Volendam

Volendam is a small town, but a major tourist destination, mainly for fishing and sailing. I took one afternoon off and decided to walk around the cute town to get an idea of what a small Dutch town is like. Here is a bit of background first. Volendam, much like the rest of the northwestern part of the country,is built on polders. Polders are built-up layers of ground in the midst of the sea (the Dutch refer to it as "won battle with the sea"). This is why Volendam has numerous canals in-between homes and lush green pastures for sheep to graze on and numerous birds, including swans, to thrive.



The downtown area was absolutely precious---cute little houses lining the narrow streets with cobblestone streets and canals that reminded me of the Munchkinland from the Wizard of Oz. I wandered around the narrow streets not believing that they were actual streets, and not just driveways---they indeed were streets, but since most of the Dutch use their bikes and walk, they can easily get around these streets. I ended up walking on the banks of the North Sea, down a touristy street, had delicious fish for lunch, then yummy apple pie for dessert, and spent way too much money on souvenirs.