THE NETHERLANDS - Europe by Eurail 2015: Touring Europe by Train - page 411

Another unique museum is dedicated to the history of beer production. Featuring
the fine skills of brewmasters and covering 5,000 years of beer-making history,
the National Beer Museum De Boom deals with all aspects down through the
ages that have determined the various characteristics of beer, including the current
Dutch favorite, pale lager. It is interesting to note that despite the complicated
brewing equipment used today, the art of brewing has remained a natural process
relatively unchanged from earlier times. Hours: April-September: 1300-1600
Monday-Saturday. Tel: [phone]; www.biermuseum.nl .
Both the Cheese Museum and the Beer Museum are but a few steps from the
city square, where the cheese auction takes place.
Alkmaar is a charming town. It is crisscrossed by canals that, in turn, are
spanned by humped stone bridges. The shining red roofs of its old houses are
guarded by the towering vaults of the aged St. Laurens Church, constructed in
1520. Four blocks south of St. Laurens stands Molen van Piet, a windmill built in
1769.
There are an amazing number of things to do and see, among them a visit to the
Municipal Museum, the Dutch Stove Museum, and the Hans Brinker Museum; on
a Friday, take a look at the stately wooden gabled house complete with an embed-
ded cannonball as a memoir of a war now past. Sample the famous Edam cheese
at either lunch or dinner. Time moves slower in Alkmaar.
Day Excursion to
Enkhuizen
Zuider Zee Museum
Depart from Amsterdam Centraal Station
Distance by Train: 42 miles (62 km)
Average Train Time: 64 minutes
City Dialing Code: 228
Tourist Information Office: VVV-Enkhuizen e.o., Tussen Twee Havens 1, 1601
EM Enkhuizen
Tel: [phone]; Fax: [phone]
www.vvvenkhuizen.nl
E-mail: [e-mail]
Hours: 0900-1700 daily