We have now really slowed down with our travels. This is partly due to The Netherlands making it easy for us to get lazy. There are no locks to manage, plenty of good moorings to be found, and opening bridges that need no more preparation than a phone call at worst. Secondly, we are waiting to meet my brother and sister-in-law near Amsterdam before our yearly escape to satisfy European visa conditions.

We are edging along the west coast of the Markermeer and then inland towards Alkmaar and Amsterdam.

This area is a Mecca for boating and tourists alike. Volendam is probably the most touristy place we’d generally avoid. But watching from our boat in the harbour tourist groups being unloaded from the Volendam-Marken Express onto the strip of souvenir shops and eateries, you feel a tolerating distance, almost like a local. And there is more to Volendam than being an attractive tourist hub. Below the dyke promenade lays a little labyrinth of quaint lanes and the original houses of the former fishing village.

Although we have been to Volendam twice before, only this time have we discovered the Volendam Heritage Museum, the cutest, best-set-out, and most informative local museum we have seen so far! The rooms are filled with mannequins in traditional clothing engaged in typical activities of the time. From the history of the Dutch women's lace caps to village toils and family life, all are staged in a lifelike fashion.

In addition to paintings of local artists, there is a room filled with cigar-band art. It is the creation of Nico Molenaar, a former citizen of Volendam. After resigning as a monk, he collected 7 million cigar bands, cut off the ends and made the most intricate mosaics with them. The Tower of Pisa, St. Peter’s Dome, Brussels’ Manneke Pis and even the Dome of Cologne. 

Seeing the work involved, one wonders how Nico had the patience or whether he had a touch of OCD.

Walking the cafés and fish stalls each day was a challenge, not to mention the Dutch pancake and waffle stalls! On day three, we weakened and shared a fluffy waffle topped with cherry and apple compotes and cream! We felt very saintly, sharing one between us!

After all, we had to have some comfort, as for all the nights, the wind was blowing with full force into the harbour basin, so we felt like sleeping on a roller coaster. Austin had to adjust the ropes several times but could not stop the constant gnarling—or me from pronouncing the silent “g” of that funny English word!

On day 4, we woke up early, and before the wind had a chance to increase, we made our way to nearby Monnickendam, where we lay much quieter and protected by a long wall from waves and wash.

It wouldn’t stay quiet! Although Monickendam is less touristy than Volendam, the town was booming with activity and music! It happened to be the weekend of a local sailing race of the large traditional Dutch sailing boats. The race is part of a festival held each year in remembrance of the Battle of the Zuiderzee (now the Ijsselmeer) when a local boy, Jan Haring, climbed the mast of a Spanish ship, tore down the flag and replaced it with the flag of the Prince of Oranje. Unfortunately, the boy Jan Haring was hit by enemy fire, fell into the sea and drowned. But when seeing the Dutch flag on the mast, the rest of the Spanish fleet took it as a sign of surrender and left. 

The traditional fish-smoking competition was also held on the day of the sailing race! Not to forget that it coincided with the European Soccer Cup quarter-final game of the Netherlands against Türkiye the night before the race. The town had turned orange, and I must admit, after watching England versus Switzerland, we didn’t last through the Netherlands' game. But we knew the Dutch had won when we heard the screams, drumming, dance music, and fireworks echoing across the bay.

Having had little sleep, like everyone else in town, we were well “preserved" the next day as smoke filled the air. About 30 to 40 fish smokers were lined up with their saw dust-fueled ovens and busy at work to impress judges, locals and passers-by like us. The first fish being smoked was salmon and herring, followed by mackerels. Most smokers were happy for anyone to taste the fish they served on crackers and slices of baguette. Again, like the previous day, lots of local beer was consumed. The young eels, meantime, were still sitting in tubs. We watched the eels being strung up on wires and hung into the smoker ovens and were told to come back in two to three hours for a taste test.

So we continued our walk around town from the previous day. 

The old weigh house is one of the town's attractions and is now a favourite pub/restaurant. 

The bell tower “De Speeltoren” still has its original 17th-century carillon, which plays an out-of-tune melody each hour. The tower museum gives insight into the workings of the carillon and the struggle of the Waterland, as the areas around Monnickendam are called against the sea. In the late 16th century, heavy storms broke the dyke and flooded the region.

Consequently, a lot of land was lost to erosion. In the 17th century, technology advanced and enabled the locals to reclaim land by draining swamps into nearby rivers. However, the fight for arable land continued. Due to drainage of the peaty ground, land levels sank, which made the area more susceptible to flooding. A significant dyke burst in 1916 flooded the Waterland again and caused dozens of deaths and loss of life stock. That’s when the decision was made to build the Afsluitdam, completed in 1932.

When we returned from our walk, even more people had gathered around the smoking kilns.   The first eels were being pulled out, prepared and passed around. It was delicious!

The Dutch weather did its usual trick, with strong wind and rain whipping across town without warning. Everyone fled into the pubs and under the scant umbrellas, but this didn’t deter anyone, and the party continued. 

On a positive note, the dry and sunny periods now last a little longer! 

We haven’t entirely given up on summer yet!