Amsterdam

After visiting the Kuckenhof we drove into Amsterdam. We wanted to see the city.
We also had purchased tickets for the Anne Frank house online and were scheduled to enter at 5:30 PM.

Amsterdam is quite a city! What a mix of old and new, streets and canals. It is loud and crowded and you can see and (I imagine) find pretty much anything here if you want to. I thought Heidelberg had lots of bikes but we hadn't seen anything until we visited Holland!















Most of the larger canals are lined with houseboats.

Can you see how these building are leaning in toward the street?

We went in or tried to go in several beautiful old churches. None were functioning churches any more. One was a city planning center. Several were just closed.

Just outside the Anne Frank house we stopped to eat the wonderful bread and cheese we bought at a small market in one of the city squares.

The Anne Frank House was wonderful! A must see!

Never in my life did I think we would see the bookcase that hid the door to the secret annex. Here Ellen and Daniel are by that bookcase and Jeff and Joseph are ready to climb the stairs to the secret annex.

In the secret annex we saw the magazine pictures Anne put up on her wall, the pencil lines marking Anne and Margot's growth while they were in hiding, Anne's own writing on the wall.

We also saw one of her original diaries! The Anne Frank House was a real thrill for all of us!

Is there any other city where you can get the best falafel in town right next to high quality cannabis seeds?

And we can't forget the hash, marijuana and hemp museum, conveniently located next to a seed bank.

And the plants growing under UV light here offer proof of the high quality of the cannabis seeds you can buy here. Wow! Not really what we are used to...

We did a lot of walking! Time to head to our hotel near Utrecht, get a good night's sleep and be ready for tomorrow's adventures!