Day 2 : Amsterdam (15 June 2008)

We were up early on the second day (15 June 2008) of our Contiki tour. It was raining outside and at 7:45 we had breakfast in the hotel in Amsterdam.  A lot of people were late for the bus and at about 8:50 we drove into the city.  The bus dropped us close to the Anne Frank Museum.   We followed other members of our group but they took a wrong turn and we walked the long way to the museum.
At about 9:00 we were waiting in a line to enter the museum but we it gave us time to take photos of the Prinsengracht.  Anne Frank was a Jewish girl who wrote a dairy while in hiding during the Second World War.  She was in hiding with her family and another family in the Prinsengracht building that now houses the museum. 
Prinsengracht
Row outside Anne Frank House
We walked through the hiding place.  The rooms are empty and looks big but must have been very crampt with 8 people living inside it. I read “The Dairy of Anne Frank” about a year before we visited the museum and it was an amazing experience to see the building.  We spend about 90 minutes in the museum but could have stayed another hour.

We went into a Delftware shop.  It is very expensive and we were scared that if we buy something it will break during the rest of the holiday.  We walked to the Westerkerk with its beautiful tower and the statue of Anne Frank.
Westerkerk
Statue of Anne Frank
Then we started walking towards Dam Square but made a mistake while reading the map and went in the wrong direction.  We made it to Dam square and saw the Koninklik Paleis, Nieuwe Kerk, Magna Plaza and the National Monument.  There was a film crew busy filming something in the square and a part of the square was closed.


We walked some more and bought som souvernirs before heading back to the bus.
Nieuwe Kerk
Koninklik Paleis
National Monument
We then drove to Amstel Park to see the Rieker Windmill.  This windmill is still working.  It is also a house and were people living inside.  After taking pictures we left Amsterdam at about 13:00. Next stop Germany.
Amsterdam was a nice city to visit.  The canals with water flowing through the town give it a peaceful feeling.  The houses are close together and on the windowsills there are pots filled with cheerful flowers.  It is very flat and I can understand why cycling is so popular.  I would love to return and walk around some more.


See more of the trip to Europe:
Location: Amsterdam, The Netherlands

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