I went to my last new European country for the time being, the Netherlands. Specifically I went to Amsterdam. I'll get the big questions out of the way first:
No I did not smoke pot, yes I did see a sex show.
If you don't know much about Amsterdam really all you need to know is it is an incredibly tolerant city. Marijuana is not only legal you can buy it at what they call coffee shops. Prostitution is legal and very easy to partake in in the red light district. Amsterdam either has the only or the first memorial to the gays that were killed in the Holocaust and also has one of the largest gay-pride parades in Europe.
I arrived right before dinner and my hostel was serving dinner for only 3 euros, I met a bunch of people and then went to a Coffee Shop with them. One Scottish guy and I bonded over being the only two who didn't want to smoke pot but the rest of them did. In Amsterdam it is completely legal and you can buy it in the Coffee Shops no problem. I didn't partake purely because I have no desire to legal or not. Everyone was very respectful of course but were certainly confused. I think a lot of people go to Amsterdam for that sole purpose but I found that city to be about a lot more.
The following day I did the free walking tour which was fantastic. I learned a ton about the city's history as a large booming business center, about the legalization of prostitution and how it's regulated, and about the church in the center of the red light district. Apparently it was built back in the day when business men would come deliver their goods and partake in the happenings in the red light district. After, and in the time of indulgences, they could go to the church, confess their sins, pay for the indulgence and be on their way knowing their soul had been saved. All very convenient and good business sense on the part of the church too. Amsterdam is a lot more than prostitution and pot. It is full of smaller neighborhoods with cafes, and restaurants, and parks. It is absolutely full of bicycles, canals, and is very beautiful. I highly suggest it for anyone even if you want to stay clear of the more questionable activities.
As you may know Otto Frank moved his family from Frankfurt Germany to Amsterdam at the start of WWII in 1933 and in July 1942 the four Franks went into hiding and his daughter Anne wrote one of the most famous books in history. Of the eight people who went into hiding in that attic only Otto survived. Their home for two years is now a museum and that was at the top of my to-do list. I do know the story of Anne Frank quite well and found it fascinating to learn more about what went on in the actual space. Pictures were not allowed which I have no come to appreciate. I feel I gain more of a place when I'm not worried about capturing it with my camera or avoiding other people's shots who are also trying to take pictures.
Walking up the tiny and very cramped staircase I can only imagine how scary that must have been for such a young girl (she was 13 when they went into hiding) as well as the people who brought them food and necessities during the war. The original bookcase that was made to hide the door is still there. It's hauntingly scary as a such a strong symbol of what people had to go through to protect themselves and their families. The lines showing Margot and Anne's growth are still on the wall, they were much taller than I expected, and Anne's bedroom still has the pictures that she glued to the wall for decoration. Throughout there are quotes from her diary up on the walls.
"The English radio says they're being gassed. I feel terrible." 9 October 1942
"I long to ride a bike, dance, whistle, look at the world, feel young and know that I'm free." 24 December 1943
Before walking down to see the actual diary they have a video of Otto Frank discussing his feelings. He knew she kept a diary but had never read it as he had promised and it wasn't returned to him until after he found out that she was killed. It was returned to him by Miep Gies who helped provide them with food and after the raid went up to the secret annex and kept it until the end of the war. He says in the video that he thought he knew is daughter well but didn't really know her until he had read her diary. He says, "maybe parents never really know their children". It was a very moving video.
They have the actual diary there and the re-written versions that Anne had done once she realized she wanted to have it published herself. They also have several novels that she had started. She was obviously a bright young woman (she was 16 when she died, one month before her concentration camp was liberated) who also had very good handwriting.
That night I went to walk around red light district with another person staying in my hostel. I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. It's interesting how quickly you get desensitized. At first I felt very strange and uncomfortable with all these women standing in windows in their underwear but that quickly went away and it felt sort of normal. That's what they are there for after all, they get paid good money, and they are very protected by the law. The streets are lined with glass doors that lead to small rooms and some to staircases that lead up to other rooms. The girls rent the rooms for 8 hour period for 150-200 euros depending on size of the room and location and is costs about 50 euros for 15 minutes with the women. By the way I learned all of this on my walking tour. The women do pay taxes on what they earn. There are live sex shows in the red light district as well and as I said before I did go to one. I kinda felt like I had to see it and well my father reads this so I'm not going into detail but it was an interesting experience.
I ended up staying an one more night than I had planned because there was so much that I wanted to do. The next day I went to a market and bought salmon and veggies to make for myself for dinner and I then went to the Resistance Museum. It's a small museum that I would not have known about without going on that tour but I'm very happy I did. It was focused on the Dutch resistance during the war. I feel as though I know quite a lot about the Holocaust and WWII but I really found it fascinating to learn something completely different. This museum wasn't focused on Jews or the Nazis it was purely about the average citizen who stood up for what they believed in. I found it so interesting I even took notes! Lucky you! Here are a few things I found to be the most interesting:
 |
| The V stands for Victory and it's Orange since that is the national color of the Netherlands. The guy on the ground is a Jew |
- The Dutch found hiding for 300,000 people during the war. The resistance workers and movement was highly organized with positions and a hierarchy. People were assigned to create fake papers, obtain ration cards, transport weapons, etc. Of the 20,000 resistance workers who were arrested 2,000 were killed.
Examples of fake papers
 |
| Real documents with a J for Jew on the bottom left |
 |
| These are her fake documents and you can clearly see the stamp was fixed with pencil |
 |
| Real |
 |
| Fake |
 |
| A chess game made by a resistance worker in prison, only one move was made per day due to the difficulty of transporting the game back and forth between prisoners |
- Due to the powerful resistance the Germans cut off food supplies to the Netherlands and 20,000 Dutch died from hunger.- Woman played a huge role in the resistance and mainly acted as couriers and transported weapons, messages, papers, IDs, etc. They weren't seen as a threat and were largely left alone. You can see here weapons in a stroller.
I spent my last night hanging out in the hostel and getting to know the other travelers. That was the last hostel I will be staying in for awhile as well and I'm not gonna lie, I don't think I'll miss it. It was a truly wonderful hostel and it's a great way to meet people and save money but I'm kinda tired of telling my story. I've said it so many times now and I find that in certain groups of travelers it becomes a bit of a pissing contest of who has traveled more or done cooler things or whatever. That's just ridiculous to me and I avoid it when I see it happening. Now, with all that said I have met some really interesting people who have been a joy to get to know.
I greatly enjoyed Amsterdam and would gladly go back someday. Right now I'm back in Germany getting in some R&R before the last leg of my time in Europe. That's right people, I have a plane ticket out of here. Before all that I have one last hurrah, you'll have to check back in a bit to learn more! Thanks for reading!
No comments:
Post a Comment