May 5, 2025

IJmuiden, Netherlands is the port of entry for Amsterdam, the city that I am most familiar with in Europe. I first came to Amsterdam 50 years ago as a backpacking college student. I took an Icelandic flight from New York City to Luxemburg with a stopover in Reykjavik, Iceland for $99.00! My student Eurorail Pass ($139.00) allowed me endless travel throughout Europe for 2 months and my first stop was Amsterdam the hub for college student’s traveling the world. Vondelpark, (think Central Park in New York City) was the place to meet fellow students, gather information on the best youth hostels to stay at and plan which train routes would allow you to sleep onboard overnight between cities. The fondest of memories and probably where I first caught my travel bug.

I have been back to Amsterdam many times since as Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (in Dutch Luchthaven Amsterdam-Schiphol) is one of the busiest in Europe and is a major hub for international travelers and has many direct flights from Orlando. So today we took a scenic drive north, marveling at landscape that calls to mind the painting of the grand masters—dotted with farmhouses, windmills and grazing cows.

We first headed to the very famous village of Edam, whose name is synonymous with the mild and delicious cheese produced here. Round Edam cheeses have been exported to all corners of the world for centuries, but the city itself boasts a rich history, lovely façades, squares, bridges, cheese warehouses, attractive shopping streets and inviting outdoor cafés.

Authentic 17th-century architecture speaks to a prosperous past and, when walking along the old streets and quiet canals, it is quite easy to imagine life in a Dutch town centuries ago.

This is the place to sample real Edam cheese produced from a certain breed of cow only found in The Netherlands. Locals call them the “Oreo Cows.”

Our next stop was Zaanse Schans—a delightful old hamlet on the banks of the River Zaan—with a wealth of architectural history, with character-filled wooden houses, charming gardens, small arched bridges, tradesmen’s workshops, historic windmills and engaging little shops. Zaanse Schans is counted among the top destinations in the Netherlands because it’s marvelous collection of windmills made us feel like we were stepped back into the 17th and 18th centuries. These primitive and yet rather amazing windmills, some built in the 1500’s, work to pump water across a country that is entirely dependent upon working hydro management. We also went to a Danish wooden shoe shop. These clogs may look like a living nightmare, but they are in fact quite comfy.

A delightful time spent in Holland!

Thanks for traveling with us.

A Thirdmill Update: Jan Jacob, a student from the Netherlands, wrote, “I want to start an (online) learning community in my home country. I am familiar with the Thirdmill material because I completed the graduate Thirdmill Certificate program at BibleMesh Institute. The Thirdmill courses greatly benefited me in my teaching and preaching; thus, I consider the Thirdmill Institute a fantastic way to educate fellow Christians.“