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Greater Amsterdam VS Metropool Den Haag - Rotterdam
Greater Amsterdam VS Metropool Den Haag - Rotterdam
Amsterdam faces a luxury problem: too many tourists want to visit Amsterdam. That is why Amsterdam came up with concept Greater Amsterdam to encourage tourists to visit Dutch attractions just outside Amsterdam. In its marketing to tourist from outside of The Netherlands, Zandvoort became Amsterdam beach. It works partly, because the cheese market in Alkmaar and the mills in Zaandam are more frequently visited by the tourist who only visit Amsterdam City. Amsterdam can further solve its luxury problem by lending some tourists to the Metropool Den Haag – Rotterdam (Metropolitan area), because the cheese, the windmills and tulips aren't actually only in Noord-Holland (Amsterdam), but also in Zuid-Holland. Cheese can also be found in the Alkmaar of Zuid-Holland, Gouda; the Tulips can also be found around Noordwijkerhout; and the mills in Kinderdijk, the Zaanse Schans of Zuid-Holland.
The Dutch Mills
The Dutch Mills
The Dutch windmills are beautiful compared to the windmill that stood in my parents' garden when I was growing up on Curaçao. The mill in our garden at the second house where I lived as a child was used to pump up groundwater to water the plants. It was made of metal and resembled the windmill described in the book 'The boy who harnessed the wind'. The windmill had the same task as the beautiful windmills in Kinderdijk had in the past: regulating water. The Zaansche Schans windmills had other functions besides regulating water: performing various crafts, such as grinding spices (mustard), sawing wood, producing paint and paper, and pressing oil.
Kinderdijk
Kinderdijk
The windmills in Kinderdijk are free to visit and acessible by bike or public transport. Buses run to the windmills in Kinderdijk, but a better alternative is the public transport boat (waterbus) from Rotterdam to Kinderdijk. It’s worth being sea sick for a while to reach Kinderdijk by ‘waterbus’ instead of driving or taking the bus. Two of the windmills can be visited from the inside for a fee.
Zaanse Schans
Zaanse Schans
There are two ways to spell Zaanse Schans: One is the historic name and used only for historic object and places: Zaansche Schans. And the modern spelling Zaanse Schans, the most used one in outings. Zaanse Schans is accessible by train. It has its own train station. This is one of the few train stations in the Zaandam area where I didn't conduct fieldwork handing out surveys to visitors. Zaandam is the birthplace of Albert Heijn, the most famous supermarket chain of The Netherlands. The Verkade chocolate factory, known for 'meisjes van Verkade' was also located in this area. This is the most visited area by tourists who want to see the Dutch windmills. These windmills are more focused on producing crafts then on regulating water.
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