After touring Zaanse Schans, we took a quick walk through the picturesque town of Edam.

Yes, you thought right; Edam is the home of delicious Edam cheese.

The town is famous for their cheese market, which was held until the 1920's. The tradition has since been revived in the summer as a tourist attraction. The cheese market wasn't going on during my September visit, but I did see a wagon filled with wheels of fake cheese sitting outside of the historic building where the market was held.

Visiting Edam on a Sunday morning, meant a quiet stroll through the village, which was a virtual ghost town. The homes are beautiful, with a wide variation in architectural styles. My favorite part of Edam, was the pretty canals that snake through the town.

As we approached the town center, we discovered the people of Edam having Sunday brunch.

We took a quick look inside of the Edam Town Hall, built in 1737. There is also a small museum in Edam, but we didn't have time to visit it. If you're in the area, make sure to add it to your itinerary.

Our last stop in Edam was the Grote Kerk of Sint Nicolaaskrek (St. Nicolas Church), built in the 15th century. It is currently undergoing extensive renovations, but we were able to enjoy the brilliant stained-glass windows.

I'll end with this last shot of Edam, a walkway by a canal. Isn't it gorgeous? My bags are packed and I'm ready to move to Edam!

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.