Christine In Germany: May 2012

Outside of the Anne Frank House

Imagine sitting still all day. With black out curtains. So you don't get to see any of the outside. No sunlight. Not using the bathroom because the water would run through the pipes down. Not walking because of the creaking. With 8 people total. In 4 small rooms. I can't sit still for 2 hours to watch a movie. Much less for 2 years. What strength the Frank family had. The Anne Frank house is an intense experience. I'm glad I went though.

Visit Amsterdam for the museums. Yes, you read that right. I loved the museums. I waited in line at the Van Gogh Museum. I never wait in lines. I hate doing it. But so worth it. There were tons of people viewing his art. As I learned through the audio tour, Van Gogh only painted for 10 years before he killed himself. He painted his portrait often because models were expensive. When he did use models, they were often prostitutes. Also, I learned a good lesson as a result of the Van Gogh museum. Do not purchase large souvenirs. Then you have to carry the item the next day. I acquired a print. They box the prints up for you and I put the box in a bag. And I fastened the bag to my book bag the last day. But the box kept hitting me in the back of the right knee/leg. Nice bruise as a result. Or maybe I need to toughen up. Something.

You're not allowed to take pics inside

Finally, the Rijsmuseum contained many Rembrant's. The Night Watch is the main attraction. Interestingly, they rolled it up and moved it during WWII. In 1975 a crazy guy sliced parts of it. They did an excellent job repairing the painting. You can barely see the damage above the dog. And you cannot see any damage where the Captain is. Rembrant was not my favorite artist though. My favorite is Hendrick Avercamp's Winter Landscape with Ice Skaters. http://www.rijksmuseum.nl/images/aria/sk/z/sk-a-1718.z

I really liked Johannes Vermeer's Kitchen Maid. The milk really does look like she is pouring it out of a pitcher. Imagine being that amazing at painting to make it look so real. Also, Woman Reading a Letter is like you are watching her, just doing an everyday task. But it is life-like. I stopped and stared at these paintings for a while.

Rijksmuseum

I really liked the architecture as well. The Train Station and Rijksmuseum are like bookends of the city. Both have the same architecture.

Train Station

Palace

The Red Light district is over-rated. That's all. And I don't think the prostitutes make that much money. I heard one negotiating and she asked for 50 Euro. That doesn't seem like much to me.

Beware of the bikers. They definitely have the right of way. And I'm pretty sure will run you over and not even think twice. I admit, I had a couple close calls. Also, this is the first city I regularly got lost in. Not to brag or anything, but I'm pretty good about getting around new places. But not Amsterdam. The city is overflowing with canals. And it is laid out like a half circle, with the train station in the middle of the 180 degrees. I had trouble finding my hotel the first night. With a map. (Interestingly, I did not have trouble finding the red light district. Go figure.) I didn't even think that was possible until I visited Amsterdam.

A small sample of a bike station.

I did eat at one traditional Dutch restaurant. I enjoyed the food. The Netherland's food critic gave the place a 9 out of 10. That's acceptable to me. ha ha Tom Sietsema of the Washington Post also recommended the place, which is how I ended up there. I had the cream soup of 'sincere Doesborgh' mustard with leek rings and Haddack from the oven, with a crumb of organic beetroot, mashed with spring onions and a farmer's butter sauce. The place is known for using local ingredients. My kinda place.

A major attraction from mid-March through mid-May is the Keukenhof. It is a flower exhibition. Per the website, CNN states that the Keukenhof is one of the world's top destinations for 2012. Ever since the flower guy at the farmers market started giving me free flowers, I've liked flowers. But I couldn't even imagine this many tulips or flowers.

And just because- a church:

Christine

You should not buy a sword Christine-you don't need one. But I really, really want one. No, it is not necessary to own a sword. That is what I told myself as I visited Rothenburg, Germany. It is a medieval town, with a wall that runs around it. I visited multiple medieval stores with swords. I really wanted one. But not for 500 euros. Maybe next trip, er something. I did, however, walk much of the wall. It is fascinating to think that you are standing on stones that have been there for centuries.

The wall up close

Wall around the city

Based on my research, the U.S. military did not use much artillery during WWII, because of the historical significance of the town. And the German commander gave up the town.

The Rathaus (town hall) has a tower you can climb to see the whole city. You have to walk up narrow, wooden steps. I'm not kidding. You would not have this in America. One, it is not ADA compliant and two, they would be way to afraid of lawsuits. The sign says to only spend 5 minutes outside, so everyone has a chance. I knew that was 4 minutes, no 4 1/2 minutes, more than I needed. I was right. To get to the tower outside, you have to climb a ladder, and kinda climb out. And then there is an iron railing. The nice German guy said it was very safe. I just held on for dear life. For about a minute. Because there was a line getting down the stairs. Yeah, nice German guy and his tourists not letting me go first. Then I went back down the ladder.