Today was an optional day for the conference, where we met each other casually, and spent the day being tourists together.
I started off with the hotel’s breakfast, including some smoked Mackerel. It tasted like..smoked fish. Too many bones for my liking.
A large percent of the country is actually Vegan. They’ve made this choice not because they care about the animals, but because they care about the environment. Lots of vegan options for breakfast, including a few kinds of vegan meats, but I stuck with my animal products. They also had a LOT of cheese in various sections, including “young cheese” and “matured cheese.”
I also took a cup of coffee with me – but, like, an actual ceramic cup, not a “to-go” cup. They don’t have them. I assume it is 50% sustainability, 50% shade on Americans who don’t understand that coffee is meant to be slowly enjoyed while relaxing, not for rushing around in a cup. A lot of hotels today seem to have the fancy machines that make you a cup of coffee, instead of traditional drip coffee. My go-to selection is first having it make me an espresso (but I use a full size mug) and then adding a cappuccino on top of it, in the same mug. It’s an excellent coffee to milk ratio.
Keukenhof
Tulips! This particular garden, which they say is world famous, is more than 74 acres. There are over 7 million tulip bulbs, with 800 different types/colors.
Tulips are considered the first economic/financial “bubble” – similar to the housing bubble in 2009 in the States, or the earlier Dotcom bubble. In case you didn’t know where this was going, bubbles burst.
The idea of a bubble is that prices are completely separate from what something is actually worth – and pricing gets too high so no one can afford it anymore, everyone stops buying it, and it crashes.
Tulips were introduced to the Dutch by trade with the Ottoman Empire. Upper classes wanted rare bulbs as status symbols. People got obsessed. Others started cross breeding to create even more exotic tulips, which created more obsession. In 1633, rare bulbs were going for $3,000 each. At the time, you were literally able to buy a very nice house for less than $3,000. At a certain point it becomes so insane that even cheap bulbs were overpriced, and no one could afford to buy even basic colors – and in 1637, the tulip market collapsed.
The tradition continues though. They are still a huge export for the country. Tulip season is normally mid-April through early-May. With climate change (which they believe in, in Europe) the traditional growing season shifts a bit, which is actually a really big challenge – because tourism around the 7 week season is a huge business.
We were a bit too early to see most of the tulips, so had to settle mostly for crocuses, daffodils and hyacinths among other things, though some of the tulips were also in bloom. The “park” was incredible – it gets rebuilt every year with a new layout, and though there were a lot of people, there were also a lot of paths and places that were a bit more quiet. The smell was incredible, and though it is a “tourist trap” it was actually really cool to see. The variety was really impressive – I had no idea so many different types existed.
This place is only open for 7 weeks out of the year. After it closes for the season, EVERYTHING is removed (except the trees, some of the shrubs, and the concrete paths). Each year the park is then completely different – walking paths move, the design and combinations change, etc.
You can buy bulbs here, but you have to have them shipped – if you try to carry them through customs and you’re caught, they’ll be thrown out.
Zaanse Schan
They call this a natural windmill village. It is home to 7 windmills, including one referred to as the “paint” windmill – this is where Rembrandt purchased his paint. There is also a saw mill and a spice mill, among others.
These homes are 300 or so years old – and there is an 80 year waiting list to rent one.
The front door is high for two reasons, both quite practical. One is because of the flooding. The other is because of the Devil grabs your ankle as you’re entering through the front door, he can then live rent free in your home.
Kooijman Clogs Wooden Shoe Workshop
I learned how wooden shoes are made, with a live demonstration by a traditional clog maker. I tried some on, and they’re surprisingly comfortable. They’re also very hard (so protective), well insulated, and waterproof.
They say they’re now basically made like a key is made, where they use a model to duplicate it. One saw for the outside, another for the inside, and then a knife by hand at the end.
Once they’re done, they take 4 weeks to dry.
Catharina Hoeve Cheese Farm
Cheese! We learned how Dutch Gouda cheese is made, and then got to taste test some different varieties. There were 26 flavors to choose from. I only got through about 20, with my cheeks stuffed like a chipmunk as they headed us back onto the bus.
Molen De Kat
These are working windmills.
This is the paint one. At the lower level, you see the grinding stones in action – each weighs 3,000 kilos, and it’s crushing the rock that becomes the base of the paint.
Next level (after climbing some really steep steps) are the turning mechanisms.
Then you go up again, and go outside. This is the closest they’ll let you get to the fan.
And then you have to go back down. You’re required to go down backwards, facing the stairs, which reminded me of a medieval castle in Ireland Grandma Tootsie and I went to.
It was a fun day. The gardens were incredible – I missed the smell as soon as I left. I’m betting Zaanse Schan is a field trip in this country for every school aged child, but I still thought it was really fun to see up close some of the really traditional parts of the culture here.
Tomorrow we leave at 7:00 a.m. as we kick-off the official conference programming. I’m sure I’ll see some cool things, but maybe not as cool as cheese sampling.
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