Amsterdam, The Netherlands: First, a little flash-back to early February when Dave and I were sailing south down the Mexican Baja coast on the Norwegian Bliss. Tickets for admission to the Anne Frank Haus go on sale at 10a (Amsterdam time) every Tuesday, six weeks in advance - and they sell-out within minutes. Of course I would be out in the middle of an ocean when it was time to book. Naturally. To be fair, My Sweet Sister volunteered to get up at 2a in Seattle to make this purchase, but hopefully she would only be called-in if Elon’s onboard Starlink flaked out… which it does. The problem was not knowing exactly which time zone we were on. It was either one or two o’clock in the morning. Ship’s time and the time on my phone were not the same, so I set an alarm for 1a. My laptop was ready and the page needed was loaded. Credit card at hand. I lucked-out. At exactly one o’clock, the website went live and I booked a mid-morning slot, with the 30 minute introduction lecture/film. The tickets went into my cart; a 20 euro donation was also somehow added. Checked out and it was 1:02a. Thank you, Elon, not flaking out in the middle of the ocean in the middle of the night.
We had breakfast at the hotel, then walked (20 minutes) to Anne Frank House. It was super chilly this morning. I wore a wool sweater, a golf jacket… and then added a rain jacket and a scarf. By the end of the day, I had bought a warm beanie.
This typical Amsterdam house was owned by the Frank family. Though living in Holland, they were German nationals. Her father operated a pectin company in this building that was once used by a spice merchant, but Frank had installed a secret apartment behind the house as he was afraid of the Nazi agenda and every country he applied to for immigration refused him. No one wanted to mess with Hitler. (Weenies.) Anne was hidden in the building annex for two years with her mother, father and sister. Another family, and then a single man joined them later. They had a strict schedule - having to be up and ready for their day before the workers arrived to the pectin factory for the day. Then they had to remain silent until the workers went home at 5:30p. Frank trusted his office staff to keep his secret and get them food/supplies and operate his company. Everyone thought they had “fled to Switzerland” to stay with family. But someone did betray them and the group was rounded up and sent to death camps. Anne and her sister died two weeks before British soldiers liberated their camp. Only the father survived, his secretary had recovered Ann’s diaries from the annex, gave them to her returning father, and the rest is history.
Photography is not allowed inside the annex. The tour is run very well and though at full capacity, there was little crowding and we had plenty of time to explore everything. The rooms had changed so much since our visit 20 years ago - number one being we just walked-up, paid the fee, and went inside. No 6-week prior requirement. No lines. Also, nearly all the furniture has been removed from the hiding space. Anne’s bedroom is now completely empty, save the same starlet photos she had ripped from movie magazines and glued to her walls. The pencil marks recording the growth of Ann and Margot are still on the wall, carefully covered with plexiglass. This chart is a true heart-breaker. Then you enter a room with her diary displayed, and that was about all the heart ache I could take for a day.
After our tour we returned to the central square and had a decent lunch - salads and sliders and fries (of course), and had a 30 minute rest before heading out on the second adventure of the day.
Due to predicted terrible weather tomorrow, there was a bit of switcherooing with activity and restaurant reservations, and it all worked out in the end.
After our sober morning, our afternoon adventure had no reason to pause or reflect. It was all about the children and all about fun. We walked towards Amsterdam Centraal, the main Amsterdam train station, so we could visit A’DAM Lookout. After reaching the train station, one needs to get behind the station and hop a free ferry to the hipster NOORD neighborhood. The ferry takes five minutes and is completely free of charge. 90% of the passengers seem to be riding bicycles.
The lookout tower is just steps from away from the ferry dock. I suppose the A’DAM (the square building in below photo) holds offices, but the top floors have a rotating restaurant and a few amusements for guests. (Centraal Station is the long flat structure going through our heads.)
As per usual, after paying the entrance fee, they snap your photo! (Imagine if they did this at the Anne Frank Haus???) We were seated on a steel beam in front of a green screen, and then they sell you photos (if you want high resolution - the small file is included in admission fee). We are so bundled-up!
You get two shots: a regular and then a “crazy” shot. The photographer poses customers so they are either trying to not fall from the construction beam, or a romantic couple kissing on the beam, etc. Then they add four different seasonal backgrounds.
And the REAL reason we are here - the Sensational Swing. This crazy amusement-park ride puts you on a swing that sails over the edge of the tower! (Gramps and I only watched this one.) Do these children have no fear? It was $10 or so to ride the elevator up to the observation tower, the swing itself was only about $10. It was so windy Lucile had to remove her beanie as it kept blowing off on the rooftop. Best thing: due to the cold wind, there was no line.
After that heart-pounding adventure (and that was just Dave and I watching), we retreated inside the top floor where there is a restaurant, bar, gift shop, (indoor) observation areas and another way to get $10 outta you - a Virtual Reality roller coaster ride. Leo described it as a roller coaster ride that goes from the top of the A’DAM tower, over the inlet, into the main square in town (by our hotel) and return… except you are attacked by King Kong on the tower and there is something about a dinosaur. Ya know… just a typical day in Amsterdam. Of course, they loved it.
After we had finished with our A’DAM adventures, we rode the ferry back to the train station, retracing our steps to the front entrance, and walked across the street for dinner at Loetje. This steak house is a Dutch staple, with several locations in the country. They serve mostly just steak in a brown sauce. Tenderloin, three sizes. Dave had the small tenderloin, Leo had seared Ahi, Lucy had the kid-sized steak (which came with fries, cherry tomatoes and applesauce. I had the “chicken and avocado” salad which I mistakenly assumed would be shredded chicken breast (chicken salad) with avocado. Wrong. The chicken was marinated in (maybe?) Indonesian spices, grilled, with a spicy 1000 Island-type dressing. Not was I was expecting, but I ate the entire thing, served in a typical shrimp cocktail glass.
We did enjoy our meal and had great service. The restaurant branch at the train station sits out over the water, so we had views of passing canal tour boats until it became dark. Lucy and I were not too interested in stepping back into the frigid night, so decided to hop on the tram that went straight to Dam Square from the train station. A one minute ride v 15 minutes in the cold night air. Dave proposed he walk back and I take the grandchildren on the tram and make a little contest of who gets back to the hotel first. Well, he won as we had to wait for the next tram!
A mixed-emotion day, but another great day in Amsterdam!
Pedometer: 14,215 steps, nearly six miles.
Until my next update, I remain, your tour guide correspondent.
LINKS:
Anne Frank Haus
A’DAM Lookout
Having to book ahead for activities on your holiday does seem very strange to me. We are used to turning up and deciding what to do and see, and perhaps finding out from others what to see on a spontaneous basis. It must be quite common now for popular tourist destinations to have such a booking system. We unexpectedly came across it when visiting the Alhambra Palace in Grenada a few years ago.