Our third and last full day in the Netherlands was dominated by a tour to Zaanse Shans, Marken and Volendam. This tour took us to the Dutch countryside, which is only really 30 minutes from the city. The scenery quickly changes from urban to rural in minutes.

The Dutch countryside in a word is flat. Low lying ground, mostly under sea level is carefully managed to prevent flooding. The Dutch are masters at water management.

First stop was Zaanse Shans to see the Dutch iconic windmills. The tour guide took us into an operational windmill to listen to the Miller explain how it all works. This particular windmill is used to cut wood. 400 years ago this was a major advancement in technology and enabled the Netherlands to create a vast navy.

The second stop was the town of Marken to see clogs being made. Marken was an island that has been converted to an peninsula by the construction of a long dyke.

We then caught a boat to Volendam. Voledam is a sea side fishing village. It reminded me of Fremantle with bars and cafes on the water, the smell of the sea and sea gulls cawing.

We had a cheese making demonstration with free tastings. All the cheeses were great. We bought two of the aged Edam cheeses.

We we’re funneled into a restaurant for lunch. They assured us they authentic Dutch dishes here, like Kipfler – which just looked like fish and chips to me. Jane and I shared a seafood soup.

We explored the town by ourselves for a little bit before watching he Stroopwafels demonstration. Stroopwafels are delicious. We bought a few packets to bring home.

Back into city. We had a canal cruise as part of the countryside tour and even though we’d already been on one we did it again. This time it was packed and we had to sit on the outside part. It was freezing!

We continued to explore the city, shops, red light districts, sex stores and coffee shops.

They really enjoy the high life here.

The next day we prepared for our train ride back to Paris.

The weather was gloomy so the scenery wasn’t much to watch. We arrived in Paris about 8 pm and got an Uber to our hotel near the airport for our last night in Europe.

I’m sitting here at Charles De Gaulle airport waiting for our long flight to Singapore when onto Perth. I’m reflecting on our wonderful trip. Highlights for me were: seeing the Eiffel tower for the first time; our first french meal of cheese, meats and bread; Montmarte tour; Anne Franks house; the Windmills at Zaanse Shans.

We really had a great time, although some sadness with news we lost out little friend.