My last day in Holland, so I decided to see the countryside! Passing beautiful flower farms and meadows, the picturesque drive was worth the couple hours to get to my first stop – Volendam! A cute town situated on the edge of the “ocean". The town sits on land reclaimed from the ocean by building Dijks to create a barrier between the ocean and the land they wanted, draining it, and building on it. The remaining water is fresh water, and is now the biggest lake in northern Europe. I enjoyed learning about cheese-making (ok, cool), then trying all the cheese (this is what I came for!), eating fish they had caught, and admiring the colourful wooden houses.
Next was my favourite part of this country, the village of Giethoorn. "The town with no roads"! Getting to the edge of the village, then having to walk or boat in, the serenity was blissful! No noise pollution, no exhaust fumes, no stress. Keeping with traditional thatched roof houses, the postcard worthy location defined "perfection". I payed a local to take me around the canals in his little boat which they use to transport EVERYTHING from building materials to household goods (even the cows!). It was an hour worth of pure beauty from every angle. A MUST-SEE if anyone is in the country. Pure love for this town <3
8 hours, 1 bus, 1 boat, 13,000 steps, and I’ve decided I want to retire to Giethoorn