Amsterdam, thankyou ma'am!
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Wowee, it's been a while. Well really only a little over a week. But in all honesty blogging can become very addictive, and I've been feeling like a slacko as blogging good ideas pop into my head, only to join the queue halted by my laziness. Well it shall be no more... at least for the time being. So, grab a cuppa, put your legs up, hold on tight and away we go!
A jolly good long weekend in Amsterdam was had by Lozza, Eder, Glenny and I. We headed over on the car ferry then drove the four hours up to the Netherlands. I fancied myself the cleverest trickster when I told our guests that we'd be staying in wagonettes like the gypsies and travelling showies of old. Yet on our search for the caravan park, home to said wagonettes, it was as if fate had a hand in scaring the bejesus out of me for my fib. We drove past a yard full of the oldest timber wagons you can imagine, hand painted all over with flowers set amongst wild jungle of what looked like an artist/hippy commune. There were rusted out cars, tarpaulins strung between trees and hubcaps hanging off the fence. All of this sat behind a large sign that said 'Camping Zeeburg' (our accommodation), and to my relief 'turn left' in smaller font. We headed round the corner to a lovely little camping grounds leaving that nightmare behind, to take up in our jolly little wagonettes.
Basic but comfortable. We set off for a drive after that to see if we could spot a field of tulips. Ha ha, funny though, we should have realised with the weather being sweltering hot that there'd be not a tulip left. And indeed it was true. Unseasonably warm weather had meant that the tulips had not lasted as long into May as usual. We did sneaky photo a few in someone's backyard though:
So no tulip gazing for us, much to the disappointment of the gentlemen in the car.
The next few days we caught the tram into central Amsterdam. Relatively easy for non-speakers of the language, yet I always feel bad when I don't know even a word to communicate in the language of the country. Note to self: learn a few basics before we head somewhere else, English speakers don't rule the world you know, though I'm sure some would like to try... :)
Loz and I visited what remains of Anne Frank's house.
This is the only pic we could take, no photos allowed inside, so I'll recount a little for you.
While the building has been clearly renovated on the outside, and possibly a little on the inside as well, they have done a great job of trying to replicate all that once was the factory and then the secret home of the Franks. Even down to the wall paper of the secret rooms in the annex.
Otto Frank ran a jam making factory in this building, but when world war two broke out and Jews were being taken from their homes, he masterminded a little plan to keep his family safe. He signed the ownership of the factory over to someone else and enlisted the help of a few workers to keep his family's presence a secret. Many of you know the story of the secret rooms (the annex) behind the swinging cupboard. We were able to move behind the cupboard and up the stairs to the rooms that once sheltered the Frank family. The Frank family spent days quietly hidden upstairs and were able to sneak down into the factory at night. It was a really strange experience to wander through the empty rooms that once served as a safe place for this fearful little family. They had little model reconstructions on display of how the rooms looked, and even had re-hung the wallpaper that had all the little pictures Anne had stuck up to make her little space a little nicer. That was a real eye opener, to gaze upon the images hung by little Anne, about 80 years ago as her family were forced to shelter themselves from the wrath of such an evil man (namely, Hitler). How brave the Frank family were.
It was during this time (of about two years) in hiding, that Anne wrote her famous diary, of which there were a few. Initially the diaries were for herself only; however, when it was broadcast over the radio one night that people should prepare good copies of their writings of the war to provide insight into their experiences for generations to come, Anne spent days carefully copying her entries out in the hope of one day getting them published.
To think of spending days inside the rooms, not to go outside, no chance to feel the sun on your face, or the wind through your hair, no chance to run and laugh out loud, as children should, my heart feels so sad at what this family was put through along with the many other families who may not have been so lucky.
I really got a lot out of this museum, what a powerful experience. Lozza even bought the book to read, which makes me think she found it an equally poignant experience. I know at Kirwan this book is on the reading list, for year 9 I believe, I hope I will be able to teach it one day because my experience at the museum has certainly given me a whole new level of appreciation for Anne's story.
Beyond history, Amsterdam offers much more.
Canals...
Shopping...
Wooden clogs...
Famous sign...
Touristy activity brochures.....THAT YOU HAVE TO PAY FOR!!!....
The microwave cafe: pay your money, it heats up and hey presto, you have a hamburger...
Lauren coffee for Lauren...
A jolly good long weekend in Amsterdam was had by Lozza, Eder, Glenny and I. We headed over on the car ferry then drove the four hours up to the Netherlands. I fancied myself the cleverest trickster when I told our guests that we'd be staying in wagonettes like the gypsies and travelling showies of old. Yet on our search for the caravan park, home to said wagonettes, it was as if fate had a hand in scaring the bejesus out of me for my fib. We drove past a yard full of the oldest timber wagons you can imagine, hand painted all over with flowers set amongst wild jungle of what looked like an artist/hippy commune. There were rusted out cars, tarpaulins strung between trees and hubcaps hanging off the fence. All of this sat behind a large sign that said 'Camping Zeeburg' (our accommodation), and to my relief 'turn left' in smaller font. We headed round the corner to a lovely little camping grounds leaving that nightmare behind, to take up in our jolly little wagonettes.
Basic but comfortable. We set off for a drive after that to see if we could spot a field of tulips. Ha ha, funny though, we should have realised with the weather being sweltering hot that there'd be not a tulip left. And indeed it was true. Unseasonably warm weather had meant that the tulips had not lasted as long into May as usual. We did sneaky photo a few in someone's backyard though:
 |
| You can even stop by the side of the road to buy your Dutch tulip bulbs. Lozza almost succumbed... |
The next few days we caught the tram into central Amsterdam. Relatively easy for non-speakers of the language, yet I always feel bad when I don't know even a word to communicate in the language of the country. Note to self: learn a few basics before we head somewhere else, English speakers don't rule the world you know, though I'm sure some would like to try... :)
Loz and I visited what remains of Anne Frank's house.
This is the only pic we could take, no photos allowed inside, so I'll recount a little for you.
While the building has been clearly renovated on the outside, and possibly a little on the inside as well, they have done a great job of trying to replicate all that once was the factory and then the secret home of the Franks. Even down to the wall paper of the secret rooms in the annex.
Otto Frank ran a jam making factory in this building, but when world war two broke out and Jews were being taken from their homes, he masterminded a little plan to keep his family safe. He signed the ownership of the factory over to someone else and enlisted the help of a few workers to keep his family's presence a secret. Many of you know the story of the secret rooms (the annex) behind the swinging cupboard. We were able to move behind the cupboard and up the stairs to the rooms that once sheltered the Frank family. The Frank family spent days quietly hidden upstairs and were able to sneak down into the factory at night. It was a really strange experience to wander through the empty rooms that once served as a safe place for this fearful little family. They had little model reconstructions on display of how the rooms looked, and even had re-hung the wallpaper that had all the little pictures Anne had stuck up to make her little space a little nicer. That was a real eye opener, to gaze upon the images hung by little Anne, about 80 years ago as her family were forced to shelter themselves from the wrath of such an evil man (namely, Hitler). How brave the Frank family were.
It was during this time (of about two years) in hiding, that Anne wrote her famous diary, of which there were a few. Initially the diaries were for herself only; however, when it was broadcast over the radio one night that people should prepare good copies of their writings of the war to provide insight into their experiences for generations to come, Anne spent days carefully copying her entries out in the hope of one day getting them published.
To think of spending days inside the rooms, not to go outside, no chance to feel the sun on your face, or the wind through your hair, no chance to run and laugh out loud, as children should, my heart feels so sad at what this family was put through along with the many other families who may not have been so lucky.
I really got a lot out of this museum, what a powerful experience. Lozza even bought the book to read, which makes me think she found it an equally poignant experience. I know at Kirwan this book is on the reading list, for year 9 I believe, I hope I will be able to teach it one day because my experience at the museum has certainly given me a whole new level of appreciation for Anne's story.
Beyond history, Amsterdam offers much more.
Canals...
Shopping...
Wooden clogs...
Famous sign...
Touristy activity brochures.....THAT YOU HAVE TO PAY FOR!!!....
Bike rail, to get it from the street to your flat... I want a bike!
A goat on a hill in our camping grounds...
The microwave cafe: pay your money, it heats up and hey presto, you have a hamburger...
The Heineken Museum...
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| This is what beer is made of, well some of it: hops, barley and... something else... |
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| Glen grinding the barley |
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| Taste testing time |
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| Glenny starring in a Dutch video, singing a traditional song, classic! |
The Van Gogh Museum - lots of beautiful art and the famous painting of the sunflowers. Unfortunately no photos allowed, so this is the closest we got...
We had a ball and even ventured to the movies to see 'The Fast and the Furious 4', where we bought nachos, cheese and guacamole from the candy bar, craziness!
Amsterdam is famous for other things too, and let me say that there was plenty of that around also. Certainly not my thing but pretty popular with the tourists.
All in all we had a fabo time, saw lots, ate too much, walked for miles and developed a whole lot of bicycle envy (that was me, none of this mountain bike business, the kind of bike your mum used to ride with you in the plastic seat on the back - I want one!)
A final photo of the darling Lozza, happily 4 months pregnant to a baby called Peachy (the story was in an earlier post). I think she looks beautiful!
Bye bye!
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