Monday, November 30, 2009

Volendam

Volendam is a nice and small village. Previously, this village is a fishing village. As fishermen were quite poor, so their house is very small.After the dam built, fisherman no longer can fishing again, so this village became tourist area. All the houses here had a big window! As they will have the most pretty window competition every year.So you can saw every house had a nicely decorated window.
It was once sea before on my right. But now it become a lake. It is because previously there were serious flood in this area due to holland land is lower than sea level. So they build a dam to separate outer sea and inner sea. Wow! Just imagine how big the project was. Slowly, the inner sea getting water from 5 rivers and now the water is not salt water anymore. Indirectly, it became a giant lake.
Local activity beside the sea.
Dutch type of photograph.
So nice the marry go round. Cannot find in Malaysia! Allysa kept on mumble that she will definitely bought it if she was not backpack. When think of her giant "elephant" luggage, she lost all the shopping mood.
The street full with tourists and shops.
The food on Volendam. It look like seafood tempura. Actually the food at the other store look more attractive. However the price also very attractive! Double the price here.
Our E10 lunch... shared among both of us. The conclusion was... the food is not tasty at all!

Saturday, November 28, 2009

Wind Mills and Cheese Factory

Windmills is just located 5 min walks from the clogs factory. Actually the whole area is an open air museum. At the entrance, someone will taking your photo regardless you like it or not. They will sell you the photo when you came out later. Furthermore, they can speak mandarin to promote you the photo "照片,照片”, hehe! Is not only China people will do this kind of business ya. In fact, there are 4 buses full with china tourisms at the entrance. Now is the turn the white serve the yellow.
Unfortunately all the windmills are facing river. So i was unable to take the photo of the front view of windmill.Somebody said, only the windmill with "tail" behind it is the original windmill.
You can go into windmill by paying Euro 3 as the entrance ticket. However we do not had enough time so we choose not to waste money. Arghh! this is the problem of following tour.
Lomo effect of windmills.
Landscape view of windmills musuem.
After the windmill, we proceed to cheese factory. We learn how the cheese were make here. However i join in half way due to toileting so i don't actually understand the whole picture.
These cheese are hard like rock.
A sample of cheese making facilities.
After the owner finished his explanation, he open another door. WOW, it another world inside. The cheese shop!There are sample for testing. Just one try, for a person like me who do not really fancy cheese, had tasted the most tasty cheese in my life! Oh really is so so delicious.It is not like normal cheese that we bought from supermarket at all. It was full with 口感!Suddenly i had the urged to buy but when think of my luggage and it is only my first stop ...hai.....forget about it la. Cheese wrap with different color paper represent different flavor.
This lovely house is beside the cheese factory. Could it be the house of the cheese factory owner?
Can i had one in malaysia??

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Clogs Factory

Day 3 in Amsterdam, we join the half day excursions to Volendam-Marken+Windmills. It cost us Euro 37 per pax for this 4.5hour tour.
Beside from milk cow, Holland is famous of clogs. Almost every visitors who came will bought a pair of clogs, or clogs keychain, or clogs magnet...Clogs is the traditional shoe wore by dutch. As it is water proof, warm and light.
Clogs sifu show us the material , the willow wood. First, cut out the length that you needed. Depending on your feet size.Clamp the wood on the engraving machine. The one at right hand side is sample. The mechanism of this machine is just as key making machine. It will copy the sample shape and engrave on raw material accordingly.
Within 2 minutes, outer shape of a clogs shoe is finished. Now the inner engraver start working.
It only took another one minute to complete the inner part. Sifu remove the exceeding part at raw clogs.
Then it is ready to wear! The standard of wearing the clogs is to wear the stocking first, then between clogs and feet should had 1 finger distance of space to ensure you wear the right size.
So here is the clogs with painting and polishing. From Wikepedia, i found out that Holland clogs is so advance- The traditional all-wooden Dutch klompen (clogs) have been officially accredited as safety shoes with the CE mark and can withstand almost any penetration including sharp objects and/or concentrated acids.
Wow! Can clogs wearing be a trend in the future?! Yes, we had clogs brand now , which is the rubber clogs. It's a brilliant business and designing idea but i don't think it can get the "CE Mark" as the traditional wooden clogs as!

Red Light District and China Town

Never though of there is a china town in Amsterdam. So stupid, sure there will be a china town in every country right? Chinese people damm "keng"!So familier to see all those chinese word and made in china product. And guess what, it just located beside red light district.近水楼台先得月。yahoo!
We cannot take the photo of those "girls" in red light district . So you must go there to see with your own eye.There are many small partition in the building, small glass door, size like our fitting room door. They will stand inside, either smile at you, or posing, or smoking...Most of them look pretty. There are many variety to choose from -dark,fair, thin, fat,mature, young...Although the weather is quite cool outside, but they only wear bikini. With the underwear which look like easily drop at anytime.I cannot remember the look of the girls that i had saw. However i remember a man who i saw. He is holding a glass of wine outside a party house. Allysa and me both voted he is the most handsome man in our whole journey. hehe! Male toilet are available on the street. This is the only time i envy the man. They can settle it anytime, anywhere.This church is within the red light district. One side is the red light district, another side is a peaceful area. What a dramatic difference divided by a holy church!Our first dinner. Due to we ate quite a lot of fries in the afternoon, we boiled 单眼佬凉茶。The one and only thing i bought in Amsterdam (beside from postcard) is the waffle biscuit. Euro 2.25 per pack. Juicy big red strawberry and salad only cost Euro 1.50 per person. Banana was sponsored by Allysa.See, who say the dinner must be expensive??

Monday, November 16, 2009

Sex Musuem

Yoy! this is a very interesting and not to be missed musuem, for boys and girls. The entrance fees is only Euro3 (damm worth it) and it is located at the Dam main street. Easy to find, even AY first time there already visited it. Correct? hehe!Especially for Eastern People like me, i just get shocked with all those "things" can be display like that. All the naked and ML photo is here and there. AV movie playing all day round. Human size model who will ML in front of you, whatever you can think of it they had it. Whatever you never think of it , they also had it.
Another amazing things is it also cover eastern's ML culture! See the below ceramic. Cannot believe right? As we though ancient people should be more conserved and do not speak or even draw it out like this.
Sex not only limited to video, photo and book. It can be further 发扬光大 by incorporate in to jewelry design...
even cake, candy and chocolate. I wonder who dare to eat it. IAAKKKKKKKKK!
And the breast lollipop had been invented. hahaha!

Tuesday, November 03, 2009

Westerkerk Church & Anne Frank House

Westerkerk Church.
This church is just opposite our hotel. We walk around the church to look for Anne Frank house. Which is suppose located nearby the church.
Anne Frank House.
What so special about this? It is one of the most famous tourist attraction in Netherland. The entrance fees is E8.50 and you are not allow to take photo inside.Thanks to Siu Keong for the below photo. Inside the building, it had been remain as much as last time except all furnitures had been removed. It is because the house was originally without furniture after they been arrested. Herm... i feel a little bit geli when i enter into the secret annex, with the narrow staircase, dim light, a lot of old photos...
Anne Frank is one of the victimswho died in World War Two. Why? Because she is a jews. Before she and her family been arrested, they are hiding in a secret annex at this building. The entrance to the secret annex is a movable bookcase. During the hiding period. Anne Frank had continuing writing the diary which record her daily life, her though as well as her fear.
“Now our Secret Annex has truly become secret… Mr. Kugler thought it would be better to have a bookcase built in front of the entrance to our hiding place. It swings out on its hinges and opens like a door."
However, they had been betrayed after 2 years and send to a interrogation jail. The identity of the betrayer remain unknown until today.
“It was around ten-thirty. I was upstairs with the Van Pelses in Peter’s room and I was helping him with his schoolwork. I was showing him the mistake in the dictation when suddenly someone came running up the stairs. The stairs were squeaking, I stood up, because it was still early in the morning and everyone was supposed to be quiet - then the door opened and a man was standing right in front of us with a gun in his hand and it was pointed at us.”
The ending?? only Anne Frank's father survive in the jail. All of them died. Now, Anne Frank diary was being translated into more than 65 languages. For more information please visit www.annefrank.org

Monday, November 02, 2009

I AM AMSTERDAM & Hard Rock

This famous landmark is located between Rijkmusuem and Van Gogh Musuem. I had no enter into Rijk musuem as i think i will not had the enlightenment to appreciate the art too. So don't want to waste money.There is a huge field there and of course, more elephants...
Is a sunny day !
On the way walking toward Hard Rock cafe...
Our first lunch is the roadside hotdog. It cost me E2.50! This is the place where we enjoy our lunch. On a bench beside the canal. Seem so romantic right? But the truth is i had been disturbed by a group of pigeon. They fly here and there aiming our hotdog. Oh...i scare la, later they cannot tahan and kiss me how!!!!!!!! Help me help me! Allysa cannot finish the bread, so she throw it to the pigeons. It even attract more pigeon to fight over the tiny bun. Conclusion? the bun fall into river and benefit the duck. So the moral behind this story?? 鹤蚌相争,渔翁得利。
dang dang dang, the hard rock cafe.
The shop is small, the design is little, but still i had bought a t shirt as a gift. E25.45.