EDAM, HOLLAND

Edam is a charming little city about 75 km/40 miles north of Amsterdam. It came into existence during the 12th century, as fisherman and farmers began taking up residency here. By the 17th century, the city was booming due to its role in shipbuilding. One of Edam's most famous ships was the 'Halve Maan' or 'Half Moon'. This was the ship that took Henry Hudson sailing to 'Hudson Bay' in 1609, as he attempted to discover a new route to the East Indies. Much of the architecture in Edam remains from the booming 17th century. It's a treat to walk along the canal-lined streets with its 400 year old buildings, just taking in the Dutch scenery.

And yes, it is home to the famous Edam cheese, which you will find in the windows of many Edam shops. Edam cheese was the most popular cheese during the 14th-18th centuries due to its ability to age well, thus allowing it to be brought along for long journeys or travels. Rumor has it, the cheese was so hard centuries ago that it was used as bullets for cannons, hence its bullet-like shape. Today, the shape remains, but the hardness disappeared. Besides, who would want to waste good cheese?

While in Edam, we stayed at the 'De Fortuna' hotel (http://www.fortuna-edam.nl/), offering comfortable rooms with a stellar restaurant (including quite the extensive wine list). For convenience, there is a bus station just a few hundred meters from the hotel, taking visitors to all the major sights in the area, including several buses to Central Station in Amsterdam. For those of you having visited Amsterdam, you understand the challenge of not only finding and affording parking (up to 40 Euro/day), but actually driving in the city where bicyclists outweigh the number of cars. Add to that the streetcars and you've got a waiting disaster for anyone not on their toes, attention-wise. Just as Christer...he hit a bicyclist our last trip..not a good thing (although everyone was okay). That said, I'd highly recommend staying in the outskirts of Amsterdam so as to not have to drive AND to experience the rich countryside that truly defines Holland.

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