RO: Ei uite cum te izgoneste el Amsterdam si te trimite taman in Zaandam, ca sa te adapostesti de ploaia cu bulbuci din mijloc de vara. Pai care vara, ca-n iulie si august se dezlantuie potopul olandez, cu ploi si vant si vreme imprevizibila de nu stii incotro sa te mai duci sa scapi de asa zisa “vreme tipic olandeza”. Si ce sa vezi, la nici 20 de kilometri de Dam Square e soare si nici urma de vant 🙂 Si chiar daca n-o fi el Zaandam cel mai turistic oras din patria sabotilor de lemn (desi heeeeei, cine are un muzeu al sabotilor in mijlocul orasului?!), tot sunt cateva puncte emblematice care au cam pus orasul pe listele de vizitat ale turistilor. Iar dintre toate cel mai fotogenic este de departe hotelul Inntel Zaandam, primaria si toate celelalte cladiri colorate, de zici ca-s piese de Lego puse laolalta. Hotelul are o fatada fabuloasa, care prezinta diverse tipuri de case traditionale olandeze, una peste alta. O gramajoara de case in culori turbate, trantite una peste alta. Un fusion-confusion de toata frumusetea 😀

EN: Oh well, look how Amsterdam sends you away in Zaandam, to take shelter from the pouring rain in the middle of summer. What summer are we actually talking about, as in July and August the Dutch rain avalanche bursts out, with rain and wind and such an unpredictable weather that you simply don’t know how to get rid of the so called “typical Dutch weather”. And what do you know, at less than 20 kilometers away from Dam Square we have clear sky and no trace of rain 🙂 And maybe Zaandam is not the most touristic city in the land of wooden clogs (but heeeeey, who has the clogs museum in the middle of the town?!) but it certainly has some iconic landmarks that put the city on the tourists’ map. And above all there is Inntel Zaandam hotel, the city town hall or the rest of those colorful buildings, that seem to be Lego pieces bind together. The hotel has a fabulous facade, which presents different types of traditional Dutch houses, one on top of the other. A bunch of houses in crazy colors, a kind of fusion-confusion that should not be missed 😀

RO: Si pana una alta, la o aruncatura de bat de centrul “de jucarie” e poate cel mai faimos loc din toata Olanda de vizitat morile de vant traditionale. Si-anume Zaanse Schans, locsorul plin de case de lemn, de mori de vant de prin secolul 18, hambare si tot soiul de ateliere. Acum, intre noi fie vorba… mult mai impresionant si autentic este Kinderdijk (aproape de Rotterdam), dar pentru cine vrea agitatie, turisti, aglomeratie, demonstratii diverse, degustari de branza, Zaanse Schans e locul ideal. N-o fi el patrimoniu Unesco cum e Kinderdijk si n-o avea la fel de multe mori de vant, dar nu-i bai 🙂

EN: And close to the city town that looks like a children playground, there is probably the most famous place to see the traditional windmills in the entire Netherlands. And that’s Zaanse Schans, the place full of wooden houses, windmills that date back to 18th century, barns and all kind of workshops. And no, between you and me… Kinderdijk is much more impressive and authentic (close to Rotterdam), but for those who need a bit of agitation, tourists, hustle and bustle, different demonstrations, or cheese tastings, Zaanse Schans is the ideal place. It might not be Unesco world heritage as Kinderdijk is, and it might not have so many windmills, but that’s no problem at all 🙂




RO: Toate ca toate dar pana si Claude Monet a fost fascinat de frumusetea satucului Zaandam in scurta perioada in care a locuit in zona (vreo jumatate de an in 1871) iar pictura de mai jos e inspiratie curata – la fix cat sa ne faca pofta sa vrem sa vedem morile de vant de la Zaanse Schanse 🙂

EN: Ah, and by the way, even Claude Monet has been fascinated by the beauty of Zaandam village in the short period of time when he lived in this area (approximately half a year in 1871) and the picture below is a true inspiration – just enough to convince us to see the windmills from Zaanse Schans 🙂