In the 17th and 18th century there were thousands of windmills along the dykes; sawmills, dye mills, oil mills etc. that powered the Dutch economy. The Zaanse Schans village gives you a picture of what it must have been like. Not all the windmills and buildings started out in Zaanse Schans, many of them were moved here from the region as they came under threat of urban development across North Holland.

The windmills are all working mills, and they perform various functions, including a saw mill, a paint mill (grinding pigments), and oil mill (grinding linseed or peanuts to draw off the oil). The oil mill is working so that’s the one we will look through.




Volendam

Volendam is a popular tourist attraction in the Netherlands, well-known for its old fishing boats and the traditional clothing still worn by some residents. The women's costume of Volendam, with its high, pointed bonnet, is one of the most recognizable of the Dutch traditional costumes, and is often featured on tourist postcards and posters (although there are believed to be fewer than 50 women now wearing the costume as part of their daily lives, most of them elderly).

There is a regular ferry connection to Marken, a peninsula close by. Volendam also features a small museum about its history and clothing style, and visitors can have their pictures taken in traditional Dutch costumes.





Delft

Delft is well known for the Delft pottery ceramic products which were styled on the imported Chinese porcelain of the 17th century. The city had an early start in this area since it was a home port of the Dutch East India Company. The painter Johannes Vermeer (1632–1675) was born in Delft. Vermeer used Delft's streets and home interiors as the subject or background of his paintings.

Several other famous painters lived and worked in Delft at that time, such as Piter de Hoogh, Carel Fabritius, Nicolaes Maes, Gerard Houckgeest and Hendrick Cornelisz. van Vliet. They were all members of the Delft School. The Delft School is known for its images of domestic life, views of households, church interiors, courtyards, squares and the streets of Delft. The painters also produced pictures showing historic events, flower paintings, portraits for patrons and the court, and decorative pieces of art.



Zuiderzeemuseum

The Zuiderzeemuseum in Enkhuizen is oriented toward art, culture and heritage around the former Zuiderzee area and the present IJsselmeer area. As a result of its activities, approach and co-operation, the Museum has generated allure and a broad public reach.

Communities, crafts and water are the central features. The museum consists of an open-air collection in the form of a Museum Park, and an indoor Museum with a large number of exhibition areas for the presentation of permanent and temporary exhibitions.




Amsterdam Central Station

Amsterdam Central Station is the central railway station of Amsterdam and one of the most impressive buildings of the capital. It is used by 225.000 passengers a day.

The station building of Amsterdam Centraal was designed by Pierre Cuypers and A. L. van Gendt, and opened in 1889. It features a roof span of approximately 40 metres fabricated in cast iron by Andrew Handyside of Derby, England.

The building of Amsterdam Centraal is situated on three man-made islands, themselves resting on 8,687 wooden piles which have been driven deep into the muddy and sandy soil.
The station is currently under reconstruction due to the construction of the North/South metro line.




Heineken Experience

The former Heineken Brewery in Amsterdam, a national monument and listed in the European Route of Industrial Heritage, offers some 3000 square metres of special exhibition space. Millions of hectolitres of Heineken beer were brewed here until 1988, when the Heineken brewery in Zoeterwoude took over production from the Amsterdam brewer.

The experience
The Heineken Experience takes up four floors and has 18 attractions with several interactive exhibits. Here you'll experience Heineken's rich history and the tradition and craft of brewing. You'll also learn about the people behind this multinational company, now the biggest international beer distributor in the world.

Attractions
Attractions at the Heineken Experience include a mini brewery, a tasting bar, as well as the 'Stable Walk', where visitors can access the stables to view Heineken's iconic Shire horses which still deliver beer throughout the city. A visit to the Heineken Experience attraction takes about 90 minutes, and two drinks are included in the admission price.




Skinny Bridge

Amsterdam is a city of water and also of bridges. Amsterdam has no fewer than 1,281 bridges, including the beautiful Magere Brug (Skinny Bridge). This wooden drawbridge used to be so narrow that it was hard for two pedestrians to pass one another. When traffic along the Amstel increased, a wider bridge replaced the narrow one in 1871.

Skinny sisters
There is also a local legend that the bridge was named after the 'Magere Zussen'. These two well-off sisters lived on opposite sides of the river. They are said to have had the wooden bridge built to make it easier to visit one another.

Romantic bridge
In the evenings, the atmospheric Skinny Bridge is very popular with lovers and photographers. Thousands of fairy lights romantically illuminate it at night, making the Magere Brug one of the most beautiful bridges of Holland's capital city.

In consultation with Bas you can make your own program of Highlights. Everything is possible!