Amsterdam Day Trip, July 12

On Saturday, I hopped a train south to Amsterdam for the day (1 hr 15 min ride). I met up w/ Courtnay and Brian at the train station and we went about exploring the city. It was so nice having local tour guides…not only did they show me around, but they booked the tickets to the Anne Frank house online at a discount, so all I had to do was show up!! What a deal!! Thanks Courtnay and Brian! Azzy, Connor and I look forward to coming to visit next year!!

We took a canal ride around the city. We saw most of the city by boat and I got a glimpse of the history and beauty that Amsterdam had to offer. Later in the day I got to go to the Anne Frank house where I got to tour the actual house where Anne Frank and 7 others hid from Jewish persecution by the Nazi’s during WWII. It was restored to it’s 1940’s condition. During a two year period of the war, the Frank family (4 people) and 4 others, hid in a small attic for over 2 years trying to avoid being caught by the Nazi’s. Unfortunately, there were turned in after two years of being couped up under incredibly difficult conditions. All perished in Nazi concentration camps except for the father, Otto Frank who went to publish his daughter, Anne’s journal. It was a haunting tour to say the least…

Attached in this and the following emails are the pics I’m forwarding on. I took over 100 pics, but here are the highlights…

-JR