Day 8
Amsterdam, Netherlands
15,835 steps
Highlights: Vondelpark, The Jordaan, Anne Frank House, Heineken Experience
Excited and energized by the gorgeous weather, we decided to start our day with a stroll through Amsterdam's most famous city park, Vondelpark. Though we barely scratched the surface, we loved wandering around and admiring the beautiful lakes, fountains, flowers, and restaurants that popped up throughout our walk. We people-watched as the locals exercised, flew by on bikes, hung signs in protest of various things, and sunbathed on the grass.
Our guidebook suggested that we visit the charming, upscale Jordaan neighborhood to get a postcard-worthy glimpse of the city and its canals, so we ventured there after the park. We ended up spending a few hours in the area and man, did it deliver. While wandering through the streets and along the canals, it was impossible not to fall head-over-heels in love with this mostly residential district. Flowers decorated just about every building and bridge while visitors on bikes popped into boutique shops, art galleries, coffee houses, and outdoor restaurants. We stopped for a free Dutch cheese tasting, admired more gorgeous houseboats, and took unlimited pictures.
The Jordaan neighborhood also happens to be close to the Anne Frank House, something I had on my short list of things to do while in Amsterdam. A couple months before our trip, I attempted to buy our tickets online, only to see that they were already sold out for the days we'd be visiting. I'd read many reviews saying that the lines for the Anne Frank House were awful, so I continued to check every day in case something opened up. Luckily, I was able to snag two tickets just a couple weeks before we left.
While waiting for our specific ticket time (the museum has staggered, timed entries), there were plenty of things to check out near the Anne Frank House, including the Homomonument. Made up of three large pink triangles (the symbol that homosexuals were forced to wear in the concentration camps) on the Keizersgracht canal, this memorial is a place of remembrance for those who were persecuted for their sexual preference during the Holocaust. Nearby Westerkerk Church, which is mentioned several times in Anne's diary, is also the burial site of Rembrandt, so we stepped inside to explore the beautiful church. Specifically, Anne mentioned hearing the church's bells while in hiding and finding a sense of comfort in the sound. She is now commemorated outside of the church with a small statue that is often decorated with flowers.
No photography was allowed inside the Anne Frank House, but I promise - it was just as humbling and heartbreaking an experience as you'd imagine. What I didn't expect, however, was the uplifting sense of hope I had while leaving, thanks to Anne's unbreakable spirit and incredible perspective. We walked through the building, which served as both her father's work office and a hiding place for the Frank family and four others for over two years. We entered through the secret, sliding bookcase and up an incredibly steep set of stairs. None of the furniture from their time hiding remains, so you walk through dark, empty rooms and try to imagine what it must have been like for them. No sound, no fresh air. It was haunting, especially when we heard the church bells ring - just like Anne did all those years ago.
Downstairs, the space has become a museum of sorts for the Frank family with pictures and objects from their life, including Anne's actual diaries. The only survivor of the eight in hiding was Anne's father, Otto Frank, who worked tirelessly to get his daughter's diary published and achieve her dream of becoming a famous journalist. Guests were encouraged to sign a guestbook and share their thoughts on this incredible, courageous young girl while a video of celebrities, foreign dignitaries, acquaintances of Anne, and visitors sharing their own thoughts looped in the background. Despite the sadness and the surreal feeling of actually being in the same rooms as her, it was an incredible, eye-opening experience that I would encourage anyone visiting Amsterdam to do.
When we left, we spotted the long line of people waiting to get into the museum at 3:00 (when the doors open for non-ticketed visitors) and felt relieved that we had somehow nabbed our tickets online. At this point, we were starting to get hungry, so we decided to sample an Amsterdam favorite, raw herring with pickles and onions. This Dutch delicacy is served at fish stands all over the city, so we decided to do as the locals do and try it. MISTAKE. It was absolutely disgusting. We both took a bite and promptly threw it away. So much for having an adventurous palate. In order to remove the slimy, fishy taste from our mouth, we stopped at a local restaurant and split a pizza like good American tourists.
From here, we continued our beautiful walk through the Jordaan and I continued to drool over the amazing flower baskets and gorgeous views. For dessert, we stopped at Winkel 43 for their famous apple pie, which is actually more like cake. I'd read about this spot online and the line out the door and down the block quickly confirmed its popularity. This little shop sells things other than apple pie, but everyone in line was ordering pie and coffee and for good reason. It was delicious. The baked apples were sweet, fresh, and coated in a delicious buttery cake/crust then topped with a light, fluffy helping of whipped cream. It was dessert heaven and we instantly wondered why we decided to split such a treat. Rookie move.
At this point, we had a couple hours to burn before our train left for Munich, so we decided to do a blitz tour through the Heineken Experience, an interactive tour through the old brewery. We didn't anticipate the long line to get in, so we had way less time to spend inside than we'd hoped, but we made the best of it. The tour, which I would describe as a theme park for beer lovers, was super interactive with a ride, karaoke on bikes, photo booths, horse stables, and soccer games. As any good brewery tour would do, we also learned about the brewing process and the history of the company, saw the equipment and the ingredients, and had a proper Heineken tasting. The tour ended with two free beers (or in my case, Cokes) and it was the perfect, quick sendoff from such an amazing city.
As was the case with London, I reluctantly made my way to the train station grumbling about all the things we didn't have time to do. Just an excuse to go back someday, right?
Downstairs, the space has become a museum of sorts for the Frank family with pictures and objects from their life, including Anne's actual diaries. The only survivor of the eight in hiding was Anne's father, Otto Frank, who worked tirelessly to get his daughter's diary published and achieve her dream of becoming a famous journalist. Guests were encouraged to sign a guestbook and share their thoughts on this incredible, courageous young girl while a video of celebrities, foreign dignitaries, acquaintances of Anne, and visitors sharing their own thoughts looped in the background. Despite the sadness and the surreal feeling of actually being in the same rooms as her, it was an incredible, eye-opening experience that I would encourage anyone visiting Amsterdam to do.
When we left, we spotted the long line of people waiting to get into the museum at 3:00 (when the doors open for non-ticketed visitors) and felt relieved that we had somehow nabbed our tickets online. At this point, we were starting to get hungry, so we decided to sample an Amsterdam favorite, raw herring with pickles and onions. This Dutch delicacy is served at fish stands all over the city, so we decided to do as the locals do and try it. MISTAKE. It was absolutely disgusting. We both took a bite and promptly threw it away. So much for having an adventurous palate. In order to remove the slimy, fishy taste from our mouth, we stopped at a local restaurant and split a pizza like good American tourists.
From here, we continued our beautiful walk through the Jordaan and I continued to drool over the amazing flower baskets and gorgeous views. For dessert, we stopped at Winkel 43 for their famous apple pie, which is actually more like cake. I'd read about this spot online and the line out the door and down the block quickly confirmed its popularity. This little shop sells things other than apple pie, but everyone in line was ordering pie and coffee and for good reason. It was delicious. The baked apples were sweet, fresh, and coated in a delicious buttery cake/crust then topped with a light, fluffy helping of whipped cream. It was dessert heaven and we instantly wondered why we decided to split such a treat. Rookie move.
At this point, we had a couple hours to burn before our train left for Munich, so we decided to do a blitz tour through the Heineken Experience, an interactive tour through the old brewery. We didn't anticipate the long line to get in, so we had way less time to spend inside than we'd hoped, but we made the best of it. The tour, which I would describe as a theme park for beer lovers, was super interactive with a ride, karaoke on bikes, photo booths, horse stables, and soccer games. As any good brewery tour would do, we also learned about the brewing process and the history of the company, saw the equipment and the ingredients, and had a proper Heineken tasting. The tour ended with two free beers (or in my case, Cokes) and it was the perfect, quick sendoff from such an amazing city.
As was the case with London, I reluctantly made my way to the train station grumbling about all the things we didn't have time to do. Just an excuse to go back someday, right?
This looks awesome! You KNOW I'm loving those yellow bikes in the first shot! :) such a cool experience getting to see Anne Frank's home/etc. Wow!
ReplyDeleteI'll Vondel your...never mind.
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