Alkmaar
Cheese market, almshouses and the city where victory began in 1573.
Alkmaar is known for its cheese market: in the season, cheese carriers bring the cheeses across the Waagplein to the Waag every Friday morning. It is also the city of the Ontzet. In 1573 Alkmaar held off a Spanish army, and that is where the saying "Bij Alkmaar begint de victorie" (victory begins at Alkmaar) comes from. In the old center you will find canals, almshouses where people still live, the Grote Kerk and the Waag with its carillon.