"My hometown." Purmerend by Gabbylee

This is where we choose to live. Purmerend. A municipality at the North of Holland.
Its about 14 km away from Amsterdam, with just about 15 minutes on public buses to reach there.
There are 3 train stations that will bring you direct to the Schipol airport.
Founded in 1410, thus, you can still spot the old unique dutch architectural buildings which I find are the most charming thing about this village. Well, not least to say, so are the numerous garden centers and the cattle!
The village used to hold a cattle market (Koemarkt) till the 2000, when we saw the outbreak of mad cow disease, thus, nowadays, the cattle market is indoor but the usual market for the village is still held on every Tuesday.

Although I've been living here for a couple of years, I am still exploring this beautiful area and its vicinity like its neighboring villages Waterland, Monnickedam, Edam and Volandam. These are the smaller villages around the edges Ijsselmeer, the largest lake in the Western Europe.

• Pros:Fresh air and greens.
• Cons:Expect what a small village would be expecting.
• In a nutshell:A "not-quite" sleepy village just a stone throw away from the hustling n bustling of Amsterdam.