Travels in the 2nd half

  Halfway through my one-week stay in Amsterdam, I decided to take a little road trip. I went to Viator , one of my favorite websites for finding tours when I am on vacation, and found a one-day bus tour of the area around Amsterdam. The tour promised windmills, cheese and clogs. So early in the morning (8:00 AM) I found myself near Central Station, boarding a bus with 40 or so half asleep people. Zaandam Our first stop was at Zaanse Schans -The Dutch Windmill Village. From 1964 through 1971, old buildings and windmills from the surrounding area were loaded on to trucks and relocated to the Zaanse Schans neighborhood Zaandam, about 20 km (12 miles) from Amsterdam. The buildings were turned into a historic park, where traditional skills and crafts are demonstrated, and souvenirs are sold. The highlight of the park are the eight windmills that line the Zaan River. Fun note - You might have noticed that the town of Zaandam sits on the Zaan river. In fact it is at the site of a dam tha...

Main Branch of the Joliet Library - Joliet Limestone Driving through the northern stretch of Illinois was an experience of planning and randomness. I planned to visit the Joliet and a small museum in the town of Freeport. In between these stops, I allowed my GPS to plan my route, with its only command being “Avoid Highways” Joliet Illinois Joliet is a city of almost 150,000 people that sits along the Des Plains River. All I knew about it was that there was a state prison there. When I arrived on a Saturday morning, the downtown area was fairly deserted. This gave me a chance to walk around the historic district and take photos without crowds. Apparently I was not the only person looking to take advantage of this fact as there was a photography class or club out taking pictures.  Joliet’s earliest industry was providing limestone to the construction industry in Chicago. Limestone was shipped down the Illinois and Michigan Canal, which ran from...