windmills of Zaans Schans

Following our visit to the tulip gardens we took an afternoon stroll through an open air museum near Zaandam.  Zaans Schans is a working village that was established to preserve Dutch culture.  They transplanted several windmills from the countryside and brought them here. Visitors can also stop by the wooden shoe store (the cobbler was inside demonstrating how the shoes are made), the cheese shop (smoked Gouda-mmm) and the clock shop.  Most little stores are open to tourists and are free but some charge a nominal fee–the windmills cost 3 euro/adult if you wanted to climb inside and see how it worked. We enjoyed walking the paths and taking pictures of the quaint homes and waterways.