29 August. Alkmaar.

Skip's birthday today. The folk at the yacht club sung him happy birthday before we set off. Really nice friendly little club. We would be happy to stay if we hadn't wanted to make Alkmaar by early afternoon.

The canal was more interesting today, with a number of bridges we were able to pass under with the awnings down. Hot, hot, hot, so the awnings were going up and down and up and down most of the day.

We had been to Alkmaar a couple of trips ago and hadn't liked it, so were a bit wary. But I had read that the 29th had an evening cheese auction and it looked like fun so we decided to give it another go. And a good thing too, because actually it is a lovely little town with lots of shops down pretty little streets with lovely old buildings crowding over the canals. We thought about why we had disliked it the first time and came up with:  a.)  we had been unable to find a good mooring, as they are sparse -  b.)  it was raining the whole time we were here - and c.)   it was a Monday morning and everything was shut.

Today we found a good space on the wall in front of the Waterpoort. 9 Euros for a 10m boat with electricity at a 50c pay meter. The road running alongside is BUSY, but that meant it was convenient for the centre.

Zoe's new paint job. And I am happy report that we no longer have to scrub the bow after very voyage.

The cheese auction started at 19.00 and we arrived at the Waagplein square dead on time to find the square FULL with people standing 6 deep around the edge so we were unable to see anything other than what was happening on the big screen. I noticed that on the opposite side of the square roadside café's had chairs and tables out to the edge of the action so we pushed our way around and found a prime spot right up against the railing. What great entertainment. The cheese auction has been happening here weekly, essentially unaltered, since the middle-ages. Normally it is every Friday morning, but this year they introduced 8 evening auctions and happily one today. Presumably when it rains this all takes place in a shed somewhere.

 The Alkmaar Cheese Auction. This is Waagplein (weigh square). The building on the right is where the official scales are housed. 

 The producer (on the right) and the buyer (on the left) clap hands together - clap, clap, clap - while yelling out numbers to each other. When they finally agree on a price, instead of a clap they shake. Deal done and the cheese is sold.

First the cheeses are inspected by a team of experts. How it looks, how it tastes, the consistency, water content, salt content etc. Pieces are removed with a special cheese corer which extracts a small sample all the way through.

 Once the sale is made, 8 cheeses at a time are loaded onto the sleighs and taken into the weighing house to be weighed and then transported out to the buyers wagons waiting at the other end of the square. Each cheese weighs between 12-13 kilos and the wagons themselves weigh 25 kilos. So on average the bearers are hauling around 120 or so kilos.

 The sleigh bearers run at a funny speedy pace called a "dribble". It is a specific trot which reduces the to and fro movement of the sleigh so as not to trip them up. Looks odd, from a spectators point of view.

The various colours of sash on their hats denote from which cheese guild they are from. Of course, they play to the crowd, eliciting cheers and applause.

If you are lucky enough to have a spot close to the railings, you can enjoy plentiful free samples.

The harbourmeesteress had directed us to a less touristy restaurant where we enjoyed a great steak and slow-cooked lamb-shoulder birthday supper. Mmmmmm.....

The restaurant we ate at, Heerlyke Nel's, was upstairs above the Cafe Stapper overlooking a small canal. There were plentiful small boats to-ing and fro-ing providing us with an entertaining floor show from our window-side table.