I don’t know what I liked more, the road trip with my girlfriends filling every seat of my mini-van, or the actual visit to Alkmaar wandering with friends. I think I liked both! Too bad I didn’t get a picture.

We went to see the cheese market and walk around the quaint city, wandering from store to store and street to street, eventually stopping for lunch before heading back to pick up the kids from school. Thousands of visitors from all over the world visit to see the cheese market filled with cheese and hauling cheese carriers. The cheese market has taken place on the Waagplein in Alkmaar since 1593.

It was very crowded and cold today. We watched a bit of the market happenings, but it was difficult for all 10 of us to see together. We strolled through the Oud Stad part of town and down a side street at lead us to a lunch place that we all enjoyed, called Eets Palais.

After lunch we walked through and around the rest of the city before heading back. There was a lot to see and we all talked about wanting to come back again to Alkmaar. Alkmaar is a quaint town, that is easy to stroll and doesn’t feel overly touristy. There are big churches, several museums, outdoor shopping streets with cute boutiques, canals, and plenty of places to sit outside with a drink and some food. Hopefully next time it will be warmer.

One of the beauties of spring time in Holland is the longer hours of light. We are still waiting for the warmth to come, but for now its still heavy coats. The good news is It’s 9:30 pm and its still light out. Juliana and I went for a brisk, cold and quick walk before dinner and enjoyed the colors of spring. Here are some of the beauties we saw.

Hope you have a great weekend!
Love, Adriana