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Published: August 14th 2006
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Dutch Breakfast
Bread & Chocolate, Bread & Cheese August 10 may not have been the best day to commence our air travel due to the foiled terrorist plot and added security. Luckily, our flight plans didn't include Heathrow as they originally had. Because of these events, we arrived at the Philadelphia airport three hours before our departure with our big bags (mine considerably larger than Ryans’) and our carry on, without liquids. Incredibly, we were checked in, through security and sitting at our gate in about 20 minutes. After our 45 minute delay and additional hour and a half on the tarmac we were no longer #20 in line as we departed to Detroit to catch the next flight to Amsterdam. We had already missed our connection.
We landed to a cold (55 degrees) and rainy Amsterdam morning and strolled through customs. No customs documents. No searches. Nothing. We found our way down to the train and headed to Amsterdam Centraal Train Station where we met up with Ryan's Dutch friend from college, Bas, at the Burger King on the central platform (also seen in Ocean's 12). After dropping our packs off at his apartment and a quick nap, we headed out with our personal tour guide and
Traditional Houses
Houses on the Canal his girlfriend, Beatrijs, by car for a quick drive around the city. Flying down the narrow lanes, avoiding all of Amsterdam on bikes, and checking out the boats touring down the canals, we were too afraid to blink as we wanted to take it in. All of it. We headed for a drink at Club 11 on the eleventh floor providing us with a great aerial view of the city and our first Dommelsch Bier.
Bas and Beatrijs live in an apartment facing one of the many canals of Amsterdam. They described to us how the center city houses were built on wooden stilts and later filled in with sand as the canals were constructed. The infrastructure came later. The stilts have moved over time and the results are clearly seen today. Almost all houses are tilting to the front, side, or back. Even the floors inside are tilted. As you can see in the picture, all houses are completely different. Different roofs. Different styles. But completely Dutch. The living situations are also quite unique. The person living on the first floor usually does not have the entire first floor. Maybe they live on the first floor in the
front of the building and then their house extends down and up to the back of the second floor and someone else lives in the front of the second floor.
The next morning we were treated to a traditional breakfast of bread, butter and cheese, and bread and chocolate before heading to Zaanse Schans, a small little village with 17th Century characteristic green wooden houses, gardens, small humped-back bridges, workshops and windmills dotting the river Zaan. We saw how wooden clogs and the delicious Dutch cheeses are/were made.
Afterwards, we checked out the beach to eat lunch--typical pizza-sized pancakes. Too big. Too filling. The dough is not fluffy and full of air, but very heavy and filling on top of the gooey syrup. It was very good though. On our way back to Amsterdam we visited Den Haag (The Hague) and checked out the International Court of Justice before halting for a car fire in the middle of the street.
And of course, what's a visit to the Center of Sin and the liberal capital of the world without a stroll through the infamous Red Light District and a visit to a coffe shop..to look of course.
Dutch Clogs
Walking in traditional, over-sized wooden shoes We started out the next day with a canal tour to see the city from a different perspective. Thankfully the weather cooperated and we were able to see the city's sites. We walked through the flower market which offered every color of tulip imaginable, including the black 'Queen of the Night.' Bas led us to a cafe on top of a mall and spotted the Rijksmuseum protrude from the skyline. The Rijksmuseum is home of Rembrandt's famous "Nightwatch" painting and numerous other pieces commemorating his 400th anniversary. Outside the museum is a beautiful park, but the most interesting part about the park is that not only is the parking structure located under the lawn, but so is the grocery store! Just another example of how space-efficient the Dutch are!
Our last day in Amsterdam consisted of a visit to the Anne Frank House. Anne and her family came to Amsterdam in 1942 from Germany to escape Hitler and the injustices towards Jews. When the movement reached Amsterdam, she and her family, along with four other Jews, were forced into hiding. Eight people spent two years confined in a hidden section above a company's warehouse. They were forced to
Cup-o-koffie
Cup of coffee at a street side cafe tiptoe around and weren't able to use water during business hours for fear that they would be caught. Only four people knew of their hiding place, and they provided Anne and her family with food throughout the years. Although only 13 years old at the time, Anne kept a journal that has provided the world a glimpse into the realities of the Nazi era. Eventually the eight were anonymously turned in and escorted off to concentration camps. Only Anne's father survived Auschwitz (Anne died one month prior to liberation) and upon his return to Amsterdam, one of the women who took care of them during their hiding gave him Anne's journal which she had safeguarded after they were removed.
Until then...
Ryan and Tenille
Next up: Bruges & Brussels, Belgium; August 15, 2006
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susie hotz
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Amsderdam
Hi Tenille ! Hi to Ryan...I am loving being able to journey along with the two of you....amazing photos and the storyline is facinating. Thank you again for sharing...makes me wish I could run away from kaiser and jorney as well. So glad that you are safe. Enjoy every moment susie