You can often hear the expression "if you've been to Holland and haven't eaten herring in Volendam, you haven't seen the country." And why is that? Because they say that there is no fresher and tastier fish than in Volendam in all of the Netherlands. It's strange, of course, because Volendam is not the only fishing village, there are others. Oh well, I like to believe it too, and the herring is truly awesome.
It seems to be the same country, and not far from Amsterdam, but the sensations are completely different, the perception is also different. At the same time, before the trip I thought that Volendam and Zaanse Schans would be identical, the impressions similar, now I know for sure that they are not, and I know for sure that you need to visit two villages.
How to get here? By bus. Unfortunately, the trains that you are so used to using in the country do not go here. But no problem, the buses here are also great, we can only dream of them. So we go from the bus station, which is located BEHIND the Amsterdam Centraal railway station, i.e. the bus station is not on the city side, but on the canal side. The question immediately arises of how to get there if you need to "check in" tickets, so if you are facing the entrance to Amsterdam Centraal, then go through the leftmost wing, there is a free passage where you do not need to validate tickets, and the Bus signs will tell you. When we pass the station, there will be an arrow to the upper floor, go up the escalator and we are already at the bus stop. Immediately go to the screen and look at the bus schedule, we need the one that goes in the direction of Volendam-Edam. There were several bus numbers listed on the Internet, but when I was there, only two were running: 110 and 118 (November 2014). The stop in Volendam is called Centrum. And here we are.
Volendam has an interesting development of houses on piles, they look like solid townhouses, the first floors of which are brick, and the tiled roof - it is also the attic serves as a full floor with a wooden facade, usually green or blue. All this feature and at the same time the similarity of all the houses gives the village its charm.
Volendam originally served as a harbor for the neighboring town of Edam, but Edam eventually acquired its own harbor, and Volendam became populated by fishermen and farmers.
The main industry here was fishing. The most popular ones are, of course, herring, smoked eel, and shrimp are also popular.
Notice, it’s November, and how much greenery there is in this northern country.
Often, when walking around the city, you can see window curtains gathered at the sides. Previously, this was a peculiar feature of the residents, since their husbands - fishermen - went on long voyages, then not closing the windows with curtains a woman demonstrated that she did not have a lover and she had nothing to hide. Now, when I see such pictures, I think it is more a coincidence than a tribute to tradition, although I have seen such windows more than once.
What I also liked was the cleanliness and neatness around. It would seem that there are only townhouses everywhere, but if you look closely, you can see how each door and window is decorated, somewhere at the entrance there is a nice bench, somewhere a table with a candlestick or a flower pot. And how many small cozy courtyards. It is clear that the residents treat their homes with love and care.
By the way, I read that it is almost impossible for a foreigner to buy a house here; if a house is put up for sale, it will be bought by neighbors, relatives, or the commune, in order to keep foreigners out as much as possible and to uphold local traditions.
But rest assured, tourists are very much loved and welcomed here. They always smile in a friendly manner, greet you in national costumes, and it is not surprising, because the village has already become a tourist "Mecca".
Despite its tourist character, Volendam completely preserves its way of life, traditions and authenticity.
Sometimes walks along the streets of the village are replaced by walks along the canals or crossings on bridges. In general, it is interesting that the Netherlands is 7 meters below sea level. And this is clearly visible when you climb up the Volendam embankment, which goes to sea level, and the whole town is below.
Life beyond the waterfront is quiet, calm and measured. Often the streets are simply deserted.
Volendam has its own peculiarities that give the village its own flavor. For example, in July and August there are cheese fairs, although we were there on a Saturday in November and found a cheese market in the center. There are also fish auctions. And in general, in the mornings, you can buy fish right from the boat.
Volendam is also the birthplace of the traditional Dutch costume, a symbol of the country. In everyday life, it is used to take pictures with tourists, but the most interesting time to visit Volendam is on Sunday morning, when residents go to church in traditional costumes.
So after a walk around the city we came out to the embankment – crowded and noisy, but at the same time no less interesting.
The embankment is full of cafes, bars, stalls where you can buy the famous herring, souvenir shops and places where you can take pictures in national costumes.
By the way, the first house I saw here had a hook for lifting loads. It turns out that even such small houses have this.
And here is that very view - I am standing on the embankment at sea level, and the other houses are below.
Traveling late at night is very bad, there is only one thing - the day is shorter and it gets dark early. The sun is already setting, illuminating Volendam with its sunset rays, giving it a certain romanticism.
Source: travel.ru
