I almost forgot to post the pics from Holland! This entry should have gone after Antwerp and before Cologne and Bonn. Also known as the Netherlands because most of the region sits below sea level, Tim and I spent one week in Amsterdam with day trips to Delft, Haarlem, and the Hague.Just like Vegas, what happens in Amsterdam, stays in Amsterdam! Hehehe. Actually, Amsterdam is known for being liberal. Everywhere we went the smell of pot was in the air. And yes, mom, I did go to the Red Light District! That was quite an experience. Did you know that the average family in Holland owns at least 4 bicycles? In fact there are lanes and traffic lights specifically for the bikes! Lots of nice legs here in Holland! Here's a brief looky-loo at our visit...
What trip to Amsterdam would be complete without a stop at the Anne Frank house? Here we got to see the excerpts from her famed diary come to life. We were able to stand in the living quarters, see parts of her actual diary, and learn about life in hiding from the gestapo.
Holland is known for its beautiful flowers. Although we missed the peak of the bloom, we did see some nice ones still. I ordered some Tulip bulbs which are being shipped home in October! Can't wait to see them in the spring! You'll have to stop by the house and see them!
This is the Rijk Museum, Amsterdam's state museum. It houses works by reknowned Dutch artists such as Rembrandt and Vermeer. Rembrandt's "Night Watch" was huge and impressive. Below is a sculpture paying tribute to the artist and the painting.
This was a room in one of the museums we visited. I just liked this shot.
One of the gardens we visited used sea shells for landscaping instead of sand and/or sod.
Pretty creative!
I mentioned that we took some day trips. Here are some pics from Delft. Delft is known for ira pottery. I ordered some Delft Christmas ornaments so hopefully they make it hope all in one piece!
One of the canal rings
We climbed the tower of the Old Church. This is the view of the town hall.
More views from the Old Church in Delft.
Don't look down! I looked up instead. What time is it???
Another canal!
This is the New Church.
Pics from The Hague:
This is the Passage Gallery mall. Modeled after the one in Brussels! (See Brussels blog entry for reference).
The fascade of the Passage.
Part of the International Palace of Justice.
A Dutch windmill!
How cute!
Off to Haarlem:
Off to Haarlem:
If you haven't read "The Hiding Place" by John and Elizabeth Scherill, I highly recommend it. It tells of the true story of Corrie Ten Boom, whose family helped the Dutch underground hide Jewish people during the WWII. The house where the "Hiding Place" was is now a musem. Small world, but there was a family from Riverton, Utah, there too!
The Hiding Place. I liked this better than the Anne Frank House. Tim and I were reading the book before we visited. This space was only six feet wide and had to hide over 5 people at a time sometimes. You had 30 seconds to climb under the closet before anyone could reach the top floor.
Back to Amsterdam!
We visited the Willet-Hoythuysen Mansion. Now a museum, it gives you a look into what upper class Amsterdam would have been like.
This is a real Waterford crystal chandelier from the 1800s!
The garden of the Willet-Hoythuysen Mansion.
A random but typical Amsterdam house.
Sunset behind the RijkMuseum.
The last sunset in Amsterdam!
We had just left Winkel, a cafe known for its Dutch apple pie, and were walking home when I saw this sunset view.
1 comment:
Amazing pictures. My grandparents came from the Netherlands in 1957. Parts of my family still live there. My grandma remembers familys around her hiding jews and how poor most people in the citys were once they had been invaded.
I look forward to visiting it myself.
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