On the previous post on my blog, I was updating the stories on Day 1 until Day 6. Then, I would like to continue on Day 7 on 04 December 2019 (Wednesday). This day we started our day after breakfast at the hotel around 06:30 am. On Day 7, we start 1-day tour around Amsterdam, Netherlands without a tour guide. The first destination, we're going is Zaanse Schans and we start our tour around 8 am. Before that, we take the chance of looking lobby area of Ibis Schiphol Amsterdam Airport Hotel. 

The journey by bus from Ibis Schiphol Amsterdam Airport Hotel to the Zaanse Schans is not fair, it's taken around 40 minutes. The Zaanse Schans is a neighborhood of Zaandam, near Zaandijk, Netherlands. It is best known for its collection of well-preserved historic windmills and houses. From 1961 to 1974 old buildings from all over the Zaanstreek were relocated using lowboy trailers to the area. The Zaans Museum, established in 1994 near the first Zaanse Schans windmill, is located south of the neighborhood. 

Zaanse Schans derived its name from the river Zaan and its original function as sconce (Schans in Dutch) against the Spanish troops during the Eighty Years' War of Dutch independence.

The first place, we visit at the Zaanse Schans is making the wooden shoe. The famous elements at this place and also the Netherlands. It's nice to see the demo of making the wooden shoes by them. 

Zaanse Schans is one of the popular tourist attractions of the Netherlands and an anchor point of the European Route of Industrial Heritage (ERIH). The neighborhood attracted approximately 1.6 million visitors in 2014. It is served by Zaandijk Zaanse Schans railway station, 18 minutes away from Amsterdam Centraal station.

The second famous elements of this place are a cheese. Of course, it's had a short demo to making the cheese, before we're tasting some cheese in this shop. But I like the Syrup Waffle that sells in this place too. It's so delicious to me, even its too sweet. 

The Zaanse Schans houses seven museums – the Weavers House, the Cooperage, the Jisper House, Zaan Time Museum, Albert Heijn Museum Shop, and the Bakery Museum. The whole neighborhood is a popular attraction and there is a debate in local politics on how to reduce overcrowding. This place is so big and it's also so beautiful to take many photos around this place, especially in the morning. 

During lunchtime, we're going to the Taibah Jama Mosque Amsterdam to pray and take the light lunch at the mosque. This mosque is the new mosque of this area and its such a beautiful place.

Then, we visit the Damrak. The Damrak is an avenue and partially filled in the canal at the center of Amsterdam, running between Amsterdam Centraal in the north and Dam Square in the south. It is the main street where people arriving at the station enter the center of Amsterdam. Also, it is one of the two GVB tram routes from the station into the center, with lines 4, 9, 16, and 25 running down it. It is also on the route of the North/South Line (Amsterdam metro line) being constructed between the existing metro station at Centraal Station and the new Rokin station. 

The street was located on a rak (reach), a straight part of the Amstel river near a dam; hence the name. In the 19th century, a section of it was filled in. because of the former stock exchange building, the monumental Beurs van Berlage, and several other buildings related to financial activities erected there in the early 20th century, the term "Damrak" has come to be a synonym for the Amsterdam Stock Exchange in the same way "Wall Street" is synonymous with the New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ. The Beurs van Berlage now serves as a concert and exhibition hall. Today, the area is known for its restaurants, bars, and tourist shops. Its canals serve as a busy area for canal boats, as well. 

The Royal Palace of Amsterdam in Amsterdam is one of three palaces in the Netherlands which are at the disposal of the monarch by Act of Parliament. It is situated on the west side of Dam Square in the center of Amsterdam, opposite the War Memorial and next to the Nieuwe Kerk. 

The palace was built as a city hall during the Dutch Golden Age in the 17th century. The building became the royal palace of King Louis Napoleon and later of the Dutch Royal House. 

The National Monument on Dam Square is a 1956 monument in Amsterdam, Netherlands. A national Remembrance of the Dead ceremony is held at the monument every year on 4 may commemorate the casualties of World War II and subsequent armed conflicts. 

I get the chance to taste the most popular foods in Amsterdam, which is Manneken Pis on the Damrak is famous for its Flemish fries, actually made from Dutch potatoes. After one bite, you'll be in fry heaven. The schanulleke is a perfect snack size portion, while Urbanus is better for lunch. The fries with a variety of cheese to choose from. It's so delicious. 

TIP 18 – From begin, maybe you can see the queue in front of the shop is long but it's fast. I was just taken 5 minutes to buy the Flemish fries at the Manneken Pis. The portion was also big to share with another member. The price also not expensive, the large portion is around € 4.95 (RM 23.80) and if you want to put extra sauce just add € 0.50 (RM 2.40). 

TIP 19 – This area also have a lot of Halal Food Restaurant for the Muslim Tourist to eat. 

The last activity of this day is the Amsterdam Canal Cruise that takes us along the city's most fascinating points of interest, including the Westerkerk Church, the Anne Frank House Museum, the Skinny Bridge, the Amstel River, the Hermitage Museum and many other attractions. 

Besides providing a stunning backdrop to the city's historical center, floating down Amsterdam's canals is one of the most memorable ways to discover the city's sights and attractions. Everything in Amsterdam seems a bit more magical when viewed from a boat. Most canal cruises take around an hour, in which we explore Amsterdam's UNESCO protected canal ring and discover plenty of interesting facts about the city along the way. 

Today, the dinner menu from the Bonda Restaurant. The menu is Padang buffet-style ala Indonesia. It's delicious but the place of the restaurant is quite small. After dinner, we're back at the hotel and start packing for check-out tomorrow. It's tired on this day but its a nice moment for me. 

That is all my stories on day 7 of this trip. Just for your information, I have been writing the extra note tip about Dream Trip to Western Europe in November 2019 based on my experience during this trip. Feel free to read it. Here, the link to the continued stories about the Dream Trip to Western Europe in November 2019 – Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 8, Day 9, Day 10, Day 11, and Day 12.