Thursday - These clogs were made for walking.

As a follow up to yesterday's post, a few words about the clogs' making workshop in the Zaanse Schaans.

Although I have been living in this country for quite a while, and I have seen more clogs that I could possibly remember (wooden ones, plush ones, porcelains ones, etc) I had never actually had the chance to see how they are made.

The Wooden Show Workshop offers around the clock demonstrations on how the clogs are made, using French and German machines and good old (and young) Dutch manpower.

I got so enthusiastic about it, that together with a group of giggling Chinese girls I stayed for two demonstrations in a row.

Before you get to the actual workshop, you pass through a "condensed" clog museum displaying a lot of weird and wonderful stuff (peat horses' clogs, ice walking clogs, designer clogs) and telling the story of the humble wooden show through the centuries.

Exit, as always, is through the gift shop, but I must confess that this time I succumbed and bought myself a pair of clogs, although, to my defence, at least not of the traditional red and yellow sort.