The center of Dutch cheese making is found in Alkmaar, about 35 minutes north of Amsterdam by train. Cheese has been produced and sold here since the 1300s. The time to visit is on Friday mornings when the cheese market takes place. We took the train and were in Alkmaar by 9:15 so we could there before things got started at 10:00. The Dutch were the first to export cheese to others and remain the world's largest exporter.
Giant wheels of cheese are lined up in the main square to be auctioned. Cheese is examined by buyers up and down the rows and a handshake signals the cheese is sold. It is then taken with much fanfare to the Weigh House to be weighed before being taken to carts for delivery. The cheese is is put on wooden sleds and carried by two cheese carriers. The market lasts from 10:00 to about 12:30. The entire square and surrounding streets are lined with stalls selling all kinds of goods and the Town has a festival-type vibe. This is probably where Mom got here giddiest on this trip -- excited by the activity of the market but probably more excited to buy something with those last five euros burning a hole in her pocket.
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