July 29: Delft, Zaanse, & Zaandan

It was back to business as we started early and visited four different locations before coming to a screeching halt in Amsterdam.  Our first stop was Delft, which was awesome but empty because of the early hour.  Much like Venice— there was a series of canals that ran through the city and a ton of restaurants and bars.  The restaurants were an eclectic mix of Italian, Greek, Turkish, Asian and Middle Eastern.  The bars had a Belgium flair with many beer houses splashed throughout.  The place was also littered with churches (not sure if littered is the right word to use here).

Next stop was Zaanse where we first had breakfast at a supermarket— best coffee that I’ve had in over a month.  Starbucks should be ashamed!!  Then it was off to an old time Holland experience with windmills, cheese and wooden shoes scattered throughout this quaint village.  The cheese store was loaded with people sampling free cheese — we bought a couple to enjoy at home.

Our last stop before Amsterdam was Zaandan where we witnessed some incredible Lego houses.  We only stayed for about an hour but the houses brought us many smiles.  We also stopped at a grocery store and Asian restaurant where we grabbed lunch for 10.50 euros.

From here, we attempted to head into Amsterdam but driving into the city proved challenging as we had difficulty maneuvering the narrow streets and limited parking options.  We ended up giving up and heading back to our campsite where I worked out and Ashley made kimchi.