Zaanse Schans, Netherlands

What do you think of when you think of the Netherlands? For me, it's windmills.

When I first bought my ticket to Amsterdam I knew that I wanted to see some good old fashioned Dutch windmills.

The problem? Well, they're really aren't any in Amsterdam. To find the old windmills you have to venture out on a 20 minute train ride to Zaanse Schans. It's simple enough to get here. Just purchase your ticket from the train station (I purchased mine from a person as opposed to the machine) and you're there in 20 minutes.

Once you exit the train, there are signs that you can follow to get to the windmills. It's another 15-20 minutes walking until you actually arrive. Once you cross a bridge you'll see what amounts to an old fashioned village with the windmills on the waterfront. 

I easily could have spent half a day here photographing everything. It was that amazing of a site. The only downside of my particular visit was that it was a pretty overcast day.

I understand that there are tours that you can pay for that also get you into various shops and things, but I opted not to pay for these. I'm glad I didn't. 

The views just walking around the village and windmills were good enough for me. 

I think that you'll find a similar experience if you travel to this part of the Netherlands. 

Pro tip: There are train information booths at every stop. I kindly asked the worker which train to get to Zaanse Schans and he told me the correct platform. I, however, wasn't paying close attention and boarded an earlier train going a different direction. 

Luckily for me, a nice older Dutch gentleman gave me directions to two connecting trains to get me to my destination. The locals were all so friendly and willing to help this lost American.