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Zaanse Schans

The Verkade Museum (Het Verkade Paviljoen)

Last summer I have visited with my parents and kids the Verkade museum. It is a section of the Zaanse Museum and is located in the Zaanse Schans in Zaandam.

The Verkade products are very popular in Holland and many are found in other European countries. Specially famous in Holland are the Verkade chocolate letters you find in supermarkets during November and December.

In the 125 years of its existence, Verkade has produced 48 different cookies, several types of chocolate, toffees, bonbons, waffles, cakes, snacks and... candles.

Below, some of the old machines used in the factory.

The Verkade museum also displays a huge quantity of adverstisement produced during the years. Some are quite popular and you can buy such vintage metal plates at Loods 5, in Zaandam.

  I love them !

(photo above: The Verkade Museum archive)

At the end of the XIX century, Verkade was one fo the first industries in the world exploiting employing women. The "girls from Verkade" were hundreds of young Amsterdam girls who went every morning to work in Zaandam by train. In the museum, I have read a testimony of a woman working as secretary for Verkade in the beginning of the XX century. She found unbelievable how hard the girls had to work, hour after hour during many long days. She herself was very happy and feeling lucky for doing administrative work and not being one of "those (blue collar) girls". There are also written testimonies of the Verkade girls, how they were gathered in Amsterdam every morning at the Central Station in Amsterdam, how they bonded with each other singing in the train,  how they had to perform domestic chores at home after factory hours, and how they tried to steal cookies to take home during the World War II.   Life was tough !

The last years you watch now and then on the TV commercials from featuring "the girls from Verkade" - mostly naif, young & sweet girls who make cookies at the company. Hey, but apparently on Fridays they get "a bit naughty" because they make salty cookies with herbs. (Check vid below). Talk about eroticizing products...

Well, that was it. My kids loved visiting the museum while my parents got a little bit disappointed because nothing was in English. The absence of translations in the museum is really a negative aspect. Anyway, next to the exit/entrance to the museum there is a lunch room and a souvenir shop. You can also visit the shop without having to pass by the museum first.

Above: wooden molds (in the shape of a windmill and dolls) for speculaas cookies. I think such molds are also funky when used as decoration items hanging on the walls of a kitchen.

The museum shop is a large one, and has a wide range of  items such as reproductions of vintage posters, illustration cards (with themes such as butterflies, flowers, fruits and the Dutch landscape), books, tea sets, trays, kitchen utensils, cookies, chocolates. Very lovely and pretty.

Below, a parody of Verkade girls made by the comediants from the program Koefnoen.

At Verkade we know what delicious means...

You just put blushy blond ladies next to a pack of cookies

and it sells itself.

Thus our sweetenes in a tasteful jacket.

They are de Verkade girls !

A delicious combination of boobs and cookies.

And while you get distracted by them,

the real Verkade ladies are working hard making cookies

in order to deliver to whole Holland

something that is good to dip (in tea)

according to tested recipes.

(voice off) Old Cookie - by Verkade

Dolfinarium

Continuing with the attractions I have visited with my family this summer...
Ta-da ! The Dolfinarium !

Two shows you cannot miss: the first is the "Spetter" with dolphins in the Dolphin Domain (DolfijnDo Mijn). Loooove dolphins (and big primates) - but by now you know it already, I guess..

Sorry for the blurred photos... The show is quite good. I give it a 8 (I enjoyed it far more two years ago. It was another story then.). The story of a girl who dreamed of dolphins and fought the nightmare monster - the best part of the show, the guy was really mean and powerful but was kicked off by the super intelligent dolphins, of course.

I said "no" to this blinking-magical thing, my parent said "yes !"and purchased a couple of them for my kids. Oh, well... okay then... Let's watch the Band of Pirates (in the Crazy Sea Lion Theather) the second great show you cannot miss. A pirate and a bank manager and his helper (a very playful and intellingent seal), in a very simple story. Really funny, really surprising.

Appropriate for kids from 0 to 100 years old.  

On the first page of De Telegraaf you can read: PIRATES !! Let's hide the money !

Not to worry: the seal give the pirate a well deserved lesson at the end.

They all look like jelly, huh ?

These animals are incredibly sweet and well trained.

That's it for now. Goodbye !

The Dolfinarium is located in Harderwijk, in the province of Gelderland.

(If you like orkas, seals, sharks and the super intelligent dolphins you cannot miss this attraction. It is not needed to understand Dutch at all in order to have a good time at the Dolfinarium, so no worries if you are a foreigner. Needless to mention: there are a couple of restaurants there and all facilities you could expect - but the fish stalls on the street nearby the entrance are also great ! Lovely fried cod from the North Sea... you cannot forget to give it a go ! )  

Wanna know more ?

www.dolfinarium.nl

Strandboulevard Oost 1

3841 AB Harderwijk

The Netherlands

The Dolfinarium can be reached via the A28 (Amersfoort-Zwolle). From the motorway, please follow the Dolfinarium signs.There are plenty of municipal car parks with paid parking (also for coaches).

If you are coming by train, get off at Harderwijk (NS station), then take the bus (no. 144, 147 or 148) to the Dolfinarium.

From the bus stop it is just a few minutes’ walk along the harbour to reach the Dolfinarium.

The video below is not Dolfinarium related, but I though it is a lovely video to finish this post. I wish I could hypnotise some sharks liek that... while dressed like a ninja of the seas - exactly like the incredible Cristina Zenato does. I have to start rubbing some noses in order to get some practice...

Awesome Front Doors (Zaanse Schans)

How incredible can these doors be ? Check more about the Zaanse Schans here. I will be soon posting more about this special place, so keep tuned... (and do not forget to follow my blog if you are stil not doing it - ahem !)

Madurodam

Bilingual Post (English/Portuguese)

Me with my mom and daughter in front at the park entrance. There is an open (paid) parking lot near the entrance, but fortunately we could just park for free near the tram tracks - just a two minute walk further.

Hans Brinker: the little Dutch boy with a finger in the dyke.

I have always thought that Madurodam was much smaller than it proved to be in reality. In my mind you could admire some Dutch buildings in miniature and that was it. I tell you: Madurodam is a quite BIG park surrounded by woods. It has a (self service) restaurant, a couple of bars, a theater room where you can enjoy a short film and special effects (laser & holograms) and a train ride for the kids. Yep: expect to spend almost a whole day while in there.

Eu sempre achei que as mini maquetes de Madurodam ocupassem uma área bem menor. Algo como: um par de prédios que ocuparia o tamanho da minha sala de estar. Pois olha: o parque é imeeenso e não dá para visitar em algumas horinhas não ! O visitante gasta horas e horas, se bobear a maior parte do dia dá para ser passada lá... Há um restaurante self service, alguns bares, uma sala com um filminho cheio de efeitos especiais e até um trenzinho para as crianças que roda o parque todo.   

There are many paths for the visitors so that they can admire the architectonical details of every maquette very closely.

Há muitos caminhos para os visitantes passearem no meio das maquetes e assim apreciar de pertinho cada detalhe.

Now, I funny thing I think it is worthy to point out is that the building are not agrouped per theme or city. For instance, it is NOT that you will see maquettes of famous Dutch cathedrals agrouped in one side of the park. There are some streets where you can spot a famous museum located in Amsterdam neighbouring a famous church actually located somewhere else...  Still, the result is pretty.

Algo engraçado que acho importante destacar. Os prédios não são agrupados nem por tema nem por cidade. Por exemplo: numa mesma rua você vê um museu de Amsterdam junto a um palácio de Haia e uma universidade de Utrecht. Ainda assim, o resultado é harmonioso e muito interessante.

Suddenly we heard via the loud speakers that a film with special effects was about to start. We rushed to the place (a white salon) and the so called film started. it was in Dutch with English subtitles and lots of laser . It told the history of the fight agains water, the water tragedies, the Delta works. Everything in a simple language so kids (and foreigners with a basic English) could understand it.  Film finished, on the way out the visitors follow a path that end up in a... souvenir shop. (You cannot avoid them. If you feel like not visiting one, then you end up visiting an attraction with the exit giving to a shop. So typical Dutch. ) I have bought some candy for my daughter and a book for my old one.   

De repente, ouvimos através das caixas de som que um filme iria começar. Descobrimos o acesso com uma fil para um salão de projeções. Muitos efeitos especiais de laser e hologramas, um filme narrado em holandes (e com legendas em inglês) contava a estória da luta contra o mar, as tragédias passadas quando nível do mar aumentou, e os trabalhos do Delta no sul do país - bem como a construção dos enormes diques e comportas. Terminado o filme, na saída o caminho leva par dentro de uma loja de suvenires. (Isso é tão típico holandês, colocar uma loja no meio do caminho mesmo quando você faz de tudo para evitá-la... Bom, comprei uns docinhos pra minha filha e um livro para o meu garoto.)

Madurodam is a "Holland in a nutshell". If you have just a couple of days to visit the country, just go to Madurodam and discover how the old and the modern most important features of the Dutch architecture look like. Everything is replicated to the smallest detail on a scale 1:25. Btw, You will feel many times like a bird, appreciating aerial views. And birds gallore in Madurodam !
Madurodam é uma cidade em miniatura, com todos os pontos culminantes da arquitetura da Holanda. As réplicas estão numa escala de 1:25 e os detalhes são preciosos.  Na verdade, é um grande cartão de visitas do país e se você tiver pouco tempo para visitar a Holanda, basta dizer que conheceu tudo através de Madurodam, hahaha ! E você vai se sentir como um pássaro, com tanta "vista aérea". Aliás pássaros são o que não falta em Madurodam, especialmente corvos e gaivotas...

In the restaurant there two options of soup, hot dog, and typical Dutch hearty pastries such as sausage bread, cheese soufflé and sandwiches. Around noon time it was announced a puppet show.

No restaurante self service há duas opções de sopa, cachorro quente, e os típicos folheados de salsicha e queijo, ém de sanduíches. Por volta do meio dia um teatro de marionetes foi anunciado para as crianças.

Afterwards, a girl dressed as a clown showed up in order to make some balloon figures for the kids. They could choose which colour they preferred and which animal.   

... and my little girl returned home so happy with her new balloon !

Entrance fees:  Adults: 14,50 euros

Kids (3-11 years old): 10,50 euros

Address: George Madurodamplein 1

2584RZ Den Haag

Tel: 070 416-2400

www.madurodam.nl

By public transport: take the train to The Hague and travel by tram or bus.

• From Den Haag Central Station: tram 9 or bus 22, in direction Scheveningen, stop Madurodam


• From Den Haag Holland Spoor: tram 9, in direction Schevening, stop Madurodam


• From Scheveningen Beach: tram 9 in direction of Central Station, stop Madurodam