The Land of Clogs and Cheese

With Thelma back to her old self again, we spent some time driving through the unique landscape of Holland, There are many villages just like this one called 'Edam.' No prizes for guessing what they're famous for.

Of course, it's a cheese shop. The canals are everywhere...and so are the bicycles.

We found another distinctive style of architecture, with decorative façades that make them look rather like Lego houses.

Beyond the villages, the farmland is as flat as a pancake and it is not at all unusual for whole suburbs to be situated several metres below sea level, protected by earth dikes to keep the waters out.

Windmills used to play a significant role in maintaining the drainage system in rural areas, but they are more of a tourist attraction these days.

In a massive task of engineering that took 33 years to build, the people of The Netherlands enclosed a large gulf of the North Sea as a lake. We drove along a 60 mile length of road that crosses this inland sea.

The Dutch just won't be beaten by their watery surrounds. We came upon this 'Navi-Duct' where ships cross ABOVE the road traffic.

More common is the road bridge, which opens up to allow taller boats to pass through.

On our way to Amsterdam, we stopped in the town of Delft, which is famous for the production of fine blue and white china. We visited the factory where the items are still hand-painted before firing.