The city of Alkmaar is famous worldwide for its cheese market. Cheese has been weighed in Alkmaar since 1593. Cheese carriers carry thousands of kilos of cheese from the ‘Waagplein’ square to the weighing house. Until the First World War, the cheese market was a vital centre for the trade. In 1916, an average of three hundred tons of cheese were sold on every market day.
The Alkmaar cheese carriers’ guild is responsible for moving and weighing cheese during the cheese market on Fridays. The guild consists of four groups (vemen) of seven men each. 
A very crowded Cheese stall
Nowsdays the market is only for "a show".
A Today Cheese Carrier??One will marvel at the predominance of kaas in Amsterdam. The Dutch take pride in their delicious cheeses, the most common of which are Gouda and Edam. The jong (young) variety is mild and creamy, while the oud (old) is mature and has a sharper taste. Goat cheese is also popular and often found on a tasty salad of mixed greens, walnuts and honey.
A bicycle at the red wall.
After having a cheese and ham sandwich, we take a train back to Amsterdam to visit the Rijksmuseum. The museum permanent collection boasts the best of Dutch and Flemish masters. However, it is under renovation until 2013, se we can only drop in to see "De Meesterwerken", a temporary exhibition of the Rijksmuseum's most beloved masterpieces. This naturally includes Rembrandt's De Nachtwacht, the Leiden-born artist's 1650 ensemble portrait of city militiamen, as well as selected works by Jan Vermeer.
After that we take a stroll on the shopping street called Amsterdam's mini Fifth Avenue, Pieter Cornelisz (P.C.) Hooftstraat. We only do the window shopping through the high-end classics (Chanel, Gucci, Hermés, Louis Vuitton), jewelry (Chopard, Cartier) and lifestyle stores, as well as several boutiques selling more luxury labels. After a brief of time, we decide to go to the more affordable stores on the Leidsestraat.
Having a Chinese dinner again tonight but at a different place.The restaurant is next to the yesterday one. Comparing these two restaurants, I would like to recommend the New King restaurant.
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