Image credit: Adriana Vieira & René Schaap
The Netherlands - Alkmaar
The country famous for its delicious cheeses, the Netherlands, still cultivates the same way of negotiating the product in the open-air market, in the middle of the city's main square. And everything there works as it did in the 15th century (since 1662).
We are in Alkmaar, a city that is 40 km from the capital, Amsterdam. The market, where the Public Wealth Building is also located, is the city's main attraction.
There, the merchants give their price and the "negotiation" begins. One extends his arm... and waits. Then another reacts. He gestures, puts his arm forward, arm back, as if to say he does not accept the price given. A true dance of negotiations! Until finally they agree... and the deal is done! Then the cheese carriers enter the scene! They also have their moment of fame! Starting with their nicknames. Each one has a name linked to the country. It could be Mr Tulip, or even Mr Wooden Clog.
We are in Alkmaar, a city that is 40 km from the capital, Amsterdam. The market, where the Public Wealth Building is also located, is the city's main attraction.
There, the merchants give their price and the "negotiation" begins. One extends his arm... and waits. Then another reacts. He gestures, puts his arm forward, arm back, as if to say he does not accept the price given. A true dance of negotiations! Until finally they agree... and the deal is done! Then the cheese carriers enter the scene! They also have their moment of fame! Starting with their nicknames. Each one has a name linked to the country. It could be Mr Tulip, or even Mr Wooden Clog.
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Speaking of weighing the cheeses... this is another picturesque part of the market. In addition to the old scales, where the cheeses are weighed, counterbalanced with iron ones... those really old ones... there are also scales where tourists can weigh themselves, or rather, people act as counterweights. On one side of the scale are placed the iron weights and on the opposite side... us!!! It's guaranteed fun!!! The "cheese weighers" have fun and we have fun! They dress us up in big hats... and put two or three people together on the scales... again, the photos are part of the fun!
Well, the market and the Peso Public Building are the city's main attractions and the negotiations take place every Friday at 10 am.
But if you have more time to wander around Alkmaar, it's worth visiting the Cheese Museum, which is behind the Peso Public Building, in the VVV building (the Dutch tourist information center).
The choice is yours!!! The city also offers boat trips along the canals and if the weather is nice, it's worth walking through the narrow streets and learning more about the history of Alkmaar. There's also the "House with the Bullet"... whose story is, to say the least, picturesque!!! Read the article Alkmaar 2... and watch the videos about the city.
Plan your trip with public transport:
