Amsterdam- Anne Frank House

This tour deserves its own post. I will forever hold with me the feelings I had visiting this monument to the survivors and dead from the Holocaust. I know there are others more knowledgeable and I could do more research but I will write what I felt visiting this place. The museum itself was well-done architecturally and as an experience. They were orderly and helped us move along unpacking ourselves downstairs, and chaining the stroller in a specified location. I wore the baby in her carrier through the tour. The entry is a new piece of the building but the tour (self-guided) goes through the original house where Anne and her family and friends were hiding.

The steep staircases got steeper and steeper as you ascended and the rooms got smaller and darker, especially with the blackout curtains. They had voice-overs, movies and mementos of the time period. You really got a sense of the nervousness that Anne had coming into hiding and the sheer terror by the end. They lived in the building where her father had a business and by the end he could not even eat for the nervousness. Her employees were in on the secrecy though someone tattled at the end and there was a raid that ended everything.

They interviewed a friend of hers who did survive the camps. She was in a slightly better camp because of her citizenship status and had gotten word that her friend Anne from preschool was over the fence. This friend had received little packages from First Aid, and when she told the people in her camp she was putting together a package for her friend, they all gave what they could. She hoisted the package over the fence to Anne, but another woman caught the package and ran. I cannot imagine the generosity and the horrible nature that people had in the face of death. This would be when I started crying. Feeling the rooms and how small they were and hearing Anne's words on how desperately she wanted to go outside and experience the seasons knowing there were children allowed to be outside hurt in a deep way.

It felt good to decompress in the cafe after that experience, and watch normal life carrying on outside the windows. Venice was particularly interested in the street sweepers. What had looked a bit dingy suddenly looked clean and pretty outside. I am so glad I was able to visit this memorial to Anne and get a sense of what horrible things people are capable of when they allow hatred in their hearts. I hope someday to show my children what happened with the Holocaust in my own words, with the books we brought back and teach them acceptance and love. Coming into Amsterdam I, as a Catholic white kid who grew up in the sheltered suburbs, was a bit put off by the prostitution and drugs that were allowed. But seeing it in a different light, I understood. Through the visit to the Anne Frank house and some articles I read in the magazines there, I saw the government overlooking these things as more of an idea of acceptance and openness rather than condoning them.

I will always have a special place in my heart for Holland, for Amsterdam, for all things Dutch. It's a beautiful, intense place to visit, and I loved every moment of it. Coming back home took awhile to get back to reality, to want to re-join daily life. Experiences can change us and help us grow. I hope this helps shape who I am and who I want to be. Thank you Jorge for being brave enough to dream big. No, dream huge. And grab life by the reigns and jump on this wild ride. Thank you Mom, Dad, Lilia, Paco, Josemanuel and Reena for taking care of 2 pieces of my heart at home so we could go experience this great wide world and we could know they would be safe and loved.