During one of the rainy days I had to venture out to get my hair cut and colored. I had just walked into a salon a week before and made the appointment. The receptionist had a cute short haircut and that was my deciding factor. As good as any - right? Again, I lucked out. I was a little scared as she kept cutting it shorter and shorter but I like it. This was before Karl did my coloring.
Hester and I after the haircut.
Next I went downstairs where the coloring was done and met "Karl, the killer, the dreaded dresser".
His statement, not mine. Karl was an interesting person. It took about 1 hour and 15 minuts to do the color and highlights and Karl never left my side nor did he stop talking. I was thoroughy entertained. Karl has a PhD in Ancient history. He ended up working for the Royal Shakespearian Company as a backstage dresser for 7 years. What had started as a request by a friend to help out one night ended up becoming a short career. He of course had met many famous actors and actresses and shared some great stories about them. He remembered meeting Mira, my daughter-in-law,when she went backstage to meet one of the actors whomshe had appeared with "The Quiz Show" . He also is a singer and would do the singing parts when asked. He still does some singing for charity events and clients, I guess, because he did some for me. He does have a great voice. He ended up doing hair on a bet and I guess at one time was a very famous hairdresser giving classes all over the world, ,etc. He was head of the Red Door Salon in New York City. He had a four year contract with them but after two he had decided it wasn't for him and when he met with the head of the Red Door to inform him they insisted he had a four year contract so must stay. He informed them he had two tickets - one a ticket home and one to the top of the Empire State Building. Their decision would determiine which one he used. He was let out of his contract due to mental instabiity and for two years when clients called wanting to get an appointment with the famous stylist, they were told he was fully booked. Enough about Karl except to say I liked what he did. I think I'm set here in Amsterdam with a stylist and colorist. So glad to have that out of the way. My advise if your coming to Europe, treat yourself to a haircut. They do head massages and take an hour to cut your hair.
Thursday was again forecasted to be rainy but when we woke up the sun was shining and we decided to head out of town and visit Zaanse Schans about an hour outside of Amsterdam. We had the research all done - bus 319, platform C. Just as we walked up to the bus platform we saw bus 319 but not on the right platorm so we let it take off without us. We waited and many buses with different numbers all going to the same place came and went. We couldn't figure out why no bus numbered 319 was showing up where we were but instead going to anyother platform. We assumed ( not good) that those buses did not go to Zaanse Schans but only went to Zaandam. Finally we realized the error of our ways. Platform C included all 4 bus lanes and bus number 19 was indeed the correct bus to hop on and get us to Zaanse Schans. I guess were not as smart as we look. OH! maybe we are.
The Zaanse Schans was named after the site of a fortificaqtion entrentrenchment, built there in 1574.
Most of the period houses, buildings and windmills were re-located here during the second half of the 20th century. The houses are lived in and a variety of traditional Dutch crafts and trades are on display in old workshops, barns and houses. The town is situated on the River Zaan. The first windmills were built around 1600. Initially they were used to keep their feet dry but later on they used them to develope an entire industrial area. Barley, rice, paper, wood, cooking oil, mustard, tobacco, hemp and many other products were processed in 1000 windmills in the area. From 1850 on the work was taken over by the soot-spewing steam engines. Only 13 windmills survived,as a monuments of industry and technology.
We started our little day adventure by going through the museum.
My kind of museum!
The museum houses a unique colection that includes working chocolate and biscuit machines.
A hundred or more women were employed at the company and were called "The Verkade Girls". They had good hours, and were fed good meals,and the company even provided day care (1951) long before it was popular. The meals were served on china and included forks and knives and spoons. Many of the girl's did have these luxuries at home. They had a park to play in and all in all it was a very good life for these employees. The owner of the company even lobbied for shorter work weeks and many called him a socialist - to have such ideas at that time was unheard of.
As you finished your tour of the machines that are used to make the biscuits and chocoate there is someone there to present you with one of their biscuits. Not the chocolate however. Darn! So we determined we would ppick some up on our way home - we have- and it's soooooooo good!
After the tour of the museum we walked arouond the little town. It was so lovely - sitting on the Zaan River, lovely gardens and quaint homes and buiding.
There were three operational windmills that could be toured. We elected to see "De Kat" (The Cat). In 1959 the millwright G. Husslage placed the top an the interior machinery of the dye mill De Duinjager ("The Dune Hunter") on the base of the old mill De Kat. The remnants of the two old windmills dating from about the 1780 started out a new life as a dye mill called De Kat.
The inside of the windmill with it's large gears, slowly grinding.
We climbed to the top and had a fabulous view of the countryside as welll as the blades of the windmill.They are BIG!
Next we went to the "Wooden Shoe Factory". What used to take hours to make they can now do in 5 minutes with the help of two machines that were invented over 75 years ago, The shoes are made of Canadian Poplar. The machine from Germany carves the outside of the shoe using the same technology as making a duplicate of a key. The French machine shapes the inside of the shoe.
After the shoes are completed they have to be dried since the popular retains so much water and that takes 4 to 5 weeks.
Inside the factory are hundred of wooden shoes on display. They have shoes for work, weddings, Sundays, play, extraordinary shoes, children. sports, etc.
Who needs a pedicure when you can buy some of these.
And these are made for me! Diamonds on my feet. Who could ask for more.
Here I am - flirting with the baker, on top of the world, and finally finding a pair of shoes that fit!
We ended our day with a cup of coffee and a Dutch treat. See the bird in the tree? Right over our table...or I should say Sharon. Yup! Turned out to be a "shity" fay for Sharon!
She cleaned herself up and we caught the bus home. It was a fun day.
Great pictures and story telling, Terry. I like your new haircut, too! If you haven't already visited Vondel Park, that's a nice area close to the museum district. We stayed a few nights at a boutique hotel there 2 years ago. Thanks for your informative reports!
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