A Summer to Remember..: Amsterdam, Zaanse Schans, and Brugge

I know I haven't posted in awhile, but I guess that's what happens when the end of your trip is near. But here I am, in a study break, days from going home and I figured I should write while I still have all the memories fresh in mind.

The weekend before last I went to Holland and Belgium. I'm not sure if anyone doesn't know that Amsterdam is in Holland, but maybe Zaanse Schans is less well known? Brugge is one of the oldest cities in the world and it's main import during it's golden years was lace. I don't think I knew much about the town except for the fact that it was in Belgium and that means it would have good chocolate and waffles.

This trip was a discovery tour which basically meant we spent a lot of time in the coach traveling to our next location and that the trip went through very quickly. Lets just say there was a lot of fast paced walking and running in order to not miss the coach.

First we took the coach to Amsterdam. The ride was overnight and we actually drove the bus into a train compartment in order to take the Euro-tunnel to Paris (if you're not familiar at all with geography then you should know you need to go under/over water in order to get from the UK to Paris) and then continued to drive. It was pretty epic to watch our driver navigate his way into a train compartment with only a couple of inches on each side. There's a picture below of what it looked like from inside the train. We arrived in Amsterdam in the morning and were given an itinerary for the day. While booking the tour we had no idea it would be PRIDE in Amsterdam that weekend. The population in Amsterdam is actually quite small, so to have an additional 500,000 people in a city, saying it was packed is an understatement. But while in Amsterdam I only had one thing I actually wanted to do, which was to visit Anne Frank's Annex (or really the secret annex that held two families).

The morning started with a walking tour from our guide before breakfast. We lovingly have deemed him our Jesus/ Smurf Tour guide because he had long hair and wore a blue shirt (his work shirt) and basically gave himself the nickname so we didn't feel weird using it. After breakfast we were given free time and all decided to go to the Annex first. Upon arrival, we saw how long the line to enter was. And some of my friends decided they would rather go to the Heineken brewery instead. So when the four of them left, only myself and one other remained. We happened to be the only girls in our group with Jewish Herritage so it makes sense that we were the ones who stayed. The line ended up only taking an hour long which is short since my friends estimated it would take three hours, hence their leaving. I was excited but a little nervous at first. I mean it isn't exactly a happy place, but it is one that I have read and learned about since I was little. As soon as we started the tour of the Annex, which was in Otto Frank's company factory, it became clear how bleak their time there must have been. It really makes you understand how amazing Anne Frank's outlook was. The fact that she was able to keep any hope and to try and be cheerful at times is admirable. When the Annex was discovered (still nobody know's who told the gestapo about their presence in the annex), everything was taken out of it, furniture and all. During the tour it remained empty because Otto wanted it to be a reminder of the fate that many families suffered and the emptiness that was left behind. Each of the rooms are rather tiny, and function in multiple ways. For instance one of the families lived in the same place that functioned as the kitchen. I'm not sure why these two things struck me the most, but the bathroom and blacked out windows will forever be in my memory. They couldn't even use the restroom most of the time in order to keep silent while the workers were in the factory and there was no type of shower/bath. They scrubbed themselves quickly from a pail of water. For me, sunlight brings happiness, and to have absolutely no light for most hours of the day for years, is more than dismal. Anyways, I don't want to make this too sad, so I will just end with the fact that I am happy I was able to see it.
After that me and my friend basically just wandered around Amsterdam. We tried the apple pie, which was good, but not as good as my mom's. Their apple pie is more of a cake since it is so doughy. Plus, it doesn't come with ice cream, which to me is the best part. Our tour guide took us on the tour of the red light district during nighttime. We learned before arrival that these women are given health insurance, have a retirement plan, make more money than some surgeons in a year, are frequently tested and chose it as a profession by their own free will. For me, all of those things are positive which makes me have less pity for them, pity that they don't even care for or need. Although while on the tour I was still shocked and a little shaken up, it wasn't as bad as I expected. Lucky for all my readers, photos are not allowed in the district at all. There are parts of it that I assume people image to be there, such as the actual red lights above the doors and outfits that leave little to the imagination....more like no need for any type of imagination. In on day, I saw two very different sides of Amsterdam. First, there is the side that just seems like a regular town (the city isn't like New York, San Francisco or Los Angeles), and then there is the side filled with nightlife and things illegal in the states. I'm only going to say one thing about the legalization of many drugs there... when they were legalized crime dropped 80% and I never, ever felt unsafe in the city.

Early the next day we went into Zaanse Schans, which is looks like a typical countryside town in Holland (or what it used to look like). There were windmills, clogs and cheese. We saw clogs being made, which was awesome. And we got to taste multiple kinds of cheese (I'm bringing home my favorite one for my parents). I also tried a pancake there (Holland is apparently well known for them), which yummy. But I've realized pancakes in Europe aren't anything like what my mom makes, they aren't fluffy and basically taste like a thick crepe.

Then we drove to Brugge and while on the coach they played the movie "In Brugge". I randomly watched this movie before coming to Europe, with my mom. And we didn't really like the movie, mostly because it was gory. But I never realized I had seen a movie about the place I would be visiting until it came on in the coach. Well... I fell asleep during the movie, but the ride to Belgium was beautiful (it looked a lot like Holland). Brugge was great, it looks like what you would image Europe to look like a thousand years ago. I bought more chocolate than I think I ever have (some people bought more than me in my defense), had a three course meal and shared a waffle on our way out.

As we started our journey home, I was able to reflect on that weekend trip (10 hours gives you a lot of time to reflect, sleep, read, and watch the movie shown). Most of my friends weren't too happy about the amount of driving there was. But to me, it almost felt like being home. I think very fondly about all the road trips I took with my family. Most of the time it was just me and my parents driving. But regardless of who was there, I always had the best conversations with my parents then... road trips gives you a lot of time with people in a small place. I learned most of what I know about my family or my parents past on a road trip. My mom would make snacks for us on the way and it was the only time we ate fast food. I still remember all the cheese, crackers and salami I would have on those trips, and the different drinks my mom would pack. I even remember stories like the time we stopped as a small vendor and bought fresh tomatoes, ate them like apples with a little salt. My dad always drove because I think he enjoyed the drive. But road trips just worked out well, my dad was at peace seeing the scenery and my mom was great at navigating. I could read or talk and to me, those are both things that make me happy. That weekend really made me homesick even though it was in a happy way.

It was a fast trip but a good one. Of course there's pictures below.

Cheers,
Nicole