So you are ready to give it a try? Head out to the grocery store or, even better, get some of the products form your local farmer or greengrocer. Be sure though what to look for and perhaps ask for advise on how the determine what’s ripe and what’s not. Doing this will be rewarded with an even more tasteful pumpkin soup!

Ingredients

• 450g butternut squash
• 300g dutch carrots
• 1 red union
• 1 garlic clove
• 2 tbsp oil
• salt and pepper

First things first, heat the oven to 220 °C. Halve the squash lengthwise and remove the seeds and the filamentous inside with a spoon. Next, cut the green of the carrots. Place the pumpkin and carrot on a lined baking sheet. Drizzle with the oil. Season with salt and pepper. Place the unpeeled onions and cloves of garlic next to it. Bake for about 45 min. In the middle of the oven.

Ingredients

• ½ orange
• 48 g hazelnuts
• 7 g chive

Next up, peel the orange and use a sharp knife to remove the white membrane of the orange. Remove the a part of the skin of each wedge so you can easily separate the flesh from the skin using the knife. Meanwhile, heat a frying pan without oil or butter and roast the hazelnuts 3 min and let them cool on a plate. Chop the chives. Do the same with the hazelnuts and cut them coarsely.

Ingredients

• all from step 1 & 2

When the oven is ready, let it rest for about 5 minutes to cool down. Next up, the messy part. Scoop out the flesh of the pumpkin with a spoon and place it in a blender. Peel the onion and garlic and add to the pumpkin. Pour half of the coconut milk and blend it. When done, pour into a saucepan.

Cut the carrot into pieces, put the orange and the rest of the coconut milk into the blender and blend it as well. When done, add this to the pureed pumpkin in the saucepan.

Ingredients

• 300 ml tapwater
• sour cream
• vegetable bouillon cube

Add the vegetable bouillon cube and water and heat it up. Let it boil and cook for about 2 minutes. Season with pepper and salt. As a finishing touch, serve the soup with a spoonful of sour cream and sprinkle with the hazelnuts and chives.

While it’s rather easy to prepare, it does take it’s time. Knowing the little tricks on how to cut and peel helps a lot. But most of all, if you don’t have a proper blender, it can become quite of a mess. With my kitchen skills, there was pumpkin all over the place.

I never tasted pumpkin soup, or at least, not that I remember. This makes the first sip a bit scary as I had no idea what to expect. Surprisingly it tasted really, really good. It’s sweet taste offset by a very balanced bitterness made it delicious.

Proof of that is I guess that after a few sips, I ate it all in no time without even noticing it. To me, that’s a very good sign. You should be surprised and delighted about the meal in the first few bites, but after that you should be able to continue conversation without being reminded of the food with each bite.

This means I really recommend this meal, especially if you have never eaten it. I doubt there will be many seriously disliking this dish. Preparation can be a bit messy though and a perfect dish does not exist. For that reason, it’s a 4 out of 5.

Windmills

The most authentic views are made by the windmills placed along the dyke at Zaanse Schans. From different locations you get a view of them which features on the cover of many brochure about Holland. While the Dutch put together this iconic scene to attract tourist, they are real and original windmills from across the ‘Zaanstreek’.

With 3 oil mills, ‘de Os’ (the Ox), ‘de Zoeker’ (the Seeker) and ‘de bonte Hen’ (the spotted Hen) you can get a good view of how oil can be produced using a windmill.

At the 3 saw mills you get to experience how wood can be manufactured into planks. With ‘de gekroonde Poelenburg’ (the crowned Poelenburg), ‘het jonge Schaap’ (the young Sheep) and ‘het Klaverblad’ (the Cloverleaf) there is enough chance to get a look inside and feel the history.

With a dye mill ‘de Kat’ (the Cat) and mustard mill ‘de Huisman’ (the Houseman) you get the idea of all the possibilities. The Dutch ancestors have been able to come up with all kinds of solutions using the wind as energy source. And if you think all this is for show only, you are wrong. Some of these windmills still operate as a business, if not to just have a side income.

Zaans Museum

In 1998 the Zaans Museum was opened with the goal of preserving and protecting the heritage of the Zaanstreek (Zaan area). The museum features two sub-collections: residential culture and industrial culture. Expect to see regional costumes and Zaan-style painted furniture for example.

‘The Cooperage’, the ‘Jisper house’ and the ‘Weaver’s house’ have recently been added as museum locations with living history at the Zaanse Schans. ‘The Cooperage’ features the craft of coopery, or barrel making. The ‘Jisper house’ tells the story of a fisherman’s wife before the industrial revolution midway trough the 19th century.  And the ‘Weaver’s house’ reveals it’s focus in the name, namely the craft of weaving sailcloth in the 19th century.

Plan your visit

If you are planning to visit Zaanse Schans it’s a good idea to quickly check what you would like to see. The different windmills and museums have different opening hours and there are daily demonstrations of professions and folklore to see. For a up-to-date and detailed overview of this you can visit this page.

Zaanse Schans is a stone’s throw from Amsterdam and can be reached by almost any kind of transportation.

Bus

If you are visiting from Amsterdam, a fun way to go to Zaanse Schans is by combining it with the NDSM wharf and a visit to the center of Zaandam. You can do this by using busline 391, also named the ‘Industrial Heritage Line’. For more information, have a look at bus391.nl.

Train

If you plan on visiting Zaanse Schans by train you need to go to trainstation ‘Koog-Zaandijk’. From Amsterdam Central station this will take you 17 minutes. Subsequently you walk to the Zaanse Schans in about 15 minutes.

Car

Of course the Zaanse Schans is also accessible by car. You can use the address ‘Schansend 7, Zaandam’ on your GPS device. Parking is 9,- euro for a day.

Bike

Depending on your location, going to Zaanse Schans by bike is a true authentic and modern day way of transportation in the Netherlands. Ask a local tourist office for advise as he will have some wonderful cycle routes ready for you.

Considering to visit Zaanse Schans?

We at Live & Explore love to help you out creating your custom itinerary. Listing to your wishes and demands we will keep our eyes open and compliment your visit with tips, advises and excursions.

Contact us and let us know your wishes, or leave your details and we will get it touch with you to discuss your itinerary.

Crossing the Geestmerambacht trail

Geestmerambacht wouldn’t be complete with a MTB trail, and so there is an 8 km. long trail. While mostly single track on dirt trails, there are some cool obstacles and challenges. This trail won’t tire you for it’s high-meters as even the advertised 55 m. seems a bit more than reality.

What does make this trail tough is the amount of corners. You will be going back and forward many times forcing you to focus on your position and lines. It’s for that reason that in your first full circle you should be careful and slow, some of the turns are surprisingly sharp and unclear.

On a mountainbike this trail will bring you a lot of fun and, if you’re hammering it, a heavy interval training with a lot of focus on technique and position on the bike. For cyclocross, the track is very challenging in finding the right lines and position.

While lacking some typical cross barriers, sand and very little grass, the good news is that it will be though getting pinch flats on this track. There are little to no exposed roots and there is no stone to be seen, which makes sense considering the history of Geestmerambacht.

Most of the year, especially in summer time, you can expect this track to be rock solid hard. In rainy periods, this track can drown. In fact, when it has been raining for consecutive days in a row, it’s probably not much fun as you’ll be sucked into the mud until a the point of not being able to move anymore. In those cases, if you really want to go out, go by MTB.

How to get there

By far the easiest by car. Point your navigation to Klaregroetweg in Noord-Scharwoude. From Alkmaar, go north on the N245 towards Schagen. Go the last left before reaching the crossing between the N245 and N504.

Bike rental

A very good bike rental shop can be found in Bergen, close to the Schoorl MTB track. For more information, visit their website (dutch only).

Tip

Combine the trip with the MTB track in Schoorl. This track in the dunes and forest of Noord Holland is double the distance but probably also double the trouble on a cyclocross bike. With long sand stretches and rough forest trails, you’re up for quite a battle. On an mountainbike though, it’s the best possible fun you can find in Noord Holland.

Smell & taste Volendam

Besides visiting the Cheese Factory for a more traditional Dutch taste, you should definitely try some typical Volendam fisherman bites. Put your teeth in, for example, raw herring accompanied by freshly chopped onions and pickles. Eat it traditional style by taking the fish by the tail and lower it down in the mouth.

Or what about ‘kibbeling’? This Dutch snack consists of battered chunks of diep fried fish, commonly served with a mayonnaise-based garlic or tartar sauce. Originally made of cod, and in the nineteenth century mainly the salted waste of the cod fishery, rising cod prices changed modern kibbeling to be made of other fish, such as pollack, hake, whiting or coal fish.

Last but not least, don’t miss out on some ‘Poffertjes’, mini pancakes server with powdered sugar and a good lump of butter. All of this can be bought at one of the many stands across the promenade.

Discover the traditions & history

Other than smells and tastes, the rich tradition and history assures there is a nice variety of museums, expositions and touristic attractions to visit. Besides taking the boat to Marken, where you will end up in another fisherman’s town, there are many options in Volendam itself.

Experience Volendam

Right in the middle of the harbor of Volendam you can visit ‘experience Volendam‘. A modern attraction to tell the history of the town. Using holographic technology with the Oculus Rift, you get to experience the wild waves of the Zuiderzee in the year 1916. In this 360 degree spectacle for the young and old, you will meet a young fisherman out sailing, surviving the flood and looking for his bride, all in traditional Volendam.

Volendams museum

The Volendams museum opened its doors in 1977 and had a rough start. Almost 40 years later it’s one of the best museums where you can get an idea of the history of Volendam. With a huge collection of art, ancient clothing, jewelry and much, much more, there is enough to see. You won’t find the museum on the promenade though. Trough a few local streets you find the museum on the Zeeweg, as can be found on the map above.

How to get there

Volendam is a small town 20 km north of Amsterdam. The quickest to get there would be by car. And with sufficient and free parking space available, it’s only in high season it might be hard to park. The nearest train station is in Purmerend from where you can take a bus or cab to Volendam. If you’re not up for using Dutch public transport, a bus tour from the center of Amsterdam will bring you directly to and from Volendam.

Where to stay

We have made a selection of 3 properties either in or close to Volendam where you can stay over for the night. Depending on your budget and wishes, you can get an idea of how a basic, proper and luxurious stay could look like in Volendam. Check out our selection on the right (desktop) or below (on mobile devices).

Considering to visit Volendam?

We at Live & Explore love to help you out creating your custom itinerary. Listing to your wishes and demands we will keep our eyes open and compliment your visit with tips, advises and excursions.

Contact us and let us know your wishes, or leave your details and we will get it touch with you to discuss your itinerary.

The Schoorlse Duinen is accessible all year round. The best starting point, and starting point of all walking routes, is Buitencentrum Schoorlse Duinen. Using the address given on a navigation device, it’s easy to find.

Address

Buitencentrum Schoorlse Duinen
Oorsprongweg 1 (navigation device: Heereweg 62)
1871 HA Schoorl

On navigation devices, navigate to the address Heerweg 62. The road on the opposite side of this address is ‘Oorsprongweg’ on which you will find the ‘Buitencentrum’.

Activities

The Schoorlse Duinen offer a variety of activities all year round for young and old. While most of these activities are advertised and held in Dutch, it is still worth having a look. How about a guided walk at night?

Disabled

Disabled can use the bike lanes for accessibility. It’s recommended to bring accompaniment due to the sometimes steep hills.

Dogs

Dogs are welcome all year round though in breeding season, from the 1st of March to the 1st of September dogs need to be leased to avoid disruption. Outside this period, dogs are allowed to go, under appeal. Please note that in the grazing areas different rules apply. These can be identified by the signs.

Parking

Parking at P2, is paid parking. At the time of writing it’s €1.90 p/h and €12,- for a day card. There are disabled parking facilities. The proceeds benefit the Schoorl dunes.

Horeca

You can find more information on menu and opening hours of Brasserie IJgenweis here.

The following walking routes are marked by colored poles. Starting point for all walking routes is Buitencentrum Schoorlse Duinen. Keep in mind that a route of 23 km is a long one! The sand, dunes and hills can make it quite of a challenge. For children I’d recommend the 3 or 5 km route.

You’ll also find yourself a 16.3 km long mountainbike trail in the forest and dunes of Schoorlse Duinen. The route takes you trough the thick forest trails to the sandy dunes closer to sea. This track has some steep inclines and the sand will offer to be a challenge on it’s own. Recreant or elite, you will love this trail.

The starting point of the trail is at ‘Het Witte Huis’ in Aagtdorp. Due to it’s limited parking space, or actually, lack of it, it’s recommended to park at Buitencentrum Schoorlse Duinen. Download the GPX file below and it will include the part from parking to the start of the trail.

So you are ready to give it a try? Head out to the grocery store or, even better, get some of the products form your local farmer! Also, this recipe is put together in it’s most logic and fastest order, so just follow the step plan and all will be ready at the same time.

Before we begin the actual cooking, if you have it stored in the fridge, take out the steaks and let it get to room temperature. This usually takes about 30 min. If you take them out now, you can start preparing the meal as it will take about 30 min before we even start with the steak. How clever!

Ingredients

• 500g sprouts
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp curcuma
• pepper

First things first, heat the oven to 200 °C. Clean the sprouts with water and cut the bigger sprouts into half’s. Take out a bowl and mix the sprouts with the olive oil, the curcuma spices and pepper.

Place baking paper in a baking dish and spread the sprouts evenly. Put a sheet of baking paper on top of the baking dish and bake the sprouts in the oven for about 45 minutes.

Ingredients

• 400g parsnip
• 1 galic bulb
• 1 tsp olive oil

Peel the parsnips and cut into pieces. You can start this straight after you put the sprouts in the oven. After the sprouts have been in the oven for about 15 to 20 minutes, boil the parsnip and the garlic bulb tender in about 15 minutes using a little bit of water. Once boiled, puree the vegetables in a blender and add a dash of olive oil.

While you can boil the parsnip straight after putting the sprouts in the oven, I recommend to wait a little so it’s all ready at the same time, making sure you eat warm parsnip puree.

Ingredients

• 1-2 red unions
• 2-4 tbsp olive oil
• salt

This is probably the most easy part of this recipe. All you have to do is peel the unions and cut them into rings. Add the oil in the pan and fry the unions with a pinch of salt. Bake the unions on a low fire for about 15 minutes while stirring frequently.

While at it, continue with step 4 to have all parts of the dish ready in the same time.

Ingredients

• 2 steaks of 150 g
• 3-4 tbsp olive oil
• pepper and salt

There are many ways to prepare a steak, but in order to get a nice, tender and full of flavor steak, there a a few fundamentals. First and foremost, do not use a anti-sticking pan. Before doing anything else with the steaks, dry them using a piece of kitchen paper or clean towel. Also, put your stove on 8 out of 10 when adding the oil. In this way the oil can evenly melt.

Next, put a good layer of salt and pepper on one side of each steak. Once the oil is melted, put your stove on it’s max heat and lay down the steaks with the spiced sides down. Now you can add the salt and pepper on side of the steaks facing you.

Leave the steaks in the pan but keep moving them. Usually after a minute or 2 you can turn the steaks over. Regular check if the steaks are still ‘soft’ by pressing the meat with your thumb. As a reference, make a circle with your index finger and thumb and press the ball on the palm side of your thumb. Steaks with the same soft texture will be rare. If you make a circle with your little finger and thumb and press the ball of thumb, you will find that steaks with the same firm feeling will be well done.

This dish is rather simple to prepare but the sprouts take some time in the oven. Let’s face it, the steak and fried unions are liked by almost everybody. While in my case I had the steaks for a bit to long in the pan, making them a ‘well done’ (I prefer rare or medium done), they still tasted good.

The scary part, the sprouts. They tasted like, well… I guess you need to like the taste of spouts. There is a taste, there sure is, but I didn’t like it much. I was able to eat a few sprouts before it really became too much… No more sprouts for me.

The parsnip puree then. This was surprisingly fine. It’s like potato puree but sweeter. I would describe it as if it had a bit of a lemon/citrus taste over it. I could definitely eat it again, though I’m not blown away by the ‘amazing’ taste.

All in all, this meal won’t let anyone starving, but especially the sprouts are for those few sprout lovers. Preparing it was not too hard which is the reason I’ll give this dish a 3 out of 5.