Amsterdam Day 1

We arrived in Amsterdam around 10 a.m., after taking the train, ferry, train from London to Harwich to Hoek and then into Amsterdam (with some lovely help from a gal from Amsterdam returning from London on the same ferry).   All throughout our trip, people helped and really went out of their way to be kind and helpful - it was pretty wonderful!  

Our first day in Amsterdam we found the hotel (what a neat little hotel!), ate lunch, went to  the Amsterdam Museum and learned the history of this amazing city, then went to the Anne Frank House.   The Ann Frank House was very well worth the wait in line.   I read the diary so many years ago, when I was about Anne's age and was so touched by it.   I read it again 3 years ago and enjoyed it as an adult.   What struck me then was that Anne could easily still be alive today, yet she's been gone for 70 years now.       Miep, the employee of Otto Frank who was one of the three who helped the 8 people hidden, just passed away a few years ago.   I believe she was over 100.   All the furniture was taken just right after the families hidden were captured, and all rooms have been left without furniture, but with lots of interesting displays and things to read.   Anne's room still has the pictures from magazines hanging on the walls that she glued there so many years ago...

I really enjoyed Amsterdam; just walking around and seeing all the people, bicycles, cafes and cars.   Delightful!    Our hotel was the A Train Hotel, very near Dam Square and the rail station.   All train themed; my dad would have enjoyed it.   The building was about 400 years old, so neat!   The room was very cozy and clean, and we were central to everything we needed (except the Resistance Museum, but that's another story!).