One of my favorite cities, and a very popular place for tourists to day trip (or even stay!) to from Amsterdam, is Alkmaar. Located in the north province of the Netherlands, it is most well-known for it’s traditional cheese market and medieval buildings that are still intact, most notably the tall tower of the Grote of Sint-Laurenskerk. For me, it is also the largest city near to where my parents grew up and is filled with childhood memories, like shopping along...