This is a crazy, dirty while beautiful city. We didn't stay in Amsterdam but in Harlaam because there was a holiday for the Germans and French, so everything was booked. We walked everywhere, and had a chance to see everything in the city, for the most part.
We checked out the Anne Frank house on the first day we were there. I couldn't imaging living in those circumstances. It was amazing to hear about the dedication her father Otto had for keeping his family safe, and heart breaking to hear about the out come of it all. He moved his family from Frankfort to Amsterdam looking to better their live. He started business and things were going good for him. They then had to retreat to their hideout for almost 2 years until they were revealed by an unknown person to the Nazi's. They were captured and the family was distributed to a few different concentration camps. Everyone in his family died there except him. He was left alone. After all his hard work and struggle, he was left with nothing.
On a lighter note, we really enjoyed the neighborhood around Anne Frank's house and found it refreshing to be there after spending a lot of time in the "old town".
Continued...
The City is filled with bikes, it is crazy. Everyone rides bikes, even if you are preganent with a toddler on the back, you will ride your bike throughout the city. We were forced to walk everywhere though because it wasn´t in our budget to rent bikes there.
On our last day in Amsterdam, we were going to catch a 12:00 pm train to Bacharach. Our bus was taking it´s sweet time as we wandered through the roads to the train station. Once we got to the train station we found where the platform was that our train was going to leave from, and the train was waiting there. So we started to run like usual, to one of the side doors. I pushed the button to open the door and nothing happened. I pushed it again and the door just wouldn´t budge. Then it started to move away from us. That sucked.
The next train was in four hours. So, instead of going into Amsterdam one more time with all our luggage, we waited at the platform. Then we got hungery. So I deceided to go out and get us some food. Once I had the food and I was walking back, I looked down on the ground and saw some puke. Someone´s dinner and booze from the night before. Along with the puke there was a well placed ciggarette butt floating init. And to top it off, there was a pidgeon picking through it trying to find food. I was thuroughly disgusted, and this kind of thing happens every day. At that point, I said to my self, ¨Damn¨.
We checked out the Anne Frank house on the first day we were there. I couldn't imaging living in those circumstances. It was amazing to hear about the dedication her father Otto had for keeping his family safe, and heart breaking to hear about the out come of it all. He moved his family from Frankfort to Amsterdam looking to better their live. He started business and things were going good for him. They then had to retreat to their hideout for almost 2 years until they were revealed by an unknown person to the Nazi's. They were captured and the family was distributed to a few different concentration camps. Everyone in his family died there except him. He was left alone. After all his hard work and struggle, he was left with nothing.
On a lighter note, we really enjoyed the neighborhood around Anne Frank's house and found it refreshing to be there after spending a lot of time in the "old town".
Continued...
The City is filled with bikes, it is crazy. Everyone rides bikes, even if you are preganent with a toddler on the back, you will ride your bike throughout the city. We were forced to walk everywhere though because it wasn´t in our budget to rent bikes there.
On our last day in Amsterdam, we were going to catch a 12:00 pm train to Bacharach. Our bus was taking it´s sweet time as we wandered through the roads to the train station. Once we got to the train station we found where the platform was that our train was going to leave from, and the train was waiting there. So we started to run like usual, to one of the side doors. I pushed the button to open the door and nothing happened. I pushed it again and the door just wouldn´t budge. Then it started to move away from us. That sucked.
The next train was in four hours. So, instead of going into Amsterdam one more time with all our luggage, we waited at the platform. Then we got hungery. So I deceided to go out and get us some food. Once I had the food and I was walking back, I looked down on the ground and saw some puke. Someone´s dinner and booze from the night before. Along with the puke there was a well placed ciggarette butt floating init. And to top it off, there was a pidgeon picking through it trying to find food. I was thuroughly disgusted, and this kind of thing happens every day. At that point, I said to my self, ¨Damn¨.
This is the Central Canal Ring neighborhood. The most beautiful buildings and the highest rent. This is the part people fall in love with. The architecture is great.
Anne Frank´s house where she lived in hiding is on the far left of this picture. She was just a building or two from teh big church and in her diary she says that the only part of life outside the house was hearing the church bells ring. It was truly amazing seeing her life from the inside.
Night shot of what was once a gate into the city, to the east of the Red Light District. Then it was used as a prison and now it is a cheesy cafe. Tourism is so great! right...
This is the castle we stayed at just north of Haarlem. We showed up late at night and thought we were in the wrong place. No one told us to look for the local castle.
The Heinekin Experience is behind us. Since their original brewery is no longer used they turned it into a kind of beer theme park. Too bad it´s closed until May...we went next door and
ordered two of them to make the trek worthwhile.
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