Amsterdam

We arrived in Amsterdam on Monday and have really been enjoying sightseeing and discovering this beautiful city, known as the "Venice of the North".  Our hotel is right near the Amsterdam Centraal Station, a gorgeous train station that connects all parts of the city by bus, tram, or train.  Having arrived late afternoon, our first day here was shortened, so we set out for the Anne Frank House (Huis), which is along one of the city's numerous canals.  As you may remember from reading her diary,  Anne and her family and another family lived in a secret annex behind her father's former warehouse for about 2  years before they were discovered by the Germans and sent to concentration camps, from which they never returned (except her Dad - Otto). The warehouse is now a museum dedicated that poignantly tells Anne's story in her own words.  We climbed the steep stairs into the secret annex, passing through the same hidden bookcase opening that led to the annex from the warehouse, and walked through the rooms that Anne and her family lived in for those two dark years.  What a powerful and humbling experience, and one that cries out to all who experience it to never, ever forget the horror of what the Jewish people lived during WWII.  Much of the museum interpretation, however, focused on Anne's hopes for the post-war period, of the dreams of a young teenage girl.  We saw her bedroom, which was lined with photos of Hollywood stars, cut from magazines that those who helped the family provided. Anne dreamed of being a journalist and, in her own way and even after her senseless death (from typhus in the concentration camp), she has achieved that through the publication of her diary. 

After the Anne Frank house, we walked along the adjoining canal, visiting several shops and small museums.  One was the Tulip museum where we saw gorgeous tulips in a huge variety of colors.  Next, we continued to the Cheese museum, where we sampled some local gouda cheese in at least 20 flavors.  I bought a wasabi gouda and Rachel bought one with lavendar and blueberries.  I know they both sound strange, but boy are they good!  Downstairs, the museum had a cheese-making exhibit and a photo area where you could dress-up like a cheese farmer (see the picture - and no laughing!).  We had a quiet dinner at a small nearby restaurant and then headed back to the hotel to rest up for the next day.

Yesterday, we began our day at the Van Gogh Museum, where Rachel got to see her favorite painting (the sunflowers) and I got to see one of mine (the irises).  The museum  has the largest Van Gogh collection in the world (over 200 of his paintings and sketches), including some by his contemporaries, like  Paul Gaughin.  The museum does a great job interpreting the works and incorporating aspects of his life into the audio tour, which gave us a well-rounded perspective not only about the paintings but about Van Gogh himself.  After lunch, we visited the flower market, which is located on a street bordering the Singel canal that is lined with shops that sell tulips bulbs and many other gorgeous cut flowers.  Almost every color of tulip immaginable is here - even black. They even sell tulip bulbs that have a customs cleared stamp on the packet if you want to take them out of the country.  After that, we continued on to the Waterlooplein Flea Market, a big outdoor bazaar that sells second hand clothing and general bric-a-brac.  It is considered the oldest and most interesting market of Amsterdam.  We bought a few souvenirs and enjoyed a warm cup of tea in a local coffee shop.  Greg had the largest cappuccino I ever saw - at least three rolled into one cup.

Before calling it a day, we took an evening canal cruise around the harbor and major inlet canals.  Amsterdam has over 100 km of canals, with the three main ones having been built (hand-dug) in the 17th century. Along side the canals are thousands of buildings, including the picturesque canal houses you've all seen in the picture-postcards of Amsterdam.  The canals were built in a concentric circle and it is around these waterways that the boats tour.  We traveled three canals: the Singel canal, which once encircled the medieval city of Amsterdam and served as a moat around the city; the Patrician's canal which was the first of several buit in the city center; and the Prince's canal, the longest and named after the Prince of Orange.  The canal houses along the Prince's canal were built during the Dutch Golden Age, a period when Dutch trade, science, military, and art wer the most acclaimed worldwide. The canals are simply beautiful and the houses even more so, giving this city a truly romantic setting day or night.  Rightfully so, the canals are a new addition to UNESCO's World Heritage list.

We woke up today (Wednesday) to rain, so our events were spent indoors.  This morning we visited the Royal Palace, which was built as a city hall during the Dutch Golden Age.  It was once the home of Napolean Louis Bonaparte, followed by Prince William VI, finally becoming the property of the Kingdom of Netherlands in 1936.  The palace is still used by the monarchy for entertaining and official state functions.  After the palace, Rachel and Sierra visited a chocolate shop this afternoon and bought packages of truffles - yummy is all I can say.  Tonight we are heading out to walk the "Red Light District", so stay tuned for news about that colorful area!