RO: Nu stim cum de-am reusit, dar am facut ce-am facut si taman orasele olandeze renumite pentru branzeturi delicioase le-am ratat. Nu fusesem in Alkmaar niciodata, desi e la numai o aruncatura de bat la nord de Amsterdam. N-am fost in Gouda, desi de aici vine branza preferata (cu chimen!). Si abia ce-am petrecut cateva ore in Edam, renumit pentru atat de cunoscuta branza Edam. N-om fi noi cei mai priceputi degustatori de branzeturi fine, dar am indrazni sa spunem ca cele olandeze ne plac mai mult ca fitoseniile “camembertoase” ale frantujilor sau emmental arogant al elvetienilor 🙂 In articolul acesta am gasit cateva tipuri de branza olandeza pe care trebuie neaparat sa le incercam 🙂 Insa nu doar ca am omis aceasta “ruta a branzeturilor olandeze”, dar nu am fost niciodata la o piata locala de branza, unde se vand rotile acelea imense portocalii de branza in centrul orasului. Iar dintre toate orasele, Alkmaar pare sa fie Nirvana evenimentelor de acest tip iar piata de branza are loc in fiecare vineri dimineata, din aprilie pana in septembrie.

EN: Not sure how we managed to do this, but it seems that we’ve missed visiting almost all the Dutch towns famous for cheese and dairy. We haven’t been to Alkmaar, even though this is just at a stone’s throw away north Amsterdam. We haven’t been to Gouda, even though this is the place where our favorite cummin cheese comes from. And we’ve barely spent a couple of hours in Edam, so renowned for the famous Edam cheese. We might not be the best fine cheeses tasters but we would dare to say that we like more the Dutch cheese than the Camembert French fanciness or the high and mighty Swiss Emmental cheese 🙂 In this article we’ve found some Dutch cheeses that we really have to try 🙂 But not only that we’ve missed this Dutch Cheese Trail, but we’ve never been to a local cheese market, where those huge orange cheese wheels are being sold. And from all the towns, Alkmaar seems to be the best when it comes to this kind of events and it takes place every Friday morning, from April to September.  

RO: Ce ne-a adus insa in Alkmaar si mai apoi in satucul de Rijp a fost o carte cumparata din Schiphol in urma cu tare multa vreme si citita chiar in drum spre Amsterdam. Pentru cei care impartasesc obsesia pentru meleagurile olandeze, cartea este Midnight Blue si este scrisa de Simone van der Vlugt. Desi actiunea se petrece in Delft si are ca subiect principal ceramica albastra tipica locului, personajul principal era originar din satul de Rijp si vorbea cu foarte mult drag de pietele de branza organizate in orasul vecin Alkmaar. Asa ca am mers pe urmele cartii si uite-asa am ajuns in cele doua 🙂 In Alkmaar am gasit si o cafenea geniala, intr-o barca pe canal, numita Anne & Max Cafe.

EN: What actually brought us to Alkmaar and then to the tiny village of de Rijp was a book that we bought from Schiphol some time ago and read it on our way to Amsterdam. For those of you that share the same obsession for Dutch lands, the book is Midnight Blue and it is written by Simone van der Vlugt. Even though the action happens in Delft and the main interest is around the blue delftware so typical to the city, the main character was born in de Rijp and she was talking quite a lot about the cheese markets organized in the neighboring Alkmaar. So we decided to visit these two places 🙂 In Alkmaar we even found a gorgeous cafe, on a boat on the canal, called Anne & Max Cafe.















RO: Alkmaar ca Alkmaar, insa micutul de Rijp e o bijuterie de sat olandez, tipic 100%. Case minuscule cu arhitectura clasica, canale inguste, strazi pietruite, restaurante mici si cochete. Insa ce ne-a placut cel mai mult a fost drumul pana in de Rijp, in special traversarea unui canal mic (probabil inot il puteam traversa in fix cinci minute, atata de ingust era) cu un feribot minuscul pentru masini (incapeau maxim doua masini). Ruta recomandata de Waze de altfel, ca alternativa mai rapida pentru drumul principal.

EN: Ok, Alkmaar was cool but de Rijp is a hidden Dutch gem. Tiny houses and classic architecture, narrow canals, cobblestone streets, small and fancy restaurants. What we loved the most was in fact the trip to de Rijp, especially crossing a small canal (that could have been crossed in probably five minutes swimming, that’s how narrow it was!) with a tin car ferry (maximum two cars could be parked there). Which was actually a route recommended by Waze, as a faster alternative for the main road.