Colleen Turner: Holland in Days Gone By

One of the many benefits of river cruising is that there is a shore excursion at each port included in the price of the cruise. As experienced ocean cruisers will tell you, shore excursions can be very pricey. As a Cruise Diva, I can tell you that the major cruise lines make a lot of money selling shore excursions to passengers. So it's reassuring to know that when you're on a river cruise, there will always be a shore excursion included in every port that will at least give you an interesting overview of the city or village that you're visiting.

On our cruise aboard Uniworld's River Empress, our included shore excursion in Amsterdam was a visit to the Anne Frank House and a canal cruise and I enjoyed them both. That being said, Uniworld offered an optional tour to Zaanse Schans which cost 49€ and I was happy that I spent the money to visit this charming village on the banks of the river Zaan.

When I entered Zaanse Schans I felt like I was transported back in time to Holland as it was in the 17th and 18th centuries. Though it's often referred to as an open-air museum, Zaanse Schans is actually a living, working hamlet where the traditional crafts of the region are still practiced.

It was unbelievable but we actually had the opportunity to visit an industrial windmill where peanut oil is being made to this day and to chat with the resident windmill operator. He really did look like a throwback from days gone by. It's too bad I forgot to ask him if he was still having fun. After looking at all of the huge cogs, wheels and machinery in the windmill, I left thinking that it must be the world's most complicated way to produce peanut oil.

After the windmill, we were whisked to the cheese factory where a sweet young D

utch girl showed us how to make Gouda cheese. After the demonstration, we indulged in a Gouda cheese tasting frenzy, trying everything from natural Gouda, Gouda with herbs and garlic, Gouda with cumin seeds and Gouda with pesto.

We were then escorted to the wooden shoe factory where I was lucky to get a front row seat to watch the wooden shoe-making demonstration. Although you might think it's difficult to carve a wooden shoe there were two machines that did it in no time flat. There was one that carved the outside of the shoe from a block of wood and another that carved a hole in the inside of the shoe where you would put your foot. And, of course, there was the opportunity to buy wooden shoes in any color and style that your heart desired. I tried one on but found it to be uncomfortable. The trick is that you need to wear heavy socks and buy a shoe that is one size larger than your normal size.