the promise of windmills and bucolic pasturelands led me to zaanse schans. north holland seemed to me like a giant swath of toile come to life. pastureland dotted with docile farm animals criss crossed by waterways and canals. sky earth water. i inhaled lungfuls of pureness. this earth is rich. no one has to tell you that. you can see it for yourself - a land of milk & honey. where the windmills have names like the cat, the cloverleaf, the seeker, the ox, the young sheep, the spotted hen.
it didn't take me long to find an animal to pet. a small brown goat agreed to let me rub his back. there were other city dwellers like me here. i could tell because we were the ones who made a beeline for the goats.
zaanse schans is an open-air museum that looks like a village, except it's not. no one lives here, but that doesn't mean it wasn't great fun to wander her streets. not as special as marken of course, but still quite lovely.
you can wander around and pretend like your in the willy wonka version of holland. the air smells like chocolate. there is cheesemaking to watch, and clog making, and more of that sort of thing. the windmills are working and there is an old verkade chocolate and biscuit company – hence the chocolate smelling air. very touristy, but still enjoyable.
the sun is shining. fluffy cloudpiles are drifting across the sky. the scenery is beautiful. and you can pet goats. what's wrong with that? not a thing!
i decided to walk across the bridge over the zaans river into zaandijk. the houses and buildings there called to me from across the river. they aren't part of the open-air museum. so away i went.
real peeps live here. with real little dogs sitting in real windows.
i found a cafe with outdoor seating by the river and plunked my arse down in a chair, admired the windmills, had some refreshments. rested up for the long walk back to the busstop. almost as soon as the bus arrived and i scrambled up the steps, found a window seat, and drifted off to sleep dreaming of goats and windmills, cows wearing clogs.
more travel journal pages unrelated to the day i just described.
the rijks museum was magnificent by the way, and afforded me many sketching opportunities. as mentioned before i didn't tote my travel journal around with me this time. i took photos with my camera and when i got back to the apartment (after a nap!) uploaded to my laptop and sketched from the photos. in the case of the rijks museum i sketched from postcards i bought in the gift shop.
tomorrow i'm off on an adventure up north. off off off she goes where she stops nobody knows!
packing the getaway car and heading out bright and early. i have a long drive ahead of me. going to spend some time chasing some literary ghosts. sorry, but a trip without some teasing just isn't a proper trip! i'm packing up my travel journal supplies so i can tie up loose ends from the road.
wanna check out a fabulous little 1966 b&w video of zaanse schans? it's in dutch. but that just adds to the charm! go HERE.
I enjoyed all of your post about the Netherlands. Yes, it really looks that way but you captured some sort of magic that we Dutch take for granted and don’t see anymore. Thanks for sharing!!
sketches are great. you are a lucky girl.
Looks like you are having a Steinbeck weekend ahead. One of my favorite authors. Have fun.
That first photo of the landscape with windmills is an amazing one! Could have been taken by Rembrandt himself, if he’d had a camera. Also love your portraits of Mr. & Mrs. Ruff! And, a few days back, I burst out chuckling when I saw your Franz Hall-ish guy with black hat & black mustache. I just loved the whole page – the blk & wht Rijks Museum sticker made it a brilliant combo. Speaking with the utmost respect & admiration, I think I loved the mustached guy so much because it seemed, to me, that it had a little resemblance to some of your early sketch war portraits of Carol (without the mustache of course.) I just love your savoir-vivre & joie de vivre; your courage and determination. Your life is fully lived. Bravissima!
really!!! you should find an editor to give out your blog articles in a book! i am so dutch (but i live in france well yeah) but i have never seen holland as beautiful as you have photographed and described and drawn it…you’re fabulous!
Absolutely delightful MaryAnn.
I love your journal pages. I get lost in them. I aspire to the depth that you have in your pages both painted and collaged.
It is so CLEAN! The colors are so intense. The air looks clear and wonderful to breath. Of course the air sometimes smells like chocolate here in Cleveland, TN where Mars makes M&M’s, so I know how enticing that can be. (Sometimes it smells like the paper plant at Bowaters – not so enticing).
I have started reading about Vincent. That is all I am going to say except that I am beginning to know why his work makes me cry.
Ah yes, the windmills… delightful!
Holy moly! The colors in the first two shots!! HOly moly!
toodle lou you happy traveling ragamuffin you, said with a huge grin on my face and waving like I’ve gone a bit crazy. Thank goodness everyone else is tucked into bed and dreaming sweet dreams on this chilly-ish night. Me I’m deep into my visual journal, a journal I made in Full Tilt Boogie I might add. I’m loving all these wonderful photos, windmills are just so enchanting. I kinda wish real peeps lived in zaanse schans, it’s such a charming little tucked away place, All those cottages, seems a bit of a shame that no one calls them home still wonderful to see though. I ADORE goats and I’d been galumphing off into a pasture to pet them. Me and 4 leggeds; once I get in the midst of them I find it hard to walk away. Lovin the journal page shares (I enjoy your visionary renditions) very much, just as good; if not better than a photo but I love to look at those too. Have a fun time wherever your headed, as always Happy Trails and stay safe, high, and dry.
Especially that place, it is so bucolic that it seems UNreal! Have a good travel north — definitely let me know if you get anywhere near Humboldt County! Hugs.
You have a lust for life – I admire this quality. Go gypsy swirly girl reporter! I’ll still be staring at the Netherlands and how I’m going to scheme to live there. Love the neck ruffs. Do you think if we wore them, it could start a trend?
Loved it all! Especially the windmills (who knew they had names?!). 😀
….if this place gets any more picturesque, my head will explode and shoot out chocolate, cheese and kinder-goat-eners.
AND:
I couldn’t love your journals any more if I HAD to.
I just have to tell you how much I am LOVING reading about your trip. I honestly have never had any desire to visit Amsterdam. The only people I know who have been there all went for the partying so I’ve always had this impression that Amsterdam is filled with drugs and lord know what else. But now that I’ve been reading your posts Amsterdam has moved to the top of my list of places I must see. Thank you so much for sharing!
I remember how glowing you were when you came back to the apt after this adventure! And for the record I only had 8 tops!!these wonderful postings are keeping Holland alive and in front of me! Thank you dear one…
PS, were there no kittykats in the faux neighborhood?
I am so glad the world went from black and white to color while I was around to enjoy it. That and the internet! Sure makes looking at your awesome photos so much more enjoyable 😉