Thursday, April 12. Our hotel in Zandvoort left much to be desired, especially after the fabulous apartment we left behind in Bruges. The shower was actually in a closet and all 7 of us had to share a card table and two chairs whenever we wanted to eat. But, it's not the hotel you stay in that makes a trip wonderful but the city you get to explore and Amsterdam certainly did not disappoint.
The train station in Amsterdam. We took the train from Zandvoort to Amsterdam so we wouldn't have to worry about traffic or trying to park. Lucky for us, Rick Steve's walking tour of Amsterdam starts right at the train station:)
The "hidden" Catholic church. For two centuries it was against the law to practice Catholicism. Even though it was illegal it was tolerated as long as Catholics practiced in humble, un-advertised buildings, such as this. What a contrast from the rest of Europe where Catholic Cathedrals are the main attraction!
The Begijnhof. This courtyard housed unmarried women and widows that wanted to leave the world behind and live out their days in quiet service to Christ. The women who lived here took care of the poor and sick of the city.
There is only so much walking you can make three kids do in one day so we opted for a boat tour of Amsterdam. It was a nice way to get some views of the architecture and layout of the city.
A view from the water. Amsterdam was sort of like Venice...with cars.
Classic view of Amsterdam, the city of bikes!
After the boat tour we decided to split up. Hyrum took the boys to a fabulous children's museum and Oma, Andrea and I hit the wonderful art museum. Can you tell Julian is super happy to not be in his stroller walking around an old city?
Townsend, surrounding himself with a giant bubble
Emerson, being silly with mirrors. Even though it was crowded Hyrum said the boys had a great time and they were happy to be in an environment that was made for running, touching, exploring, building and climbing.
Oma, Andrea and I continued the walking tour of Amsterdam on our way to the Rijksmuseum Art Museum. This was an interesting arch. Above is written, in latin, "Homo sapiens non urinat in ventum" which means, "Don't pee into the wind."
Only in Amsterdam!
During our walk Oma found something that she liked...
...and I found something that I liked. I debated taking the train back into Amsterdam the next day just so I could have one of these chocolate croissants!
Oma and Andrea in front of the Rijksmuseum. If you like the art of Dutch masters, this is a must see museum.
A little Frans Hals...
A little Vermeer...
A little Rembrandt...
And a little Jan Steen...
By far the most impressive piece in the museum is "The Night Watch" by Rembrandt. I love the use of light and dark to focus your eyes on the important figures. Seriously, a wonderful masterpiece.
After leaving the museum we wandered around a bit to find a bite to eat. Unfortunately, the "OMA Falafel" was closed...we were all very sad.
We met up again with Hyrum and the boys outside the Anne Frank house
Anne's diary is actually on display at the museum. I read the book "The Diary of Anne Frank" when I was in 8th grade. I still remember how much it touched me and how I had hoped it had a different ending. Seeing the house and the hidden annex where she lived for two years was really amazing.
You weren't allowed to take pictures inside the museum so this is a photo of a postcard showing how this bookcase concealed the stairs leading up to the secret rooms.
Most of the rooms are pretty empty but there are quotes from her diaries on the walls and it is so amazing to walk through the rooms and imagine living life in fear of being discovered each and every day. I had to include this photo of Anne, what a beautiful little girl and what a tragedy she and so many like her were killed just because they were different.
Amsterdam streets are lined with these posts. The boys got pretty expert at jumping over them.
Family photo in Amsterdam. Probably my favorite part of the whole day was walking around in the evening, after we had already seen all the sites on our list. The city was quiet and the lighting was perfect for some photos.
Wow...what a day! It was busy and full of walking but I'm glad we got to see Amsterdam. We headed back to Zandvoort on the train and went off to bed as soon as we got to the hotel.
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