Everything With Clogs On
If you love all things to do with shoes, try and get to Amsterdam, and see one of the largest collections of clogs at the delightful Wooden Shoe Museum in Zaanse Schans.  The museum has a marvellous display of these amazing shoes and a clog workshop, where you can watch them being made. If you can’t bear to leave without a pair, there’s a shop selling clogs of all shapes and sizes. It’s a short journey outside Amsterdam and getting there is easy. There are lots of cheap flights to Amsterdam just now, and there’s so much to see and do, a long weekend will be crammed full of experiences. There are always unusual museums to enjoy in this great city!
At the Wooden Shoe Museum, there is a rich collection of beautiful wooden shoes and a full history of how they came to be developed. Leather would not wear well in the muddy wetlands and the Netherlands were well supplied with wood. Inventive minds used the raw materials available and the wooden shoe was born. They have existed for over 850 years and they still are worn today. About million pairs of clogs are still sold each year!
The Zaanse Schans area is only 15 minutes north west of Amsterdam, within easy reach by car, train or by daily coach tour. It’s free to get into, and it’s open all year including all the standard general holidays.
Dutch Leather And Shoe Museum
If you want something a little more modern take a trip to the Dutch Leather and Shoe Museum where design and technology are showcased in some wild and wonderful footwear designs. There are permanent displays, together with regular new exhibitions to showcase new designers. The styles, colours, and materials are spectacular; inventiveness is the name of the game!
There are lots of displays from across the centuries, and the collection is thought to be one of the largest in the world. There are reconstructions of shoe workshops and a cobblers store from around 1950. Equestrians will appreciate the unique horse leather work, such as saddles, gilded leather panels and horse collars. There is a great interactive area, where you can fully experience the exhibitions through supervised handling of materials, leathers and tools. Take a break in the museum café for a refreshing cup of something hot, with a ‘half sole’ (also known as a warm biscuit!).
The Tulip Museum
Amsterdam became unbelievably rich in the 17th Century, due to a flower – the tulip. Imported from Constantinople, the tulip bulb became hugely popular, beyond all reason. The rising cost of tulips ruined many families and set the stage for a widespread financial crisis. The arts movement fell in love with the tulip and it became one of the most painted flowers in still life. This was a fascinating time in Amsterdam’s’ history, completely at a variance with the cities approach to life.  At the compact Tulip Museum, visitors can enjoy learning about the role of the tulip, cultivation and management of tulips, and the huge variety of tulips that were bred from those first specimens that arrived in 17th Century Amsterdam. The Museum shop has lots of gifts, but it can also ship tulip bulbs – which can be bought or shipped to the USA and Europe.
The Tulip Museum can be found at Prinsengracht 112, across the canal from Anne Franks House. From Central Station it is an easy 15 minutes walk to the Museum,  best trams are 13, 17 to the Wester Kerk or bus no’s 21, 170, 171, 172 to the Wester Kerk.
And Finally….
Amsterdam is one of the most cultured of all cities, friendly, calm and endlessly interesting. Flights are really quick, so don’t waste a moment of your break – book a couple of airline tickets to Amsterdam and have a great city break experience!