North Holland and its villages

Hi Everyone

This post is all about my second visit to Holland in June this year. It was a short vacation with our doggy boy 'Joy' in tow and a drive of a little over 3 hours to North Holland.



We stayed in a vacation park near Ijsselmeer Lake in Andijk. Our Bungalow with its tiny garden, the canals around it and the view through the living room was a feast for the eyes. Joy was one happy soul since he had his first chance to travel out of country and explore a new place, with much of nature to enjoy and far relaxed rules for him, who would mind that huh ! We chillaxed in the garden, cooked some comfort food and soaked in some sun that evening before hitting the bed. 

All set to go

The garden and the birdhouse...so cute

Our Abode 

Loved having my first tea there

Canals flowing through the village

woke up to this the First Morning , Blissful !!

The weather wasn't our friend next morning but that when in Europe cannot be a show-stopper and so after walking Joy early in morning, I headed out to walk around the lake and neighbourhood finding many jewels which tickled my nomadic soul and were so inspiring. The walkway and cycling route created alongside the lake and the village on the other side was such a favourite for vacationers and residents. We walked, cycled and endlessly gazed at the Lake, Village, Farms and the most beautiful of houses.  Thing in Holland is people decorate the windows of their home so beautifully and creatively that it seems like nothing short of a piece of art.

Lake Ijsselmeer

Gates to Heaven

Super excited my JOY

Views of the village from walkway

Just the place to be

 In the afternoon we drove to Noordwijk which has a stretch of beach that is open for dogs and we wished for Joy to experience it and so after driving for an hour and a half, the boys played with Frisbee on the beach whilst I indulged in Dutch Kroket ('Croquettes' as called  otherwise) with coffee and YUM is the word to describe these deep fried breadcrumbs coated goodness, a must-have !! I had it everyday of our stay with the coffee as an evening snack.

That evening we went to this highly recommended restaurant 'Le Mastenbar' in the the neighbouring city of Enkhuizen. I love seafood so ordered a crispy grilled fish and Manish had a fish stew served with Pasta. The interiors of the place were so done as to remind visitors of the glorious past of Enkhuizen as an important harbour for trade routes which was perfectly complimented by the stunning view of Ijsselmmer lake outside. I loved every bit of it.

View from Le Mastenbar

Fish for Dinner

My Evening gear

Flowers of my scarf brightened the weather up for me

Next morning brought in lovely sunny weather and warmed up my soul for a day visit again to Enkhuizen. I had fallen in love with whatever little I saw the evening before and figured out that this was the place I wish to walk more in and see more of. The backdrop is interestingly set by a Harbour which has lots of yachts and ships parked. St. Pancras Church from 1450, the kitsch cafes, restaurants and the Gothic Town hall, the street market, beautiful houses, antique home decor shops are much of what makes Enkhuizen the charming, stylish town that it is. We enjoyed our late lunch that evening in Enkuizen with some more fish and seafood at a cafe. I happened to taste some waffles, take a stroll through the local market with some fresh regional produce (picked up a kilo of cherries) and some cheese. Enkhuizen for me was like living a dream, it was so picturesque and romantic as if straight out of a fairy tale. In the evening we took Joy to a nearby beach of Ijsselmeer Lake for some doggy time and called it a day thereafter.

Look at those houses

A Local Cafe

Being Greatful

Clicked during morning walk

Please, I am tired of walking

Quaint

On the way to Enkhuizen

The streets of Enkhuizen

At the harbour

A neighbourhood in Enkhuizen

Couldn't have enough of the pretty windows

So Peaceful

A Cheese shop

The Waffle stand

Local Market, picked Cherries to much during my stay there

Choosing my Cheese

Snacking Kroket

Another one from the harbour

Luckily third day we had some more sun and so we headed for a cycling tour of the area with Joy and had breakfast of Pancakes served with fresh fruits and cream at the cafe in our vacation park. 

We then drove to the Island town of 'Marken' , about an hours drive from Andijk. Marken only lets residents drive into the city with their cars. All visitors have to park in the city parking and pay fee for bringing car and the number of individuals.  Here we visited the Dutch wooden clog factory to see how the Dutch Clogs are made but that's only a tiny part of what describes this sweet little fishing village in North Holland. It is actually an Island which is connected to the mainland by a land bridge. This place still has traditional green wooden houses, tightly packed, very narrow streets, few canals and people wearing traditional Dutch costume. Its a gorgeous island to walk around or walk through since its not very large and I enjoyed taking pictures here and feeding sparrows with my hands as they didn't fear humans and were sitting right in front of me while I enjoyed my grilled Salmon at one of the few cafes around the harbour. There is much to admire and most interestingly the white-bridges built over canals running through the village that makes this place look all the more like a fantasy.

Streets and wooden houses in Marken

Those XXXL Clogs

Cafe in Marken

Loving the sunny time

Beautiful Terrace

Look at that huge Salmon Fillet

My Birdies

Feeding the sparrows some fries

Look at this little birdie

One o f the City bridges

Another one

Walking around

Marken finishes here

Amongst the old green wooden fishermen houses

Alleys Id rather be lost in

After getting back to the bungalow, we went for a walk around the village with Joy and had our evening coffee at a local place.

My Outfit: Tops by HnM, Tally Weijl, Shoes by NewYorker and Puma, Bag by Rowallan, Hollister Jean, Blue Poncho from a local boutique and Sunglasses from Michael Kors.

Hope you enjoyed this one, Travel Happy !!