Castles & Windmills

We took our guest tour back up to Noord-Holland (North Holland) again. Our first stop was Muiderslot, a castle southeast of Amsterdam. We visited last winter, but most of the castle was closed during the tour. Farther down the river, the nearby town of Muiden connects into the fortified area of Muiderslot. The rest of the afternoon, we visited very characterful areas in Noord-Holland. These places have wood clad houses in either green or blue, covered with white trim. Marken is a small fishing village north of Amsterdam. It requires parking on the outskirts of the village, since the area is too small for traffic. The harbor boulevard was entirely filled with tourists, and the cafes almost too busy to visit. In the late afternoon, we drove through the city of Zaandam. A nearby neighborhood called Zaanse Schans contains a collection of historic windmills and buildings. Our day ended with another driving tour of Zuid-Holland, mostly through Den Haag.