New York City, Holland and Belgium in the Springtime
April 19 - May 6, 2014
Part Two - Amsterdam area
Page 4 - Volendam, Marken, and Haarlem
Volendam
Originally, Volendam was the location of the harbor of the nearby Edam,
which was situated at the mouth of the IJ bay. In 1357, the inhabitants of
Edam dug a shorter canal to the Zuiderzee with its own separate harbor.
This removed the need for the original harbor, which was then dammed
and used for land reclamation. Farmers and local fishermen settled there,
forming the new community of Volendam, which literally meant something
like 'Filled dam'. In the early part of the 20th century it became something
of an artists' retreat, with both Picasso and Renoir spending time here.
Volendam is a popular tourist attraction in the Netherlands, well known for its
old fishing boats and the traditional clothing still worn by some residents.
The women's costume of Volendam, with its high, pointed bonnet, is one of
the most recognizable of the Dutch traditional costumes, and is often
featured on tourist postcards and posters (although there are believed to
be fewer than 50 women now wearing the costume as part of their daily lives,
most of them elderly).
Girl on bike with training wheels in Volendam
Residential area near the harbor area of Volendam.
Harbor area of Volendam
There is a regular ferry connection to Marken, a peninsula close by.
We took a ferry to go to Marken.
Woman dressed in traditional costume for the tourists at Marken.
Jorn, our tour guide for the Amsterdam pre-cruise extension.
Marken is a well-known tourist attraction, well known for its characteristic wooden
houses. For some time during the later 19th and early 20th centuries, Marken
and its inhabitants were the focus of considerable attention by folklorists,
ethnographers and physical anthropologists, who regarded the small fishing
town as a relic of the traditional native culture that was destined to disappear
as the modernization of the Netherlands gained pace.
Poffertjes are a traditional Dutch batter treat. Resembling small, fluffy
pancakes,
they are made with yeast and buckwheat flour. Unlike American
pancakes, they have a light, spongy texture. Typically, poffertjes are served
with powdered
sugar and butter, and sometimes syrup.
Did you ever wonder how the Netherlands produces wooden shoes?
They grow them on trees!
Inside Wooden shoe store in Marken. He is demonstrating how wooden
shoes are really made.
Haarlem -the capital of the province
of North Holland. It is situated at the northern edge of the Randstad,
one of the
most populated metropolitan areas in Europe. Haarlem has a population
of about 156,000. Shown is the
Grote Kerk ("Large Church") on the Grote Markt, Haarlem's central square
A visit to Haarlem was an optional tour from Amsterdam.
A curved barrier erected so that men could urinate behind it.
No public barriers are available for women to do the same.
Grote Markt
The people of the Netherlands tend to be very tall.
For a somber look at Haarlem history, you can visit the Corrie Ten Boom
House. In The Hiding Place, an inspirational book and movie, Corrie
Ten Boom gives the point of view of those who risked their lives to hide Dutch
Jews during the Nazi occupation (1940–1945). Living above the family clock
shop (on the left in the photo, Corrie and her sister Betsy, both in their 50s,
and their elderly father built
a secret room in the very back of their home off
Corrie's tiny bedroom. They used
the small hideaway to house six to seven Jews
at a time.
In 1944, the Gestapo,
tipped off that the family was harboring Jews, burst
into the Ten Boom house.
Finding a suspiciously high number of ration coupons,
the Nazis arrested the
family but failed to find the six Jews in the hiding place,
who later escaped.
Corrie's father and sister died while in prison, but Corrie
survived the Ravensbrück
concentration camp to tell her story in a memoir.
Woman with her twins in Haarlem.
Biking is a way of life in the Netherlands.
Girl with a little orange cap undoubtedly getting ready to celebrate the
King's birthday.
Another set of twins in Haarlem
Bicyclists are ever present in the Netherlands. There are areas
designated for cyclists, and you need to stay alert to avoid getting
hit if you have to step into or cross their designated paths.
Father with his kids in Haarlem
Grote Kerk in Haarlem
Link to Page 5 - Another day in Amsterdam
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