Today I’ve decided to break my own rules. Usually I try to post something different every day and only one photo at a time, but I really want to continue on with more symbols of the Netherlands. After visiting the windmill in yesterday’s photo, we toured a cheese and clog factory in the countryside outside of Amsterdam where they still use all of the old style equipment. A lady explained the whole cheese making process from start to finish (and handed out samples :)), and then we watched a Dutch clog made from a hunk of wood. I found it very fascinating, and when we were finally led into the gift shop, I went nuts! I pretty much bought out the whole shop, and when I finally stumbled back to the bus with my arms laden with bags, everyone just laughed at me because they were all picturing me trying to fit everything into my luggage for the trip home.
The funniest thing is that my husband had requested I bring him a big round Gouda cheese, so I asked the lady if they could be taken back to Canada. She assured me that it was fine, so I bought a large one for my husband and two smaller ones for my father. However, when we got to the Amsterdam airport on our last day, I visited the duty free shop to buy more cheese and was told that the round Goudas could not be taken into Canada. Oops, what to do?!?! So, I bought some other kinds of cheese that were allowed and when the customs agent asked me if I had purchased any food, with sweat oozing from every pore of my body, I showed him my duty free bags full of cheese and chocolate and kind of neglected to tell him about the abundance of cheese in the bottom of my carry on bag. Somehow, I, who cannot lie if my life depended on it, made it through customs without having anything confiscated and collapsed onto the plane to let my heart rate return to normal.
The following are a couple of photos from the crime scene.
photos from the loonybin 
Great shots. I guess your efforts to supply your family’s cravings was for the greater Gouda. 🙂
Good one! You actually made me laugh out loud at work with that comment. Thanks.
This was a fun read! By the way Gouda cheese is one of my favourite cheese as well although it isn’t considered very fancy.
Thanks! I’m glad you enjoyed it. I think Gouda is my husband’s favourite cheese too, so he was thrilled to get the real thing from Holland, even if it was brought into the country sort of illegally. LOL
Now I’m craving Gouda! Love the photos.
Ya me too now that you mention it! I love cheese.