European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 25, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                North Holland Calm Waters How under a wooden Bridge with two of a manse schans windmills standing in the background. Trip Ilion Prtrt us a a a Gam Momii neb Muana  three dutch towns offer peek at past a perfectly preserved example of dutch architecture in vol Lendam. By Norm Zeigler travel outdoor writer Many of us grew up associating the Netherlands with windmills and a wooden Sei. When a  there As adults a quickly discont de that because of creeping cultural homogeneity Rne t of the country and its people Are not very deferent from other 20th-Century Western Nat is. But there Are still pockets Shere the a t comes to life. Two of them Are the mum \ n age of a manse schans and the Porto to Edam. Both Are de r.uey/1 5 tops Lor bus Tours of the Netherlands. And Suh Good reason. Located on the wind Biovin peat marshes North of Amsterdam along the Zaan Rier a manse schans is a meticulously restored 1 7th-Century dutch . It is the Netherlands of kids a dreams Sog a ground crisscrossed Vuth canals  with their Sav a. Shops a d a i resses that lock Ike illustrations from a history Book men Arvd women in Foik costumes and wooden . A manse schans is a using . The shops be l locally produced hand crafts and Lood products from pester to pjs Ines and Chees. Catt e and sheep Grade in the sate tog de Meado a. Arvd the   l  and or e a i the  do of a it pc St Xien shoe shop there modern Day craftsmen produce the traditional footwear albeit with the help of electric lathes. The shop also Sells All kinds of souvenirs from classic to Kitsch. Near the Entrance to the Village is a Large cafeteria style restaurant featuring traditional dutch cuisine. The specially is panne Kozeken the huge crepe like pancakes that Are combined with everything from Ham and cheese to Blueberry Jam. Though a manse schans is an artificial town it is still fascinating because it lets visitors take a step Back in time. Just a 15-minute drive Northeast from a manse schans is of Edam a studiously quaint fishing port and tourist Mecca on the Ijssel Meer the former Guider Zee. Vole dam is a town that makes its living from the water. It nurtures the fish that fill the holds of the fishing boats attracts the owners of the sailing yachts moored in the Harbor and is the main drawing card for the customers who fill the restaurants cafes and hotels. This Lakeside formerly Seaside town is a trinket Hunter s heaven. The main tourist strip along the Harbor is an unending Row of shops offering to shirts wooden shoes porcelain print shawls miniature windmills and every other manner of dutch memento. Shile Vole dam is not a historical Monument Ike a manse schans Many of the salespeople in the shops do Wear dutch Folk costumes. The restaurants and snack bars vie with each other to lure in the mobs of  in All it is a pretty Tacky scene though not so extreme that it is not Worth seeing. But those who step off the Harbor Road into the Back neighbourhoods enter a stolid red Brick Community that goes about its business like a Normal town. In the Side alleys and Back streets Are the places where the locals gather to eat drink and socialize. The Harborside eateries overflow with foreigners but Only an occasional adventurous bus tourist finds his Way into these areas. One aggravating thing about Vole dam is the Lack of pedestrian area. This subjects visitors to the hazards and noise of cars. During Busy times this can be nerve racking. But a five minute walk takes a visitor outside town to Green Meadows and canals dotted with ducks. An easy Side trip from Vole dam is Marken. For More than six centuries the town was on an Island but in 1959 a Dike was completed linking it with the Mainland. Nowt can be reached by boat from Vole dam or by car via the Dike Road. This is a town of lookalike wooden houses painted Lack dark Green or Green and White. Once built on poles to keep them above flood tide Levels most of the buildings now have Brick basements. Marken is a tiny town clustered mainly around the curve of its Harbor. It can be seen at a leisurely Pace in an hour. Worth an additional look is its Small museum a Marken style House from centuries past. 1993