Volendam Holland Netherlands is one of the places that we wanted to visit because my husband remembered going there about 30 years ago. He still remembered the very shop where he and some friends dressed up and had their photos taken in native costume with the harbor as the background.

Volendam is famous for a place that you can see people in native traditional dress and for its harbor bursting with boats. We found people dress in costume mostly only in the shopping area until on our way back to our parked car we were surrounded by locals getting ready for some type of celebration. Many were in native dress. There was a band, singers and drummers. We later found out that they were there for a funeral procession. It was a fascinating thing to be able to see. I will never forget the troupe of drummers.

The local traditional dress for the women is a high pointed lace bonnet, a black skirt, a stripped apron and of course wooden shoes. The men’s were kind of baggie shorter pants with big gold buttons at the waist. Usually they wear a double breasted jacket with gold buttons or shirt with a neck tie, sometimes competed with a pair of suspenders and of course….wooden shoes.  You will see this on most post cards that depict the Netherlands. Each province in Holland had its own unique traditional dress. You can even take a picture with bronze statue of a fisherman or fisherwoman.

The boats dance on the water as they are crowded together in the harbor overlooked by the distinctive architecture of the surrounding buildings. This is truly one of the beautiful places in Holland and in the world.

On the board walk you can find what I would deem the “weird to see in Holland.” It is very traditional for them. Something we were told you should try. I took one look and it was just too much for me. They eat a raw fish called “herring or Hollandse Nieuwe.” They hold the herring by the tail, slather the herring in onions and pickles, tip their head back and then swallow the fish. It must be an acquired taste!

A food that I loved in Volendam was the waffles you could buy at the street stands. They call them poffertjes. They are served as a dessert with every kind of topping that you can imagine. They are not like our pancakes. They are a delightful treat. You must try.

At every town we stopped in I think we sought out the Freetz or “Frites” and an Ice cream cone. These French fries are served in a paper cone with a mayonnaise dipping sauce that has a unique and distinct flavor.  It will ruin eating fries back in the USA as nothing quite equals that taste.

As you walk along the boardwalk at the top of the dyke it is a tourist’s jackpot. Restaurants are situated to overlook the view of the harbor that fishing families waiting for their loved ones to return have stared out over the water from this vantage point for centuries. You get a real feel for this fishing village as you relax and contemplate the view from a street restaurant.

You can’t miss the many souvenir shops interspersed between the restaurants and the bars. We found a lot of the souvenirs in Volendam that we brought home. They were priced right and had a wide selection. We even found the very photo shop that my husband had had his photos taken in.

Fun, unique and weird things to see and do in Volendam Holland:

• Take your picture with a bronze statue of a fisherman or fisherwoman.
• Visit the Volendams Museum to see traditional costumes, learn of fishing and cigar making, art, etc.
• Walk on a dyke.
• Eat herring or “Hollandse Nieuwe”
• Eat waffles or “poffertjes”
• Savoring a paper cone of Frites or “Freetz”
• Dress in traditional costumes and have you picture taken
• Take a boat tour of the region
• Have dinner or drink overlooking the harbor
• Shop for souvenirs

If you only take one day trip from Amsterdam make it Zaanse Schans. This small village is a sampling of all things Holland, Netherlands.

Most of the industrial windmills on the river Zaan are now gone. Six of the thirteen still there are in Zaanse Schans.  It is fun to go and see these working. There are 8 windmills in total here.

Do something unique and fun visit the working windmills:

“‘De Huisman'” (Mustard Mill)
“De Gekroonde Poelenburg'” (Sawmill)
“De Kat'” (Paint Mill)
“De Zoeker” (Oil Mill)
“De Bonte Hen” (Oil Mill)
“het Jonge Schaap'” (Saw Mill)
“De Windhond” (Sand Stone)
“De Hadel” (Pasture Water Moving Mill)

You can see the Paint Mill in the Scatter Travel Video “Couple Vacations; Zaanse Schans Holland, Netherlands; Boomer & Senior Travel TV #8; by Debbie Gerber” along with fun and unique things to see and do at Zaanse Schans.

Nestled in the middle on the mountains is a modern though frontier style city called “Park City, Utah.”

When you think Couple Ski Vacation get away Park City should be at the top of the list. In close proximity there are three world class resorts along with many other great hotels, restaurants and divine shops.

The three resorts are “The Canyons, Park City Mountain Resort and the Deer Valley Resort. This area has been coined as the “Greatest Snow on Earth.”

One of my favorite hotels is Treasure Mountain Inn Hotel & Conference Center. Maybe this is because it is only one of 3 that I have stayed in. I have experienced its ambiance first hand. The other two were condominium hotels that I traded a timeshare to.  Check out the video on www.boomerandseniortravel.tv called “Couple Vacations; Park City, Utah; Boomer & Senior Travel TV #7; by Debbie Gerber” to see the Treasure Mountain Inn Hotel as well as Park City Main Street. I liked the feel and luxury of the Treasure Mountain Inn Hotel as well as the covered parking, cozy restaurant bar and close proximity to everything on Main Street.