brussels. I tried to glimpses at all of the stalls to make a plan for dinner. The options were overwhelming!

In part two of my Brussels trip report, I have a very special video of a magical, Disney-esque moment and a famous statue of a peeing boy.