In the land of cheese, clogs and canals

The third day of our trip started off with a bike ride to the countryside. After braving the fierce streets of Amsterdam the day before we thought a nice country ride may be better. The countryside tour was about 22 km or 15 miles. Ben and I were assigned the all important position to ride in the back--and Ben was to make sure no one strayed off somewhere. Later that day Ben said he felt like he was herding cattle again like he did when he was a teenager. 

Artistic shot of bikes.

Ben getting ready for the ride.

Ben's bike said "Hurricane" and my bike was labeled as "Tank Girl."
I guess these could become new nick-names?

Waving hello to Ben.

The tour took about 20 minutes to get outside of the main city. Our group was a little slower because we had a few young kids with us. They were cute, but they got tired easily and one even fell off his bike. No one was hurt--the tour guide tried to convince the kid it was a 'souvenir,' but I don't think the kid bought the idea.

Our first destination was a windmill. It is now inhabited by one old man, who works it every once in a while. Since the industrial revolution and other modern devices the windmill isn't really necessary anymore. In fact windmills were disappearing for a while in the Netherlands, now they are preserved as a reminder of the past and the will of the people to survive on a marshy land. At the height of the windmill there were about 10 thousand and by 1923 there were only around 3,000. Today there are around 1,500 windmills and growing. As the tour guide explained it, "You can buy a prostitute, buy drugs, and drink anywhere you like, but if you mess with the windmill you'll get in trouble."

Riding up to the windmill.

Statue of Rembrandt. He apparently painted and sketched in
this area frequently.

Our bikes all lined up by the river.

Our group picture.

Ben and me in front of the windmill.

Our second stop was at a cheese and clog farm. At the farm they showed us the process of making cheese and making those adorable wooden shoes.

The shoe/cheese house.

Need some shoes?

Too many cheesy jokes could possibly go here.
:)

Our guide talking about the process of cheese making.

Making a shoe--not as hard as it used to be, but still impressive.

A dog guarding the cows. 

The best part of the tour was tasting the different cheese selections. I'm not a big cheese connoisseur, but I could tell this cheese was good. My favorites were the smoked and peppered cheese. I probably could have stayed all day just eating a block of cheese, but unfortunately our tour had to go on to the next stop.

The next stop being a visit with two deer. It's not like I haven't had my fair share of encounters with deers before, but those usually involve me trying not to hit them with my car. So this was a nice change, in that we got to feed them. They were cute and playful and the kids that we were with really got a kick out of feeding them.

Feeding the deer.

Ben said this was his dream house. 

Look mom no hands!

After the deer and biking for bit through the countryside we came to a place where they race row boats. This is a popular activity for the locals to do on the weekends. Rowing is a big sport in the Netherlands and we saw many teams practicing as we were riding. 

We got to bike through a big forest on our way back to the city. It offered great views and made you feel less claustrophobic. 

Living on the river/dike is another popular thing you will see in Amsterdam. All I can say about this one is blame it on the hippies. Living in river boats really took off in the 1960's and has remained a way of life for many people since then. It's kind of like living in a trailer park, but instead your on the river--or at least that is how our guide described it. However, don't think that just because you are living on the river that it will be cheaper. The average cost is the same if not greater than just having an apartment/flat in the city somewhere. 

Many people build houses on barges and then call them boat houses.

Once we were back in the city we rode through one of the main parks again. This park was popular in the 1960's where hippies would come and squat on the land. It was a famous stop on the "hippie trail" and anyone who was worth their tie-dye shirt back in the day probably came here for a bit. In fact the hippies even set up a post office on the park grounds for parents to send letters to. So if you had lost your child to the ways of the hippies you could send a letter to this park (they took over a blue tea house as their post office) and it would probably reach your kid. Kind of groovy right?

The park probably would have looked just as crowded back
in the mid-60's. 

Just married sign. 

Ben with a random cute car we saw.

After our bike ride we were tired, but the day was still young so we decided to head to the Van Gogh museum. The line was long, but not as long as it had been that morning. The museum shows the whole range of Van Gogh's artwork from its unsure beginnings to its tragic end. If you love Van Gogh or are just curious to see what all the fuss is about this museum is the most comprehensive one you will find about him.

Once we finished with the museum we went back and got cleaned up and headed to dinner. We ate at a local outdoor cafe near our hotel (less crowded that way). After dinner we went into the main areas of Amsterdam to explore some more.

Looking at the menu for dinner.

We headed to the Anne Frank house, but didn't go to the museum part of it. The lines were really long and fortunately the website for the Anne Frank house seems to cover the basics. 

Anne Frank House.

Canal by Anne Frank house.

House boat decked out with plants.

Me and Vincent sharing a moment.
I don't think he was into me. 

After a long day of bike riding, a museum and just general touring around we called it a night. Walking around Amsterdam at dusk is probably my favorite thing to do. Dusk seemed to last for a couple of hours--especially now that it is closer to summer. The shady streets, canals and cool air are just the remedies you need after a long day of vacationing. :)