Our flight was a red eye to Amsterdam, which meant I fell asleep before we took off and woke up when we landed. I’ve come to appreciate the ability to fall asleep easily on most flights. We began our Europe trip with two nights in Amsterdam. Most our time was spent enjoying the free flowing beer, eating bitterballen, strolling along the canals, and hanging out in Vondelpark. We had a long trip ahead of us, so the first few days were very relaxed.
After traveling to Belgium and the U.K. for ten days, we arrived back in The Netherlands for three more nights. This time around, we had larger plans. After arriving at the hostel around 11:30pm after our flight from Edinburgh, we spent a few hours out on the town. Amsterdam is like no place I’ve ever been. It’s pretty much the anti-Kuwait, with a free party atmosphere and canals lining many of its streets.
Because I’m in the process of moving, I had a 65 pound suitcase on top of two backpacks I was using for the trip. Conveniently, I stored the large bag for ten Euros a day at a bag drop off center. After being reunited with my suitcase, we set off to Zaanse Schans, a classic town that’s built around eight different old fashioned windmills still in operation today. They are used for everything from cutting wood to grinding spices. Artists sat in various locations around the mills sketching as we explored the different homemade shops at the base of each structure. They sold freshly ground mustard, Dutch cheese, wooden clogs, and chocolate to name a few.
When we arrived, clouds loomed over us with the impending threat of rain. Within the hour, the clouds parted to reveal the the windmills in a totally new light. The blue sky made the colors more vibrant around us. The smell of wet grass and chocolate from a nearby factory filled our nostrils. I was emphatic about how much I loved Bruges in Belgium. Although Zaanse Schans is not a town you could spent a significant amount of time in, it would be difficult to pick between which place I enjoyed more. In both places, I felt like I was in a real life fairytale.
When we got back to the Dam, we had a few hours to get a beer and some dinner before my scheduled visit at the Anne Frank Museum at 7:00pm. Anne lived in hiding from summer 1941 to 1944 with her and another family behind a secret bookcase in a workshop. They were helped by a few people in the shop who would provide them with food and supplies, but most of the workers had no idea there were eight people living above them. Only Anne’s father, Otto, survived the Holocaust. During Anne’s life in hiding, the family knew she wrote in a diary, but didn’t know the extent of her inner reflections. When Otto went back to the shelter to see what was left, he discovered the diary and read it after learning about his daughter’s death.
The museum took us through the workshop as we learned about the families living in hiding. When we got to the hiding place with the secret bookshelf, the tour became silent. For the next fifteen minutes, the audio guide shut off as shuffled through the various rooms scattered with the various family pictures left behind by the Nazis. At the conclusion of the tour, Anne’s original diary was on display. Multiple people had broken into tears, for what I can presume is a common occurrence in the museum. Overall, it was a sobering experience.
The next day, we took another day trip to Haarlem. Imagine a scaled down version of Amsterdam with less tourists. Being only twenty minutes away by train, it’s an easy half day trip. We ate at Grote Market, the largest square in the center of the city, visited another windmill, and went to a church that’s been converted into a microbrewery. During our walks between the sights, we were again surrounded by canals on every other road. However, this time, we had many of the hidden streets all to ourselves, a quintessential Dutch city. The Netherlands is a wonderful place to wind down and refresh.
The next morning, we set off at 9:30am for the airport, got one final pint of Heineken, and said our goodbyes. Until next time.