Amsterdam

Pancakes, Canals, History and Art!

I have never seen so many people on bicycles!

Day One: 10/09/2013

We flew from Stansted to Amsterdam this morning and I couldn’t believe how short the flight was! It took us longer to get from the car to the gate than it did for us to get to a new country!
I am sure to people who live in Europe this sounds obvious, but I live in New Zealand. The closest country is at least a three hour flight away. Back home a 45 minute flight would only get you from Auckland to Wellington.

After checking into the hostel it started to rain so we had a quick wander around the canals before finding a pancake house for lunch. On our way to lunch we found the cutest garden that was hidden behind a wooden door, amazing the things you come across when travelling if you just keep your eyes open.

After lunch we went to the Tulip Mueseum, which was very touristy but as a person who love Tulips it was a cool place to go. It is also quite eye opening as many people who lived in Holland through the war had to eat Tulip bulbs to survive. There is a very good book called The Hatred of Tulips, which is a fictional but accurate portrayal of the starvation that people in Holland went through in the war and the lengths it drove them to.

We then went over to the Anne Frank House, we didnt expect to be able to get in as we had not booked tickets (which I highly recommend you do). Luckily because of the rain people did not feel like waiting in line so there weren’t many people around and we just walked in. The Anne Frank House is amazing and a must visit of Amsterdam, it is unimaginable how they lived in this space for as long as they did and stayed sane. You see the tower she could see from her window from down the canal and you realise that it all happened, it’s not just a horrible story.

Day Two: 11/09/2013

First thing this morning we were at the Van Gogh Museum, we actually did have tickets booked this time so walked straight in. It is quite amazing to see so many of his works in one place and learn the history of such an influential artist. He only ever sold one painting in his lifetime, which hangs in the museum, and it is not a painting that jumps out at you by any standard.

After the museum we had another quick walk around Amsterdam before catching the train out to Wijk Aan Zee to see some family friends. Our family knows Nico as he was fostered to my Grandmother’s family during the war and we have stayed in touch ever since. Wijk Aan Zee is a coastal town and Mum and Aunty Cathy used to come spend their summers here to help out the family and be near the ocean.

Day Three: 12/09/2013

Today we did a tour around three small towns around Amsterdam; Marken, Volendam, and Zaanse Schans.

We went to an old fashioned clog factory, a cheese factory, caught a boat and saw some windmills. It was a very nice day out, even if Mum kept teasing us because we were falling asleep on every mode of transport.

Then it was time to return to England. Can’t wait to come back and see more of this beautiful flat country. Maybe we can make it to old Zealand some time.