The first stop on our Africa trip was a connection in Europe. Previous stops in Amsterdam never left the airport, so we decided it was time to explore the city and shake off some jet lag.
Anne Frank House – During World War II, when the Netherlands was occupied by Germany, Anne Frank hid from Nazi persecution with her family and four other people in hidden rooms (“The Secret Annex”) in this canal house. She did not survive the war but her father, the sole family survivor, published her wartime diary in her honor. The museum recreates the atmosphere and period of the Frank family experience, and is quite sobering but an important exhibit. National Holocaust Memorial – commemorates the approximately 102,000 Jewish victims from the Netherlands who were arrested by the Nazi regime during the German occupation of county in 1940-1945.Canal in Amsterdam – The Amsterdam canals are on the UNESCO World Heritage List with the three main canals dug in the 17th century. The city is a maze of beautiful canals and houses.Rijksmuseum – Rembrandt’s The Night Watch is one of the most famous Dutch Golden Age paintings.Brouwerij ‘t IJ – Dutch brewery attached to a 300 year old Windmill!Royal Palace – Completed 1665, one of the three palaces still used by the Dutch Royal Family. It primarily serves a ceremonial function rather than as a royal residence.Torture Museum – The small, oddball Torture Museum was fun and informative despite the theme. The exhibits are instruments of punishment, including the guillotine, thumb screws and the rack, mostly Medieval torture devices with a good explanation of each device.
