The Zaanse Schans Open Air Museum in the Zaan district.

PRISTINE equals HOLLAND. During the entire week that we spent in Holland, we did not see one run-down house, cluttered yard, or un-manicured lawn and garden. We didn't see one car with a spot of rust. Every road, from autobahn to single lane back road, looked and felt like it was laid down just last week, just for us. (I understand that the roads are paved 3 or 4 times thicker than our roads with a far deeper roadbed). The infrastructure is immaculate.

And Holland has a separate and uniquely extensive system of smoothly paved bike paths that scooters can also use. Electric bikes are becoming a big deal in Holland. They have electric bikes that you can dial in how much assistance you want from the electric motor. The bikes can go 30 miles at 100% electric power but that can be extended a long way if you dial in, say, 20% assistance. (Remember, I wrote this in 2014, before the big electric bike boom hit America).

After Amsterdam, we went north to the Zaan district. Starting in the 1600s, this became the industrial center of Holland powered by huge windmills. Sawmills, paint factories, grist mills, and of course, water pumps to keep the land dry, were all powered by over 900 windmills in a "green" industrial zone.

Several original windmills have been preserved in working order at the Zaanse Schans Open Air Windmill Village, another open-air museum that we visited. One windmill currently operates as a sawmill cutting custom lumber for building restoration projects - cutting lumber the old way to preserve old buildings. Another windmill powers a grist mill. This museum offers tremendous photo opportunities. 

Next we visited the old-world harbor towns of Edam and Hoorn. The Cathedrals are cavernous and at least 500 years old. The city centers are old-world gems, however, like in Amsterdam, some buildings seem to lean precariously. And there are boats everywhere. With the dense network of interconnecting canals, it seems like everyone has water front property. Even new homes are built in the old style with flat traditional fronts and clay roofs. Although not so much in this district of Holland, there are a lot of thatched roofs still being utilized. Once in a while you see a workman repairing a straw roof.

The open-air museum boasts several windmills in working order.

This windmill was built in 1672.

Part of the museum includes preserved old farm houses.

Across the waterway from the Zaanse Schans Museum is the quaint river town of Zaandijk. 

Statues were kind of a thing in Zaandijk.

Even the tiniest and oddly shaped yards in Holland are meticulously landscaped.

An example of a modern thatched roof home in Holland. I took this photo from the RV window as we passed by.

Edam, Holland. After touring the Zaanse Schans Museum and the neighboring town of Zaandijk, we explored the gorgeous small town of Edam. Edam is next to the sea and is carved by many canals. This is Edam's town hall and central plaza.

Amsterdam isn't the only town with leaning buildings.

With all the canals connecting Edam to the sea, it is a great spot for a leisurely boat ride.

Edam's oddly shaped Church of our Lady.

This is Edam's larger St. Nicholas Cathedral.

The cathedral's interior has a distinctly different style from most European churches. It almost has a Viking look to me.

Hoorn, Holland. This building is the Hoofdtoren, the iconic edifice guarding the harbor in Hoorn, Holland, another town by the sea. The Hoofdtoren dates back to 1531.

I was totally blown away by the bathroom facilities at the RV parks in Holland. All public facilities are meticulously clean and modern.

VINTAGE VENTURES: The reason I write my travel journals is to be able to look back and remember our ventures. A secondary reason was to allow me to organize all my trip photos. I have thousands of photos. Organizing them into a travelogue made sense. The trick was to figure out how to organize all these photos and journals into a cohesive story. My early attempts failed miserably because I couldn't figure out how to meld photos and text into a structure that worked. It was when Wanda came across the Constant Contact format that allowed me to, not only develop a coherent story of our trips, but to be able to send them to friends, family, and anybody else that is interested.

It is my plan to take each of these early trips, which I call, Vintage Ventures, and collate them into Constant Contact. I hope you find some value in them, even though they are, well, vintage.

Dave and Wanda

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