Weekend in Amsterdam

Since we got a super long weekend for Carnival (thank you Carnival), a group of us decided to go to Amsterdam for a couple days after the Carnival parade on Thursday. Getting there wasn’t easy. The planned trip was a 20-minute train ride from Bonn to Cologne and then we were supposed to catch a train to Amsterdam from there. Because of Carnival, the train had to keep stopping because there were people on the tracks between Bonn and Cologne. My thoughts on this: Why don’t the police or train officials clear the people off of the tracks. After a continual stopping and going on the train, we were then told that the Cologne Main Station was closed due to unattended baggage. We sat on the track for about an hour. Long story short, it took 3 hours to get from Bonn to Cologne, a trip that should only take 20 minutes. We finally got to Amsterdam and settled in around 1 AM that night.

So one of the first things on my list to do in Amsterdam was tour the Anne Frank House and that was the very first thing we did! We got there right when it opened so we only had to wait about 20 minutes to get in. There have been stories of people waiting 2-3 hours so we were very pleased. It was an incredible experience. These are some of my favorite quotes that I read throughout the museum from her diary.

“I know what I want, I have a goal, I have opinions, a religion, and love.”

“The weak fall, but the strong will remain and never go under”

“Riches can all be lost, but that happiness in your own heart can only be veiled, and it will bring you happiness again, as long as you live.”

It’s just amazing how mature and ahead of her time she was. She was only 13 when the Frank family went into hiding and was only 15 when she died. One of my favorite things I have done this whole trip, by far. Going up each staircase and learning about each room in the office below was very interesting. And then you turn down a hallway and you see it, the famous bookshelf. Then you go through the passageway and after going through the lower level of the annex (where the Franks lived along with another friend of Otto Frank, Fritz Pfeffer), you walk up the skinny stairway to the main floor of the annex. When Otto Frank decided to make the office space and annex a museum, he decided to leave all of the rooms of the Secret Annex empty to represent the void that was left when millions of people were deported and often never returned to their homes. I wish I could have taken more pictures but they weren’t allowed. I only snuck a picture of the famous bookcase (I just had to break the rule just that once). I would HIGHLY recommend this museum to EVERY person, especially if you are in Amsterdam. That afternoon, we took a free walking tour around Amsterdam to learn a little about the history and culture of the beautiful city. One of the unique aspects of the culture in Amsterdam, there are thousands of bikes everywhere. Most people bike around the city and there are parking garages just for bikes. I almost got run over by some when I was crossing the street (most of the time I was acting like a typical tourist, taking pictures of everything). Also, there are Squatter Houses, where people are allowed to “squat” in without paying rent. There was a law at one point in Amsterdam that said if a building was not occupied for one year, the city would allow homeless people to live in the buildings and would even protect them against being evicted by the owner of the building. That law is no longer around but the squatter houses that resulted from that law still remain and are still used by squattors. That night, we decided to go on an evening canal cruise through all of the major canals in Amsterdam. It was so beautiful with all of the lights. I wish my pictures would have turned out better.

 The next day, we decided to stop by the famous Rijksmuseum but I did not go in. Instead, a group of us went to a local flower market where we saw thousands of tulips, which are pretty famous in Holland. After some walking around and exploring, it was time to go. Luckily, our train was not delayed this time.

In regards to food. The food in Amsterdam was so delicious. There are 2 things that are a must when in Amsterdam, the fries and the pancakes. I know that sounds pretty normal but they double fry their fries in Amsterdam so they are very crunchy. On the other hand, the pancakes are more like crepes and there are hundreds of different topping combinations you can choose, my favorite being bacon and apple.