Yes, it is holiday time! Well not really, I still have some work to do…but with the kids at home I try to combine three things: work, kidsfun and going out to have a break myself. So today we decided to visit Gouda. It is a city a bit like Delft with canals and gables and lots of Dutch culture heritage like Dutch Stroopwafels (cookies) and Gouda Cheese.
In summer every Thursday there is a cheese market in front of the impressive townhall. Just like the townhall in Delft, it is one of the most beautiful town halls of the Netherlands. Although I am Dutch, today was my first visit. It starts at 10 o’clock, be there around that time, you get the best sunlight and it ends about 11.30, they start collecting the cheese a bit later, but the main event has finished by that time.
What to expect….it was a sort of show on Market square, people dressed up like farmers and buyers, show you how the cheese market worked ages ago. Although it was sort of a play, it was fun. The ‘handjeklap’ bargaining with hand slaps was practiced like is was real and everybody took time for pictures and you got an explanation about cheese if you wanted. There was a cheese carriage with horses, big yellow cheese lay on the ground. Behind this there was a market with cheese (waffles), stroopwafels, old Dutch toys etc. Even cheese was made! It was small, cosy and friendly. The ‘ show’ ended with old men singing old Dutch songs 
We had coffee at one of the terraces, took some cheese home with us (of course) and I must say it was a well spend morning with the kids.
The best way to travel to Gouda is by car, it is not really an accessible city, you park about 10 minutes from the Market. There is also a train station.
More about the Gouda city of cheese http://goudakaasstad.nl/
The post Say cheese in Gouda! appeared first on Exploringdelft.com.