Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
an emcee narrates the action (in
Dutch and English). To close the
deal, costumed cheese carriers
run the giant wheels back and
forth to the Weigh House just as
they have for centuries: They load
a wheel onto a “cheese-barrow”—
kind of a wooden stretcher—
then sling each end over their
shoulders on ropes and run it to
and fro. The cheese carriers' guild has four “fraternities” of seven
carriers each: red, yellow, blue, and green (with color-coded hats,
cheese-barrows, and scales). Each fraternity is headed by a “cheese
father,” who enforces the strict rules and levies fines on carriers
who show up late or drink beer before carrying cheese (which is
strictly forbidden).
On cheese market days, the town erupts in a carnival atmo-
sphere, becoming one big street fair with festive entertainers and
vendors selling souvenirs, snacks...and, of course, cheese. It can
get crowded—especially midmorning—but the Cheese Museum
(below) is surprisingly uncrowded, and its windows allow great
unobstructed views of the action below.
s
Cheese Museum (Het Hollands Kaas Museum)
—This is
probably the Netherlands' best cheese museum...and in this coun-
try, that's saying something. With displays on two floors above the
TI in the Weigh House, the museum explains both traditional and
modern methods of cheesemaking. You'll learn that as the economy
evolved, cheesemaking went from being the work of farmers' wives
to factory workers. You'll find old equipment (much of it still used
for today's cheese market), such as big scales, wagons, cheese-bar-
rows, and (upstairs) old presses for squeezing the last bit of whey out
of the cheese molds. Ask for an English showing of the 15-minute
movie that traces the history and traditions of Alkmaar cheesemak-
ing. (You'll find out what a “cheesehead” really is, and the techni-
cal difference between Gouda and Edam cheeses.) Other, smaller
screens around the museum show informative movies—press the
flag for English subtitles (€3, April-Oct Mon-Sat 10:00-16:00,
Fri from 9:00 during cheese market, closed Sun and Nov-March,
enter TI at Waagplein 2 and walk up the stairs to the museum, tel.
072/511-4284, www.cheesemuseum.com).
Beer Museum (Nationaal Biermuseum De Boom)
—T h is
hokey old museum, in a former brewery, shows off an endearing
collection about beer production across the centuries—from the
days of barrels to the earliest bottling plants. The 1700s-era rep-
lica bar has sand on the floor, from a time when men were men
and didn't have to aim into a spittoon. While interesting, the
