Volendam and Enkhuizen 

  We only spent time in a few places in Holland and for the life of me I can't spell half of them.  Enkhuizen is one.  So forgive me if I slip!

  I include various pictures from our day spent with my coworker Peter and his family, not just from Enkhuizen although that was the major destination for the day.  They came to pick us up in the city and whish us around half the country.  We first stopped in Volendam which is an old port city which was prominent before they blocked off the Zuiderzee from the ocean.  It's still a port, but more for sailing and as a tourist destination.  It's one of the places where you can spot people in traditional Dutch dress.  We stopped for some coffee and a light snack, then walked around town a bit.

  From there we headed to a ferry that took us to Enkhuizen.  The real destination was the Zuiderzeemuseum which is a large "out door" museum.  It is a collection of vintage buildings from around Holland set up to mimick various locations from around the Zuiderzee.  It's very similar to Sturbridge Village or Plimouth Plantation here in Massachusetts, although it felt a bit more real.  Granted that could be because I couldn't tell you real from fake in Holland.  One notable part of the visit was watching a video about making Edam cheese (Edam is a town near Volendam, for which the cheese is named).  I try not to think about what's involved, but watching it on video makes it hard.  Fortunately I've managed to block most of it out (although after writing this I may stay away for a few days).

  It was a beautiful day and a good time was had by all of us Americans, and hopefully by our hosts too.  We were (and still are) very grateful for the their hospitality in taking a precious weekend day to shuttle us around and, in particular, for going to the Zuiderzeemuseum for probably the 30th time!

Click here for pictures Volendam and Enkhuizen