ASIANOVERLAND.NET WINTER EUROPEAN  DAY 49/222: AMSTERDAM TO VOLENDAM, NETHERLANDS

 "29/1/1981 AMSTERDAM

HEINEKIN BREWERY

CANAL CRUISE

CLOG FACTORY

CHEESE FARM

VOLENDAM

After another huge night in Amsterdam, the punters are all a bit hazy, so we start the day with a Heinekin Brewery morning tour. Experienced couriers like myself know the best cure for a hangover, and the Heinekin Brewery morning tour is followed by free lunch for all, accompanied by copious, unlimited quantities of free beer for testing, tasting and educational purposes …..

Following the brewery tour and free lunch, the punters are loaded enough for a canal tour of Amsterdam. It's is a great way to view the city, and it's a genuine hangover cure even if the boat sways too much cos the waves are too high.

In the early part of the 17th century, a comprehensive canal plan was put together, calling for four main half-circles of canals with their ends resting on the IJ Bay. Known as the "grachtengordel", three of the canals are residential (Herengracht or ‘’Patricians' Canal’’; Keizersgracht or ‘’Emperor's Canal’’; and Prinsengracht or ‘’Prince's Canal’’), and a fourth, outer canal, the Singelgracht, for defense and water management.

Construction proceeded from west to east, across the breadth of the layout, like a gigantic windshield wiper as the historian Geert Mak calls it. Construction of the north-western sector was started in 1613 and was finished around 1625. After 1664, building in the southern sector was started.

We also visit a clog factory, to see one of the classical Dutch icons being hand-made. The oldest surviving wooden footwear in Europe is found in Amsterdam, and dates from 1230. They look very similar to the wooden clogs that are still worn in The Netherlands today. Wooden footwear often ended up as firewood and, because of its nature, wood rots away in the long run, so archeological evidence of old wooden clogs is rare.

Volendam is also the compulsory photo-stop for European tours, except that we get dressed up in traditional Dutch clothes, milkmaid outfits for the girls to try to make them look Dutch, and have group and individual photos taken (Corrie looks pretty Dutch with the milkmaid's hat and  outfit on, but I've added a photo of her Dutch Dad, Willem, and IndoDutch Mum, Corrie, for comparison).

As usual, only about half the punters are prepared to pay for the photoshoot (pictured). Not surprised - one of my overland punters didn't go into the Taj Mahal after I drove him there from London, becasue he didn't want to fork out two rupees. …...

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