Alkmaar"Alkmaar started the victory", this is a saying from the time of the struggle against the Spaniels that ended in 1573. The historic cheesetown Alkmaar is situated along the North-Holland North Sea coast. This middle aged town owns more than 400 monuments. The backcountry shows what Holland is known for: polders with farms, windmills, canals, bulbfields and villages like Stompetoren and De Rijp. Not only the Alkmaardermeer has sail and surf places, the sea also has watersports-facilities.
Furthermore there's a large offering of canal boat trips. Either hire your own little boat to self drive through the canals or choose a large trip, like from Alkmaar to the Zaanse Schans or Alkmaardermeer. From harbour " 't Horntje" you can sail across the Alkmaardermeer. From the Broeker Veiling you'll sail through The Empire of Thousand Islands with a Covered boat or a "Langdijker Koolvlet". The Broeker Veiling, the oldest travelling vegetable-auction in the world, is now a museum you can visit - you can even join in at the auction.
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Every friday morning from mid April to mid September you can see why Alkmaar is THE cheesetown of Holland. From 9am to 12am farmers and cheesemakers sell their cheese. Cheese-carriers show how cheeses have been transported by "berries" for over 400 years. Every Friday morning a large number of people visit this colourful show. In the Dutch Cheese museum you can see the manufacturing of cheese in both the old-fashioned and modern way.
