Netherlands: Amsterdam Journal

To say Amsterdam is a beautiful city is an understatement.. It is incredible! We started the day off at the Anne Frank Haus. Words can't describe the deep emotions that flowed through me as I walked through where she and her family lived in hiding. The Bookcase! The same bookcase the Nazi's stormed through. I swear my heart skipped a beat when I first saw it. I was so humbled. I ventured through this portal to a different world; up the living quarters where eight people lived hidden on the 3rd floor in tight quarters.

I think back to all the movies… the made for TV shows. All the rooms featured were huge compared to the real thing. The rooms were so small… Anne's room still bears the magazine cut outs of Hollywood stars. I don't know… it broke my heart - seeing her only treasures aside from the diaries.

After this emotional tour, we were ushered directly to our Canal Boat tour. This was a great way - probably the best way to view scenic Amsterdam. It was a full hour, narrated in English. Our canal guide pointed out many buildings and historic sites. I loved seeing all the houseboats and their daily activities on them: fixing a meal, watching a woman water all her numerous plants and even a couple selling coffee - watch out Starbucks! My only minor complaint on this boat ride was that I didn't get a window seat and therefore didn't get any photo ops. Oh well, next time!

Lunch was at a restaurant/bar. Looks like meats and cheese will be the standard fare on these trips. It's not so bad, really, if you don't overdo it but, well, there were some complaints in our group. I have faith though; the food will gradually get better the closer we get to Italy and to France! During the afternoon, we took the tram to the Rijksmuseum, which houses the largest collection of Rembrants, Van Gohs and Hals. Along with our museum pass, we were given a CD player and headphones where you punch in the corresponding numbers to the painting or sculpture you were looking at. A voice comes on that tells you about the artwork. Some descriptions came complete with music, sounds, dramatic or funny descriptions and even trivia.

After I finished walking around the museum, I headed out to the courtyard. There was a group of four teenage boys who were playing horned instruments. They beautifully performed the theme from the movie Titanic. It was sweet, low and soothing and without thinking, I closed my eyes and savored the delightful music. As if that weren't enough of a treat, I had to walk through an underpass prior to re-joining the group. I came upon a violinist that was fantastic - he played Mozart perfectly. As I continued walking on, I regret not having any guilders to drop in his case.
Our last stop of the day was a brisk walk through Amsterdam's historic Red Light District.

Honestly? Well…maybe because this saw it during the day, but I internally compared it to New Orleans and feel that the Cajun city is wilder. Well, except for the marijuana plants growing in pots in storefronts - that was way cool. A few of us were shamefully snapping pictures with the illegal plant to show off to family and friends back home.

We arrived back at the hotel. Dinner was a short walk to Nan King Indonesian Cuisine. We tried several dishes and all us were satisfied with what would be one of the best meals of the trip. Afterwards a group of us sat outside, talked and got more acquainted. We tried this bitter lemon drink - it reminded me of a Tom Collins drink, but without the alcohol.

Later I joined two members from our group, Vicki and Dave to a local bar. The night was young - 10:00pm - and the sun was barely setting. We ordered beers and watched the Euro 2000 finals… a.k.a. the European Super Bowl. The people in the bar wanted France to win since Italy eliminated the Netherlands in the semi-finals yesterday. They appreciated us Americans cheering along with them… and they got their wish: France won! The bar closed at 11:00pm. Sharp.

It was indeed a fun and busy day. I eagerly look forward to a good night's sleep. I know that tomorrow we leave Holland, so if I had to choose some keywords that would remind me of today, they would be: Bicycles, Waffles, Windmills and lots and lots of Water.