Baking Museum at Medemblik

When we arrived to Medemblik, the girls decided that they want to visit the baking museum.

As the girls entered the museum, they saw a baker handling cookies cutter to children. This baker is very friendly with young kids. The girls helped to cut the dough using cookies cutter. The girls were happily helping him.

As he was baking cakes and cookies for sale too, the girls had the opportunity to help him. They unwrapped the butter, weighing the sugar to pouring baking flour into big mixer and rolling cookies dough. It was fun. This baker barely speaks English. But he tried his best to speak one or two words to communicate with the girls.

The shop

The girls took out the wrappers of 10 blocks of butter

He weighed the flour with a scale

The baker handed 2 packets of flour to them

Pour the flour into this traditional 'giant' mixer

Mixing in progress

The cookie dough is ready

Traditional 'rolling pin' to flatten the dough 

Cut the dough with cookies cutter

Baking in progress

Yay! Cookies freshly out from oven. (these are not for sale)

Because it's a museum, there are plenty of machine and baking mould on display. The variety is amazing.

It's free for museum card holders. 4.5 Euro for children age 3-12 years old. The museum organize workshop too. This is the website (in dutch) for more info: http://deoudebakkerij.nl/

Steam Train from Hoorn to Medemblik

It was an interesting steam train ride from Hoorn to Medemblik. The scenery was calming and soothing. The beautiful landscapes across the countryside was rejuvenating. As we arrived in this small town of Medemblik, there are tour buses and golf cart to tour the town for free.

There are porters waving good bye to the passengers in the train when the train leaves the station.





Scenery from Hoorn to Medemblik

This is one of the flower field. We will board the train to enjoy the beautiful landscape of the flower field in spring next year.

This is the window where we pushed it down manually after pulling the leather strap. The leather strap has to be fastened on the wooden panel under the window.



The toilet is authentic. I didn't bring my camera to the toilet. It's a must experience :-)

The steam train stop at this station. Children has the opportunity to play some local games here.



This is the bicycle where children get to go on it. This represent one of the olden days activities at the railway station.



This is one of the storage room at the station.



Look at this beautiful steam train. It's so new. According to the captain in the train, they took care of this train with care.






Yes, the coals are burning hot!



Beautiful authentic salon-deck





On the way to Medemblik, there is opportunity to dress up. Costume for olden days child. On the way back to Hoorn, children have the opportunity to help the porter to load parcels from the train to bicycle. Children get to be the train conductor too.

It was a nice experience to be in the old steam train. It takes me back in time where travel is an adventure. Creaking wooden partition, steam hisses and engine whistles brought me back to my memory of my first train experience back in 1992.  Indeed it was a nice experience!

Sandy Beach Along IJmeer

It was a sunny afternoon. 22 degree celcius. We have decided to go to the beach. This is our second visits to this sandy beach along IJmeer.

It was very windy on our first visit. And we were very cold. Chilly. We went to the nearby beach pavilion called Blijburg Aan Zee. A cozy restaurant with good food. I like the menu as it's not the usual Dutch  cold lunch like sandwiches. It has yummy warm food too. 

On our first visit, we tried grilled chicken drummets and wings (gemarineerde kipvleugels), artichoke (artisjok), sandwiches with Nutella (botterham met nutella), chicken curry with white rice (curry met kip). 

On our second visit, we ordered tosti (tandoori bread with cheese and homemade tomato paste), flat crunchy pizza with spinach and Turkish sausages (flammkuchen) and chick peas soup with mint leaves and dill. 

The food is tasty and good.

We walked to the beach after our lunch. The beach were bustling with young kids running into the water. It was windy too. But it wasn't so cold because the sun is out. This is a huge sandy beach. Adults get to chillax while kids spend hours and hours building sandcastles, dipping into very cold water, play foot ball and beach ball game. 

This picture was taken when I was walking up the slope to check out the surrounding. Definitely it's quieter on the other side. You can see more couples here. 

The beach has football goalpost for children. Kids will play for hours here. 

Besides goalpost, there are 3 beach volley ball net. If you are visiting the beach in a group, be sure to bring a volley ball. 

Not forgetting, there's a clean toilet nearby too.

This is the view of the beach from the sandy slope. 

This shop sells very yummy french fries! Yes, the queue is really long. They have the best ice coffee slushies too. This shop is right under restaurant Blijburg Aan Zee. 

Last but not least, I get to watched the clouds passed by. As I laid on the beach, kids voices became background music, I quietly hear the chirping bird above me with a big white canvas, the cloud as the background. 

I wouldn't recommend it on a chilly and windy day. But I will come back when the sun is shinning and will dine in Blijburg Aan Zee. 

Food Truck Festival Trek

We had a great time in our previous food  truck event, Rollende Keukens at Amsterdam Westergasfabriek.

So we took the opportunity to go to another food truck festival, Food Truck Festival Trek at Amstelpark. 

The atmosphere was amazing. Food was good too. Many brought picnic mat and have picnic. Children had amazing time running around. 

We saw the first food truck, frietjes. French fries. It's freshly deep fried cut potatoes top with mayonnaise and tomato ketchup. 

The girls spotted churros stall. It's fresh made with milk chocolate sauce.

Beef stew with brown bread

Pulled pork toastie

Fish and chips

Angus beef tortilla

We made it to the top on one truck that sells beef stew. The atmosphere was amazing. Weather was good too. Gezellig! 

A truck for those who wants to shave and a hair cut

Deco at fish and chips truck

These 2 gentlemen play very good folk songs! Check them out at Buskin' Belters FB page. 

Cool burgers truck. We wondered if Malaysian Ramli Burger can be this cool.

Serious? Asian food by Belgians? :-) 

If you are looking for laid back atmosphere, good food and live music, food truck festival in the park is the best place to be.