Hence if you would see
the Volendam fishermen in their greatest strength the time to visit
the little town is at the end of the week or on Sunday.
The day for Purmerend is Tuesday, because then the market is held,
in the castle plein, among mediaeval surroundings. To this market the
neighbourhood seems to send its whole population, by road and water,
in gay cart and comfortable wherry. According to my unfailing informant
in these regions, the Purmerend stadhuis, in order "to aggrandise the
cheese market," was in 1633 "set back a few meters by screwing-force".
The excursion to Marken and the excursion to Edam and its neighbourhood
take each a day; but between Amsterdam and Zaandam, just off the great
North Canal, steamers ply continually, and one may be there in half
an hour. The journey must be made, because Zaandam is superficially
the gayest town in Holland and the capital of windmill land. In an
hour's drive (obviously no excursion for Don Quixote) one may pass
hundreds. These mills do everything except grind corn. For the most
part the Dutch mills pump: but they also saw wood, and cut tobacco,
and make paper, and indeed perform all the tasks for which in countries
less windy and less leisurely steam or water power is employed.
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