The Windmills of Zaanse Schans: Paint Mill

Next to the Crowned Poelenburg one can find the paint mill called "De Kat" (the cat), which processes raw materials to make pigments.

Between 1646 and 1696 paint windmill 'De Kat' was built at its present site on the Kalverringdijk at the Zaanse Schans. In 1782 the mill was destroyed by fire but was rapidly rebuilt again. At the beginning of the 1900’s the mill was demolished to the height of the platform. In May 1960 the eight-sided paint mill 'De Duinjager' was taken from its former spot owing to urban development and placed on top of the old storehouse of 'De Kat'. The mill is once again grinding raw materials to make pigments for paints in the traditional time-honored way and is widely believed to be the only mill of its kind.

This mill is open to the public. Hot chocolate is also sold inside. While waiting in line, you can grab a mug to ward off the cold. :D

Information Source: http://www.zaanseschans.nl/

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The Windmills of Zaanse Schans: Paltrok Mill

The Crowned Poelenburg or in Dutch, "De Gekroonde Poelenburg" is just among the half a dozen windmills that you will see when you visit Zaanse Schans, about 9 miles from Amsterdam.

This paltrok or post mill is almost the last of the 200 sawmills that could be found in the Zaanstreek. Paltrok mills are distinctively different to other windmill types. They have a three-sided open work floor, often a dark façade and to turn the sails into the wind the whole body of the mill is rotated with the aid of a great ring of rollers built on a brick base. Other mills have a stationary body and only the cap rotates to turn the sails.

It was built in 1869 in Koog aan de Zaan to replace a similar mill that was destroyed to make room for the Amsterdam – Alkmaar railway line. In 1904 it was moved to Zaandam to replace another mill that had burned down and in 1963 was dismantled and moved again to its present location, the Zaanse Schans.

Information Source: http://www.zaanseschans.nl/

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Visiting Zaanse Schans

There is much to be seen in Zaanse Schans. It is a delightful traditional Dutch village on the banks of the river Zaan with characteristic green wooden houses, charming stylized gardens, small hump-backed bridges, tradesmen's workshops, historic windmills and engaging little shops.

This enchanting village has been lovingly established by relocating local houses, windmills, storehouses and barns to form a remarkable replica of a typical Zaanse village of the seventeenth and eighteenth century.

The moment we set foot on this place, we were charmed... well, at least I was. It was just beautiful and relaxing with everything almost done in green: the houses, the windmills, the grassy fields. The air is tangy and a bit pungent with cheese but it is a delightful odor nevertheless.

I really felt like I was living in that rural village. The only thing missing is me wearing wooden clogs and traditional Dutch costume.

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Lost In Amsterdam?

Perhaps one of the good things about Amsterdam's city center is that it is very easy to find your way around it and you can easily cover the main city attractions on foot because it is compact. There are also lots of beautiful scenery to be found while you are walking so that one never gets bored: boat houses, canals, typical Dutch row houses, museums, and countless bicycles parked on sidewalks.

Waiting to board the tour boat. That's Amsterdam Central Train Station
on the background, similar to the Tokyo Central Station
in terms of structure and materials: red bricks.

It was our first time to visit Amsterdam. There was still a drizzle when we arrived so our spirits were dampened... I thought to myself, "We can't just go around with a little kid in tow at this condition" and Hubby, as if he read my mind said, "Why don't we take the river cruise while waiting for the rain to stop?" And river cruise it was!

Boat houses moored on the canals... There are about 2500 of them
complete with electricity and water. The government has no plans
of approving additional boat houses though.

After the cruise, the rain thankfully stopped. Following an itinerary suggested on the internet and armed with just a map that we got from the tourist information center, we braved the streets and the cold. We were warned to be careful of our belongings though because they might get stolen, what with lots of tourists.

Lots and lots of bicycles! After all, we are in the City of Bikes."


This was my lunch: udon wok.

There are lots of cafes and restaurants in Amsterdam so that you can enjoy a relaxing cup of coffee or lunch / dinner by the canal. Chinese food is famous and we had lunch at Walk The Wok, which can be found in Leidseplein.

No coffee for us... We had to forego having coffee here.
The air was just so thick with weed smoke. :D

Also found in the Leidseplein is the most famous cafe "The Bulldog". It was packed so we didn't get the chance to order. Plus, inside the people were smoking weed so we didn't bother entering. We have a child's lungs to protect. :D

Anne Frank's monument. We were just passing through...

We didn't visit the museums though because of time constraints. Perhaps on our next visit, we will visit them. Among the most visited are the Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum, Anne Frank House and Rembrandt House.

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The Netherlands Was Beautiful

I know this post is kind of late... but lots of things have kept me away from the blogging. I barely made it to my memes this week but I was able to post some. As they always say, better late than never. My two loves are now better, thank God! Thank you to all those sent well-wishes and gave their concern.

Hubby and Sam in our hotel room, all dressed up for an afternoon in Amsterdam.

As you may all know, we spent the Easter holidays in The Netherlands. It was a beautiful experience for the family, what with the old architecture, the windmills, the tulips, the fresh air and a whole new place to explore. Although the weather was not so good when we got there on a Saturday afternoon because it rained and it hailed, our accommodations made up for it. We chose to stay in Hotel Casino Sassenheim and the room was big, big enough to fit four people without cramming and there were two beds, one queen sized, the other single.

The family in Amsterdam. Amsterdam was an inspiring place...
everywhere you look is beautiful so that you'd want to capture it on canvas.
(That's the painter in me writing down her thoughts...)

Sunday morning, it rained too but weather forecasts promised better conditions so we opted to visit Amsterdam, which is about 30 minutes from our hotel. We didn't bring the car with us though because we were told firsthand that driving around Amsterdam is difficult and impractical. The tram, bicycles, cars and pedestrian all use the same street. The roads are narrow and the parking rates are way too expensive, at €5.00 (Php 300) per hour.

Monday, the weather was better and we visited the windmills in Zaanse Schans and the beautiful spring garden of Keukenhof. It was in Keukenhof where I was very much delighted, with all the tulips and other bulb flowers that I got to photograph. Sadly, I lost the SD card with all my flower photos. So much for all my effort. =( Oh well, we can always return. Will post photos later... Firefox is acting up again!

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Oh No, There's No Film!

I remember this television commercial of two girl friends who were having a grand time posing in front of the camera, their faces so genuinely happy, their poses so wacky, only to find out after the photo op that there was no film inside the camera.

Oh no, there's no film!

This is what came into my mind when I was searching for our photos of the beautiful blooms and majestic view of the Keukenhof garden in Holland. How I arrived at such a thought is quite a long story. Will try to make it short though so here it goes:

We have two SD cards. One 4Gb and the other one, a 2Gb. We arrived in The Netherlands on a Saturday afternoon. It was raining hard and so we immediately went to our hotel. Sunday was Easter and the weather was still no good. It was raining until 1:00PM and so we decided to visit Amsterdam. We heard that the city center is very easy to tour so that we could just walk around. We just commuted though because the roads are very narrow and the parking fees are way too high... We are not crazy enough (or rich at that) to pay a staggering €5,00 per hour parking rate! Of course, we took lots of photos during the tour. There were lots of very interesting sights in Amsterdam. It was like Venice but with very nice people. :D After an afternoon in Amsterdam, we headed back to our hotel.

Amsterdam's canals, boat houses, bicycles and beautifully lined houses.

Hubby told me to upload our photos in our laptop so that I can format the main SD card but I didn't because I brought the 2Gb SD card with me. He was okay with that though since there was an extra SD card should our 4Gb go full. Monday morning we checked out of our hotel and drove to see the old wind mills in Zaanse Schans and took more photos. After an hour and a half of admiring the wind mills and enduring the chilly breeze, we drove again and headed for Keukenhof. This was supposed to be the highlight of our trip.

The windmills of Zaanse Schans

When we arrived, the temptation to take photos was very great that I just started shooting whatever it is my eyes behold. Keukenhof was a wonderful place, even with the tulips and other bulbs not yet in full bloom. It was at the early part of our sightseeing in Keukenhof when the 4Gb SD card went full and so we had to replace it with the other one. With another 2Gb card to fill, I had a blast taking photos. We had lots of beautiful photos.. with the flowers, with the different areas of Keukenhof, with the family.... And it was a relaxing afternoon. We were able to feast our eyes on thousands of tulips, crocuses, pollies, liliums. Every size and color of tulips that you never thought existed can be found exhibited in full bloom at the Willem Alexander. And this is where I devoted all my energy and photography "skills", if I ever had one... I even kneeled on the floor to get that perfect shot of the tulips. I was so wrapped up with taking photos that it went full again.

We then had to replace it with the 4Gb and hubby had browse through the photos contained in it to delete what he can delete. And I guess, I must have gotten excited and too busy in the process that I forgot to replace the 2Gb SD card in a secure place. I don't know how it happened but when I checked in my pockets and my wallet, it was nowhere to be found.

Oh no, there's no film!

No film indeed. No photos of the beautiful Keukenhof and of the tulips and the happy smiles and faces. Perhaps it was never meant to be. It was just sad to have no remembrance of the place except for the entrance tickets and the park brochure. But I guess the memories will forever be ingrained in our hearts and minds. So much for all our efforts, all gone with the wind. It was sad and disappointing.

Lesson learned: Follow what Hubby tells me. He is right, most of the time. Purchase a bigger capacity SD card. 16Gb perhaps? Buy a camera bag... like the Epiphanie? I wish!

Will post more photos of our trip in the days to come!

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