The Dutchies

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As many of you know Rich and I are back in the United States, but we still want to tell you about the rest of our adventures, so we are going to finish the rest of the countries for you.
So, on February 16th we headed to Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Amsterdam is a very cool city that is full of canals, very narrow houses, and steeped full of history and traditions. The next morning we joined a walking tour to explore the city. The walking tour started at the Dam, in the center of the city, near the war memorial, which is as it sounds a tribute to all those who perished in past conflicts. The Dam, as you might have guessed derives its name from its original function, a dam over the Amstel River (also where the city gets its name). It finally grew larger enough to be the town square. After we met up we walked to the Red Light district. Now, the Red Light district although it has a seedy side also has cool restaurants and cafes as part of its tradition. We then viewed the Oude Kirk church, built mostly in the 14th century, and then continued to the Nieumarkt square, where the Waag dominates the area. The Waag was part of the original fortification of the city and was also used by people of different trades to hold meetings. We then meandered through the streets past the best French fries in the city (well they think the world) on to the historical museum and the Spui area. In the Spui area the story goes that a true miracle involving an old man supposedly occurred. Next, we headed back to the center square and the Royal Palace. The last part of the tour we spent exploring the canals and streets of the Jordaan area. All of the architecture in the canal area of Amsterdam is beautiful and quaint and gives such a warm feeling about the city. The tour ended at the house where Anne Frank and her family hid during World War II. It reminded you that this city was tragically affected by Nazi occupation. That night we met up with Christina and Dorothy who are friends of Rich’s from Australia, and had a fabulous dinner with them!
The next day we did a tour of the Anne Frank house. This was a moving place. It was amazing to see the precautions they took and the small space they all lived in, only to be sold out by an anonymous phone call. It is a moving tribute to all who perished in the Holocaust. After the house we spent the afternoon in the Historic Museum which was very interesting. There were exhibits on ocean going people from the Netherlands and the merchant life beginning in the 14th century. That night we met our friend Judith, who we met on the overland trip through Africa for dinner in the city centre. Amsterdam was a beautiful, charming city, one where we would have liked to spend much more time.

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Photos

The Westerkerk
Anne Frank mentions the bells tolling from this church in her diary. Their hiding place was down the block.