Arriving in Amsterdam was literally like stepping into the movie Anastasia. The city is GORGEOUS with canals and alley ways leading into all different directions. Our hotel was on the main street and located directly above a great fries place.
Once we managed to drag our suitcases up the steepest stairs you could imagine and into our purple room, trying not to hit our heads on the staircase on the way, we headed off in the direction the boys wanted to go and explore the canals a bit.
After they were happy for the afternoon we headed off to the Anne Frank Museum (the most important part of the city for me)and I allowed myself to be immersed in the history of the house that made the Holocaust real to so many people. (You can't take pictures inside so I had to settle for purchasing postcards and the memories I have from there) I took my time walking through every room and touching the same walls she did, experiencing the darkness and coldness of the rooms, looking out at the same canal she hoped she could go out and dance near. I read every caption, watched every video, and examined everything I could. I wanted to remember every moment, every sense and every emotion I had while I was there. It was the point in the trip that I was most thankful for being able to experience everything I had before and I felt so unbelievably thankful for getting to be there. It made me long for home and being able to go through this process with my family, but I know that that is a trip that will happen in the future and I can't wait for it. After walking down the final steps of the museum I stopped at the gift shop to make sure I got a new copy of the diary stamped with the fact that it was from the museum and we headed off to dinner (Italian food AGAIN!)
After a quick nap after dinner we went out to see the Red Light District. While I understand its a "must see" of Amsterdam and there is a large amount of history behind it, I just found the entire experience disturbing and do NOT see myself ever returning there.
The next day I woke up early and went exploring, determined to find Lo's stroopwaffles and enjoy the city by myself for a little bit (After literally 24/7 with the boys it was nice to have a little me time) I found the local supermarket and the infamous blue and white Danish tin she was looking for and then met up with Justin for a canal tour and trip to the sex museum. We enjoyed seeing the sites of Amsterdam and going through the different quarters of the city. Fun fact: there is an extreme housing shortage in Amsterdam and almost 1/3 of the cities population live in houseboats.
From the canal cruise we headed over to the Museum district and took some quick pictures with the I AMsterdam sign and met up with Kenley and Mike for about 5 minutes. The boys headed off to the Heineken museum and I went over to the Van Gogh museum where I spent the extra 3 euros for the audio tour and took my time exploring all of his works. I was somewhat disappointed to see that a lot of his most famous pieces aren't there but enjoyed my time none the less. I found the first real souvenirs of the trip I wanted to purchase (a new tote bag for classes in Nice with Van Goghs almond tree painting on it, a notebook to keep in my purse so I can write down everything I see each day, and of course a magnet for Mom)
I got slightly lost heading back from the museum, but I just chalked it up as another adventure and enjoyed my hour long walk (it should have only taken about 20 minutes tops)finding statues, street vendors and more house boats. I made it back to the hotel and got to enjoy the evening to myself, skyping with Lo,watching friends in ENGLISH! on tv, and enjoying some fries from the shop downstairs. I completed the wish list of souvenirs from people and packed my bag to get ready for the next destination...PARIS!!!
*I will update again tomorrow on the train on our way from Paris to Nice and be all caught up for our adventures in Nice. I also plan on doing a "things I've learned so far" blog just to capture some of the experiences and memories that don't quite fit into a specific city.
Love you all and miss you!
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1 comments:
YAY for Struben!!
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