Opposite Monnickendam on the Markermeer is the idyllic village of Marken. Marken has fewer than 2000 residents. Yet, this farming community harbours a variety of animals, from cows to goats, sheep, and beautiful horses. It also has a rich birdlife. We saw herons, grebes, geese, ducks, oystercatchers, northern lapwings, and coots. Breeding areas for the lapwings are being protected from public access.

On a walk to the lighthouse, we even passed a mating station for the Buckfast bee, a unique variety of honey bees. Marken is surrounded by water and, therefore, is an ideal place for pure mating without infiltration from other hives. 

Originally, Marken was an island settled by monks who did their best to farm the swampy land. Dykes were built around the perimeter, and houses were built on mounds. The houses are partly what makes Marken such a sought-after destination. Their dark green wooden slats and white trim are well-maintained and quite picturesque.

In 1957, a causeway was built connecting Marken to the mainland. It is now a popular 9 km cycle path from Monnickendam. We cycled it on a past visit to the area before we started our boating life.

Other than entering Edam from the Ijsselmeer, we took the inland route via Monnickendam and a short trip along the Purmerringvaart. We arrived in plenty of time to stroll through Edam and taste some cheese, as you do. For the first time this month, the temperature climbed over 20 degrees and felt very humid. Nevertheless, we decided to walk to the 3km distant Ijsselmeer harbour, where we cooled down at the lakeside café before returning to our mooring on the other side of town.

We had been warned of a major weather event, so we batted down the hatches. At 7:30 pm, it arrived with a vengeance. It was by far the heaviest storm we have experienced here.

Looking at Lodi the following day, one can only say we were well camouflaged. She was covered all over with leaves, seeds, and bits of trees!

It was Wednesday, Edam Cheese Market Day, and although we have been to the big one in Gouda, we were keen to go. The traditional procedures were started by the town crier at the old town hall, where a group of officials, the mayor, a brass band and a group of gorgeous preschool kids were already gathered. A parade through town to the cheese market followed. The cheeses arrived by cattle barges, loaded onto cheese carriers and taken for weighing.

The bargaining started between the cheese farmers and the cheese traders with shouts and hand-slapping.

Before roads were built in the area, the barges were the only mode of transport to get the cattle from farmland to sheds or markets. We took a little tour in one, hoping to learn more about the history, but our guide, hearing that we are from Australia, talked only about the shipwreck of the Batavia in WA. But we saw some other areas of Edam and marvelled at the beautiful flowers, particularly the masses of hydrangeas. The acidic peat soil results in the hot pink colour, while a more alkaline soil produces the blue we see so much of in Australian gardens.

The Grote Kerk (Big Church) in Edam is a must-see. Built-in the first half of the 15th century, two fires caused significant destruction. Due to donations, new painted glass windows were installed. One window shows the battle of the Zuiderzee and the silhouettes of the towns involved. The floor shows many burial sites, yet when Napoleon invaded, he disallowed burials inside the church, and from then on, they were done in cemeteries. 

Like in many Dutch churches, the wooden ceiling is a necessity. Built on sand, the architects had to keep the weight as light as possible, so wood was chosen instead of stone and plaster. Wooden trunks could also be easily transported by floats on the water.

We returned to the boat for a rest and prepared to survive another big Euro Cup night in the Netherlands. My friend Eva told me that 110,000 Dutch people were in Dortmund, Germany, to watch the semi-final between the Netherlands and England, yet there were plenty more here! So, Austin, as the sole English-Australian, felt slightly outnumbered.

 He still dared to cheer for England before quietly exiting at the game's end. England had rudely knocked the Netherlands out of the Cup.

Well, we had our fill of cheese and soccer, but can you ever have enough? So we are off to Alkmaar and another cheese market! We’ll also meet my brother and sister-in-law there, who will keep us grounded. We'll be pretty glad when the Cup finishes on Sunday! Bring on the Olympics! 

We had the friendliest reception from the harbour mistress in Alkmaar! The town put the sunshine on for us too! What a charming place it is! Another former star fort, the old centre, is surrounded by water with canal arms reaching into its heart to the weigh house and cheese market. This is probably one of the biggest and most impressive weigh houses we have seen and seconds as a tourist office and interactive Cheese museum. As I had already discovered in the Volendam Museum, my Miele washing machine obviously started off as a butter churner. Once the cream is removed to make butter, the curds are separated from the wey and filled into round containers where it is pressed to remove any residual fluid. By no means is the wey wasted! It is fed back to the cows. The cheeses are then put into a salt bath for flavour and longevity, covered with wax and stored on wooden shelves for maturing. The wheels of cheese are turned frequently to maintain their shape.

Unfortunately, the rain returned on market day, so we spent only a little time there. We fled into the Great Sint Laurens Church. The cruciform basilica has a beautiful wooden vault. The floor is covered with gravestones, where up to eight bodies are buried on top of each other. 

The town's hero, Maarten Pietersz van der Mey, is buried in a special section. During the Spanish siege of Alkmaar, he hid secret letters in a hollowed-out vaulting pole and delivered them undetected to the Prince of Oranje. He also opened the city gates for the Prince’s troops. The people of Alkmaar are very proud of having been the first town to defy the Spanish. They broke the dykes and flooded the land around the city, causing the Spanish troops to flee. This encouraged other Dutch towns to resist.

When entering the church, one immediately notices that there are no pews or no altar. Today, Sint Laurens is a multifunctional centre with a café, exhibition spaces, and venues for concerts, fairs, and weddings.

We wanted to attend the organ concert held every Friday on the famous Snitger organ. The organist played three pieces, among them Bach’s popular Toccata in D. The sound of the organ was powerful. Still, as experienced before, the decibels couldn’t stop Austin from falling asleep.

What makes this city unique are the many narrow lanes of tiny residential houses decorated with climbing, hanging and flowering plants and lanes of specialty shops, boutiques and cafés.

Several hidden courtyards offer peaceful, flowering havens amid former almshouses, still used as low-cost housing estates.

Adjoining the canal, the local fish market has been converted into a trendy bar and seafood restaurant.

The marble-topped tables simulate the fishmonger's filleting tables. In the 16th century, a stork with clipped wings and a chain around its neck was kept there to eat the fish waste, whether it wanted it or not!

Old 17th-century houses with attractive, decorated gables and inscriptions can be found on almost every corner. There is even a house with a cannonball called Haus with Bullet. 

It originated from the siege in 1573 when Alkmaar was under fire from the Spaniards. A bullet dashed through the window of this basket weaver’s house and shattered a chair on which a girl was working on a spinning wheel. None of the seven inhabitants came to harm. Another beautiful house features three baker's spoons. It used to be the house of a pastry cook.

My brother Thomas is an excellent hobby pastry cook, and my sister-in-law Vera makes the most delicious jams! They arrived here in Alkmaar bearing gifts of homemade cantuccis (almond biscottis) and rhubarb-strawberry jams. We spent some lovely days together, cruising to a nearby lake and visiting Harlem and Amsterdam. They definitely brought the sun with them!

Austin and I are flying to the UK in two days so that he can extend his 90-day stay in Europe again. We’ll pick up a car and use the occasion to tour Wales. We hope the warm, sunny weather will persist, and we will publish photos and impressions about the country of daffodils and dragons when we return.