Saturday, July 13.

Friday it rained all day, so we had a day off, relaxed, read a book or caught up on what’s happening at home.

Into town to catch a tour bus for the day. Going to play tourists.

Not many on the metro this morning.

First stop on the tour was Marken, to see how clogs are made.

A down under Christmas tree.

Doin the clog shoe shuffle.

Need a set of oars for these.

If you grow out of it, recycle or burn?

That was funny, pull the udder one.

The Loch Ness clog monster.

These are real, mute swans.

This looks like the near canal, as opposed to the other one.

Some of the local houses. Quite cute.

Hans, need a translation.

That cat would love to be in there with that rabbit.

The port at Marken, where we boarded a ferry to cross the lake to

Said ferry.

All aboard!

Nice pub on the dock.

Sailing is quite big here.

Arrived at Volden on the other side to visit and taste at a cheese factory.

This is how it used to be done.

Cheese was amazing, now for a spot of lunch, while it rains.

Back on the coach. This is the bus driver. Plays a mean piano.

Next stop, the town of windmills, Zaanse Schans.

It was windy, and slightly wet.

This has been a working mill since 1640, making peanut oil. Each of the stones started out weighing four tonnes each. They now weigh around two tonnes. Has taken 150 years to wear that far. Business has been in the same family for over 400 years. The miller and his family live in one end of the mill.

Fantastic engineering, and it’s is wooden.

Amazing.

The Miller.

Model of the mill and house.

Obviously had an over abundance of tiles.

The bus driver doing his thing.

Next stop, the town of Delft, and the Delft factory.

A master painter at work. It takes seven years to become a master painter

Great light shades.

Some of their work.

This is amazing. Done in Delft tiles, the same size as Rembrandt’s Night Watch.

More of the exquisite pottery.

Now, this is a fireplace.

Originally designed to show off flowers.

Mould for making porcelain pipes.

Said pipe.

Not a stuff up, was actually designed that way.

Can’t keep away from these cows. The porcelain ones I mean.

Phenomenal workmanship.

Could do with one of these.

Now for a wander up to the town square. Always a canal nearby. Understandable when most of the country is seven metres below sea level.

Town hall.

Church where William of Orange is buried.

Pano of the square.

Couple of sculptures around the square. Very diverse.

Now we know where she really lives.

One of the many lift bridges, not only in Delft, but across the Netherlands.

Back on the bus and off to Den Hagg,(The Hague), to visit the world court.

Lots of the new buildings have this exo-skeleton structure.

Just like in the post cards.

Looks pretty calm here, but intersections can be chaos.

The mayors house.

Peters Palace, known as the world court.

Great gates.

The World Peace flame.

Each country has a stone in the World Peace pathway.

Great gardens around the palace.

Would you believe these are geraniums?

One of the peace seats outside the palace.

The Australian ambassadors residence, a couple of doors away.

Next stop is the miniature village of Madurodam. This place is phenomenal. Just look and enjoy. Remember these are all scale models of buildings and what goes on in the Netherlands.

Couple of flower people.

Flowers for sale. Get your flowers here.

Couldn’t fill these shoes.

Not even together.

Some videos to give a better idea of the scale of the place.

Who doesn’t like a fair ground?

Back into Amsterdam, after 20 hours in the saddle, for dinner, where the waitress said would you like a large beer? ‘Yes’, I said. That’s not trick photography. One litre.😯😯

Left it empty.