A Day Off

This vacation I have just been working-away in the lotties during the day and processing in the evening. Finally it rained a couple of days ago and I took the opportunity to take a little excursion to Alkmaar, a picturesque town not too far from here.
The weather was not too good, so the pictures are not of a good quality and perhaps not so interesting to see; however, because of that I decided to take some inside shots to show how things are in our shops here.

Let's get going then....
I caught the bus from the bus stop across the street from where I live and it took me downtown to the train station where a train would shortly arrive. They leave for Alkmaar every thirty minutes, so one never has to wait long.

Once in Alkmaar, I walked through the old little streets towards the centrum. The first stop was at my favourite little seed shop to see what was new. They no longer sold seeds there! What a disappointment. Fooey!

Never mind, there was plenty more to see and do. I had a little shopping list for today.
The first place that I passed by was this hofje. where I normally sit and sip tea during the day in the city. The poor weather made that unlikely today.


A hofje is a place for old widows and/or widowers...or seamen built by affluent citizens to show how rich they were and how benevolent. A way for them to show off, but the poor folks could profiteer from their generosity even though it was misguided.

I pulled the hood of my raincoat over my head and kept moving until I came by another shop that I always visit--the kitchen implements shop. Perhaps a bit strange for a guy, but I am fascinated by all the different implements that are available. Today I wanted to get a potato peeler and just nose-around.
The outside is not attractive, dull even...


...but inside there is a treasure trove of everything you can imagine that has to do with cooking. Here is a shot down the main aisle...cramped from over-displaying, but that's part of the charm, I feel.


My wanderings took me along the the old fish market. It is a dull-looking place from this side but you can see how it worked--the boats loaded with fresh fish came up the canal and the doors on the back side of the market were flung open to receive the catch which were off-loaded through them.


The other side is actually more interesting, with a big water pump and scales with areas where the fish were displayed--it was filled with tables and chairs. Perhaps one day during the winter, I will take some fotos of that.

In the small streets and alleys around the cheese market one of my favourite shops is to be found. A sort of place that sells odds and ends, so to speak--a hardware store without the hardware.


As you enter the shop you can immediately see that it's cramped aisles are brimming with the things they sell...literally from the floor to the ceiling.


Did you see those things hanging from the ceiling there? Do you know what they are? They are mat/carpet beaters.


These things are still used today. I have one myself.
I needed some things here. I was looking for something to clean the inside of my greenhouse, some twine to make a shoulder strap for my umbrella and a birdhouse made out of a sawed-in-half wooden show. Of course I just like to look at their stuff for the fun of it as well and chat with the owners.

This shop sells wooden shoes to locals and the also have some of the brightly painted ones for the odd tourist that wanders in accidently.


If it's brushes that you are looking for--they have them in all sizes and shapes. I got a long one here once that looks and feels like a coatl's tail for dusting into those deep and hard to get into places.


It was nice walking the main shopping street where the old city hall still stands. People still get married here and have their pictures taken because it is so nice to photograph (on a sunny day).


The white stripes on this building makes me think of the Abu Darwish Mosque in Amman, Jordan ...but that's another story.

Well, by now I am starting to get really thirsty for some tea. I stood on the bridge and looked at the old cheese market (1582) and decided to take one of the terraces that line the square.


The terraces belong to the café's that line the side of the square.


Here is the square on a sunny friday when they have the cheese market for the tourists and cheese buyers.


This little statue up close to the cheese hall depicts a buyer and seller clapping hands on a deal. This practice is used when buying livestock as well.


Once the deal has been closed then the cheese bearers load up the cheeses and shuffle across the square to waiting lorry to unload them.


Once I was good and rested and had seen all the passerby's that I wanted to see, the shopping continued. I was amazed that there were so many folks in town considering that it was the middle of the week and raining cats and dogs.


Naturally I couldn't visit Alkmaar and not visit the little cheese shop. They have such a good selection.


There is Gouda, Edam, Masslander etc, etc....what I needed was some Parmigiano cheese and some Dutch cheese with holes (like the well-known Swiss cheese).
The cheese farmers make their cheese with cumin, stinging nettle, cloves and other things--there's a cheese for every taste, I believe. Here you can see some with cumin and to the left and in the back some with cloves.


Checking my watch, I saw that it was time to eat supper, and if I hurried--I could be the first in the restaurant.
Taking a short cut through the "chewing Gum Alley", I paused to take a pic, as I dought that any of you have seen such an odd thing. Someone started doing this decades ago and it continues to attract "stickers" who want to participate. Oh well, I guess that it's better than throwing it in the street to be stuck to bottom of one's shoe or on the underside of a restaurant table, right?


Hurrying along now, I passed "Het huis met de kogel"--the house with the cannonball.
The cannonball was shot by the Spanish during the war with them to drive them out of our country.


You can see the date the house was bombarded--1573.


With the clouds, it was getting a bit darkish as we approached the Thai restaurant.


Inside it was still empty, so the choice of seats was ours.


Over to the right they had an elevated area where you could remove your shoes and sit on huge cushions.

Here you can see what I had that evening--a garlic chicken with fresh coriander. It was quite tasty.


Well, it was a nice day in spite of the rain and wind. The shopping list had been worked-off and I enjoyed looking and walking. It was nice to take a break from the intense garden work for a day.

I hope that you enjoyed sharing my day off.

 

Oh yes Sjoerd, I DID!
Such beautiful country there I love the old buildings and they are so well taken care of. Are those Slate roofs?
I really enjoyed our trip, although I must say, the chewing gum wall really shocked me!

 

So glad you took a day off and invited us along. The photos of the shops and architecture brought back good memories of our visit to Europe and Amsterdam in particular. The photo of the restaurant reminded me of a wonderful Indonesian Rice Table we ate at. The dishes were wonderful and there were many to sample. We travelled by Eurail pass, so we would stay in hostels and then go to the cheese market to get cheese & bread to take on the train. In Amsterdam we also had these wonderful ham & cheese broodjes. You didn't even post photos of your garden produce and you've made me hungry . Thanks for sharing your day.

 

Well, that was sure a fun trip. You're feeding my wanderlust, but making it kind of worse at the same time! These pictures and your commentary are very nice -- the insides of the shops especially, with all of those things to look at. The shop with the wooden shoes looks like it has evolved over time with things here and there in no particular order! I would love the cheese hall the cheese shop too, and the cheese bearer picture is nice. I could never pass up a good meal of fish though, so I like the sound of the fish market too. Thanks for taking us along today Sjoerd!

 

Lovely photos, despite the rain. I'd have enjoyed myself there, walking the streets, window-shopping and tasting the cheese. Those chees sleds fascinated me. Well, anything that might help to ease a task, you know. I'm sort of lazy that way.

We never made it to Alkmaar. I can picture my husband going amok amongst the kitchen utensils while I went amok with the camera around town. Hehe, maybe we won't go, it might be too expensive in the end.

 

NETTY--I am very glad that you liked this posting. It's always nice to hear someone compliment some aspect of one's country. The rood coverings are almost all what we call tiles and are baked in an oven like bricks. There may be some made of slate, but I have not seen any. Yes, that Chewing Gum Alley is a shocker.

Oh Eileen! So you've been to Alkmaar eh?! You must feel sort of at home then. hahaha. I like that town as well and it is a great place for those interested in history.
Don't you just lurve those little shops, though.
Of course the big garden center is a real gem...Leave it to you to find that one.
If you do come back look me up....we'll do lunch. Hahaha.

Thanks for liking the posting, TONI-- I can just imagine that you'd love to spend time in those shops--right up your alley, eh? ...and the cheese shop. Mmmmm. yes, there are lots to samp[le and the guy would be happy to cut of little pieces to let you try.

It was my pleasure, GAIL--I am glad that yopuliked what you saw. The pics were bound to bring back memories from your visit all those years ago. I was surprised to read that you have had a "rijsttafel". Not many tourists know this. It is quite a special and typical Indonesian meal here in Nederland. A "good" one takes quite awhile to eat and the choices that come with it are many. I can tell from your posting that you have sampled some of the tyupical foods. Good for you!

I am glad that you had fun on the little trip, DAISY--I didn't mean to feed your wanderlust or make it worse. Oops!
I am glad that you enjoyed seeing some of the scenes and the little shops.Fish restaurants are all over the place and I am sure that you would have liked that too.

Thanks DROOPY-- Glad you liked those fotos. I can see your man going amok in ther small shops. I do all the time. hahaha.
Alkmaar is certainly a good place to visit, esp. the friday cheese market.
I like tasting cheese too.

 

sjoerd, you've outdone yourself! what agreat time i had reading your thoughts and viewing your pics on your little trip! it's almost like being there!

i love those crowded shops that have things for sale from the top to bottom. we have a couple of those an hour-plus drive from here. i never tire of checking every little thing out.

those rug-beaters look wonderful and would be very functional. never seen them before. i wonder if i could make one out of willow branches, or some such plant material? i use an old tennis racket right now, myself.

'chewing gum' alley...lol...what a great idea...i think?! like you said, better on the wall than under your table or on the bottom of your shoes!

and the cheese wheels and all...oh my! what a wonderful marketplace! i think the closest things we have like that in the states is our farmers markets. and i loved the 'sleds', too!

i was wondering, are the majority of the products, food and brushes and rug-beaters and such, mainly made from locals? do you have a lot of things that are from China in those little stores? many of our stores carry mostly products from China. it's difficult here to find things made in the USA...except with the more 'local' products.

 

I sure enjoyed my trip with ya'll.I have not traveled anywhere out of the U.S.A.except to Mexico and that was a little border town.I had know idea of how the shops would look like.I am so short I would miss half of the things in there.My hubby always teased me and said if its not eye level you would miss it.I would be looking all over those places.I had never thought of cheese being sold like that.I was fascinated to walk the streets and the shops in your quaint old town.Thank you for allowing me along on your trip as thats the only way I will ever get to travel outside of the USA.I really enjoyed your day off.

 

Thanks for taking us with you on your trip.
We have a bubble gum alley here in California also.
Weird concept - just don't touch anything!

 

Beautiful pics, thank you for sharing!

Not sure where that bubble gum alley is here in California, but I'd prefer not to visit either of them.

 

Hahaha...Thanks BUNKIE--Glad you enjoyed reading about the trip.
I'll bet you could make one of those rug beaters out of willow switches, though I'll bet the tennis racquet does just as good a job.
I don't know where the majority of things are made these days. At one time they were Dutch and european in origin...but I have not actually looked at any lables lately.
I saw some clothes pins for sale there--the all wooden ones that I knew as a child. No springs, just wood with a gap inbetween to fit down over the line and clothing. Do you know them?

It was nice having you along, GLENDA--Dont let your height be a prob...just crawl up oon a ladder and look around!
I can imagine that you would like reading about things here since you won't be travelling.

You're welcome 4-G --I didn't know that there was a bubble gum alley there.

SDL--Thank you. Glad you liked the pics, and it was a pleasure to post them.

 

That was a lovely tour, thanks for being a great tourist guide 8) , I really enjoyed myself. Wished I had spent more time in Holland when I made a visit to Amsterdam from Dusseldolf. We just spent a couple of hours there and return to Dusseldolf on the same day. I wanna go again!!! :-D

 

i want to go again too kk!

yes sjoerd! i remember them well! they last a lot longer than the ones with all the fancy shmancy thingamajigs!