Day 4 in Amsterdam was a blast!
We took a 9:11am train towards Zaandijk Zaanse Schans to visit the Henri Willig cheese factory in order to learn more about Willig’s sustainable practices to cultivate dairy products. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that they use microbial rennet rather than product from an actual animal in order to separate curd and whey from the milk in the early stages of making cheese, promoting vegetarianism and also raising awareness about the sometimes-hidden animal products used in making food. After we learned a bit about the history of Willig’s factory, we were given the opportunity to taste many of the flavors of cheese made at the factory. As they did not have any vegan cheese, I was not able to taste any cheese and instead enjoyed enlisting my friends to perform many taste-tests for me so that I could make an informed decision about which cheeses to buy for my sisters. I enjoyed getting to learn more about the dairy industry and watching my friends rate each flavor of cheese!
After the cheese factory tour and our cheese purchases, we had some free time to walk around the rest of the little town in which the factory was built. We split up into smaller groups and explored; we took some pictures on the pier and wandered into a gift shop, in which I bought a tasty vegan apple pie tart. We then reconvened with the larger group and took a VIP private bus to the Zuiderzeemuseum, which is a maritime museum detailing the naval history and evolution of the city of Amsterdam. Around the museum, we were given a physically guided tour; I learned many interesting facts about old house and neighbourhood strucutres in Amsterdam including the fact that the dikes built to prevent water flooding into houses actually did not work very well. I was also quite intrigued by each house’s unique roof system; some houses had simple tiled roofs while others had glazed ones–both types of roofs were effective for collecting water into large barrels using the swing system (a ramp-like piece of wood that is installed on each house to collect roofwater both outside and inside the house), but glazed roofs lasted longer and were much sturdier. I also learned about the importance of fishing–especially with living right next to the water–and saw a fishmonger preparing fish. Additionally, I learned about the difference between wind turbines and windmills and how the historical locals living in this town utilized windmills to provide energy to perform tasks such as churning milk.
Once we finished the official outdoor museum tour, we had some time to have lunch at the local Amsterdam Restaurant at which I ate a mediocre vegan hummus and vegetable wrap. We then had time to explore the indoor Zuiderzeemuseum; I saw many recreations of sailboats and ships used in the past to fish for seafood and got to learn about many more habits and hobbies that existed during the 19th and 20th centuries. Afterward, we rode a ferry to get back to our VIP private bus which drove us back to our hotel. To spend our free evening, we decided to attend the free Mahler concert at the open-air theater in Vondelpark; we quickly grabbed a bite at Albert Heijn and took the metro to Vondelpark. We unfortunately arrived too late to find any seating inside of the theater, but we were able to find seats outside and listen to the entire four-movement performance. Listening to a live performance is always a very personal experience; I thoroughly enjoyed losing myself to the music and experiencing each of the dynamic and key changes in real-time!
To close off the night, we went to the Vegan Temple Bar (again, hehe) to get vegan stroopwafel, as all other stroopwafel vendors had closed for the night. I absolutely loved mine (obviously); this was certainly a good find! I am satisfied that I was able to make the most out of today and am excited to experience tomorrow! For now, goedenacht!
