Today was our fourth day in the Netherlands, and we all enjoyed getting more sleep than yesterday. I had breakfast around 8:30, and I enjoyed some yogurt, mini pancakes, and sliced meat and cheese. We then boarded a train and went to Zaanse Schans, which took about 30 minutes. Upon arrival, we walked through the quaint town to Henri Willig, a famous cheesemaker. We got to see an overview of the cheese making process and then taste many different types of cheese. I learned that it takes about 10 liters of milk to produce a kilogram of cheese, and they make cheese from cow, goat, and sheep milk. Before our trip, some of my peers made a presentation on Henri Willig’s sustainability, and from that I learned that the cheesemaker promotes environmental sustainability in their operation through green energy production, waste reduction, and more. For example, in 2024 they produced over 350,000 kW of electricity from their solar panels.
After our cheese making demonstration and cheese tasting, we got to explore the windmill district of Zaanse Schans. I thought it was super neat to walk on the top of the dike and see how the sea water on the left was higher than the farmland on the right. I then went to a restaurant and got a chocolate and banana pancake for lunch, which was my first true Netherlands pancake (besides the mini ones at the hotel). It was a bit thicker than a crepe, but thinner than a pancake from home, and it ended up being pretty expensive at around 15 euros!
After enjoying the pancake, we took a bus to the Zuiderzee Museum. I learned that the Zuiderzee was a bay in the North Sea, and it was the home of a village of mostly fishermen. They would typically catch shrimp and herring. The village would flood multiple times per year, and in 1916 there was a disastrous flood which prompted the government to build a dam. After the dam was built, the water turned from salt water from the sea to fresh water from land, and this caused the marine life to die off and the fishermen had to get new jobs. I think this shows the importance of planning before building new infrastructure. While this new dam did protect people from the floods, it also caused a lot of harm to the environment and cut off an important food source for people. Therefore, I don’t think this was a very sustainable solution for the flooding. I also learned some other facts during the tour, like how people wore wooden shoes which were warm in the winter and cool in the summer. These shoes were also easy to clean, and they did a good job of protecting your feet. Finally, I learned that people who lived in Zuiderzee would use their clay roof tiles to collect drinking water.
I really enjoyed spending the day in the countryside of the Netherlands, and while I have loved Amsterdam, it was neat to get out of the city for a bit. I look forward to sharing more updates tomorrow!
