Amsterdam and Bruges, Belgium

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Right outside Amsterdam, we stopped at a farm that made both cheese and clogs. We were given demonstrations on how to make both and then were given different types of cheese to taste. Afterwards, we relaxed a bit with the cows and the dog outside before heading in to the city (and also stopping at a windmill tuned into a house).

That night, we wandered through the Red Light District. For those of you who don't know, prostitution is legal in the Netherlands. The Red Light District is where prostitutes stand in the window to solicit themselves. If the red light is on, it means she is available. If it is off, it means she occupied. They are allowed to negotiate with the men (or sometimes women) on the price and adjust it for each person. Some of them were just standing in an empty room while some of them had a little setup where it was more like their own bedroom. Also legal in Amsterdam is weed. Dan pointed out to us the green signs that signified which cafes were licensed to sell.

The next day, we experienced the Dutch's main form of travel by going on a biking tour around Amsterdam. It was my first time on a bike in quite a few years but I did pretty well despite some chaotic sections of city traffic that I'm not used to. Amsterdam is known as the "Venice of the North" as it has a similar set up of canals and bridges connecting opposite sides of the city. We learned a bit about the city from our tour guide on the bike tour. The streets were crowded with bikers (there is a bike lane pretty much everywhere in the city) and we passed through some really pretty gardens and also saw two I Amsterdam signs.

After the bike tour, I set out to do what I've wanted to do since I was eight and headed over to the Anne Frank House. As I walked over there, excitement was building, excitement building, excitement building....and there was a line. No worries, though. It was only forty minutes which was way less than how long I waited outside the Vatican. As to be expected of the Nazis, the furniture had been taken outside of the annex when the family had been caught. Otto Frank did not want the annex to be refurnished again so today, it is still mainly bare. However, there is a model in the first room, showing what it looked like when it was furnished.

Each room had an information sign, indicating which function it played, and Anne Frank's quotes were placed throughout the annex. In Anne's room, her decorations of movie stars and magazine cut-outs had been preserved beneath glass. The markings indicating Anne's and Margot's heights throughout their time in the Annex were also preserved. There were also other artifacts, like the board game Peter received for his birthday. The original counter, sinks, etc of the kitchen were still in place as well as the toilet and sink in the bathroom. You could also see the ladder leading up to the attic area where Anne used to lay on the floor and look up at the tree outside. After going through the annex, there is an exhibit with different videos of people associated with Anne such as Otto Frank and Miep Gies, as well as friends from school, one of whom she met up with again over the fence that divided two sides of the concentration camp. There were also red cross cards of each of the Annex inhabitants and of course, pieces of Anne's diary including the original entirely intact red-checkered book that she wrote in. It was very moving to finally see the annex and Anne's belongings after admiring her as a child. There was also a special section commemorating Margot who is often passed over even though she was a very admirable girl (well-praised by her peers and even Anne) who kept a diary herself that was never found.

After the Annex, I went to have pancakes, popular in Amsterdam. The place I went to delivered the food from upstairs by means of a dumbwaiter. The pancakes were actually crepes that you could put sauce onto. I of course picked chocolate sauce.

I continued on to do a canal cruise which gave some history on the city. Then I wandered around a bit and found a cheese-tasting store. I went in, had every type of cheese you could try, and then left. A good way to experience dutch cheese without having to pay or figure out how to take it home. I window-shopped and browsed some stores a little before heading back to the hostel.

We had our last tour dinner that night at a Chinese restaurant (there is a huge asian influence in the Netherlands).

The next day, we stopped in Brugges, Belgium on our way to Calais where we would catch the ferry back to Dover. After a brief walking tour, we got some lunch and I had Belgium waffles with chocolate sauce! Unfortunately, I did not have time to buy some chocolate because as it was, we were late to meet the rest of the group (we had to literally run back). So the chocolate sauce at the restaurant (which was very good and which I downed the rest of after I finished the delicious waffle) will have to do.

So here, my Continent journey comes to an end. All in all, it was excellent trip! I really feel like I have more life experience now because of it, and more knowledge about other cultures. I'm so glad I finally got to see all the places I've wanted to see for years!

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Comments

[Mom]

Thoroughly enjoyed reading your account of your trip. Nicely written and sounds like a great experience. Glad you had the opportunity. Love you!