Our next stop was the small village of Volendam after we left Zaanse Schans. It was a 15-mile bus ride and it took us to a small fishing village. It used to be the main harbor for the adjacent town of Edam. A separate harbor was created for Edam, the Volendam harbor reclaimed for land, and settled with new residents. The village also became a popular retreat for artists. We were there to visit the Cheese Factory Volendam.

We crowded the cheese factory on our arrival. There were a large variety of cheese and it was apparent that the factory was doing good business. It was both a cheese museum and cheese shop and it provided a lot of information about cheese making. I always loved cheese and I was almost overwhelmed being confronted by new varieties of cheese. We bought some of the ones that we thought were good and headed out the door. Although I love cheese, I knew I was in no way a cheese connoisseur.

We walked the narrow streets of Volendam as we headed for our next destination. It looked attractive, clean, and lined on both sides with shops selling a variety of merchandise. It was tempting to visit and view each shop but we had to be with the tour group. Our next destination – the island of Marken.