Ever since I got here, Charlotte has admired my pink toes ;) I brought plenty of polish with me and kept meaning to paint her toes. Well last week we finally got that accomplished. I painted both the girls toes pink. They were thrilled and it was super cute. Charlotte actually sat still to let them dry!
Other than that last week was pretty much the same as it is throughout the week... On to Amsterdam.
Another au pair and I drove up to Amsterdam Saturday morning. I contemplated taking the train but it takes 2 hours longer than driving. So I found someone who had access to a car and was willing to drive - since I still can't drive a manual ;)
We got to Amsterdam around noon. It is such a cool city. I booked us a night with Marnie. I found this website where people rent out their spare bedrooms. It is about the same price as a hostel would be but included free wifi, breakfast, and showers! The place was wonderful as was Marnie. She made me tea when we arrived and told us all about the city.
Off we went. Taking the tram is the easiest way to get around the city. There were 2 places that I absolutely wanted to go to while in Amsterdam. The Van Gogh museum and the house that Anne Frank hid in during WW2. The lines at both places on Saturday were ridiculous. Sunday proved to be much better. We walked and walked and rode a tram and walked around the city. I must say I have come to love walking around random European cities. So much to look at and see and just take in.
After dinner there was some more walking and a bit of shopping! It was FREEZING! and raining a bit. My ears were so cold so I decided to buy a hat and mittens from H&M.
Ended with a hot chocolate and apple tart from a bakery :) I must say bakeries are amazing over here!
Sunday morning started with a granola and yogurt breakfast. I haven't had granola since coming here so it was actually a treat! Van Gogh was first on the agenda. It was a very interesting museum. Did you know that he started painting at 26 after he lost his job and had no formal training? He also only painted for 11 years b/c he shot himself at 37. Kind of a depressing story. He didn't become famous until after his death. The museum didn't really have any of his "super" famous paintings but they had a lot of his works. The early paintings were... well not very good considering his lack of training. He certainly made a lot of progress in the 11 years he worked as an artist.
Visiting Anne Frank's house was by far the highlight of the weekend. Simply walking the streets around her house, I could feel a sense of history. In the neighborhoods surrounding her house, much of the houses have been untouched. I was amazed to be able to walk around those parts of the world where such life changing history happened. The museum itself was really well done, I thought. While there is no furniture in the house there are pictures and models to show what it would have looked like. After the Franks and other in hiding were arrested, the house was emptied and belongings sold. Otto Frank decided upon making the house a museum to leave it empty. Much of the wall paper and sinks and bathrooms are all in tact. There was even a part of the wall where they had measured the girls' height during their hiding. Pictures aren't allowed inside the house, but I was able to purchase some really interesting materials and would be happy to share when I return.
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| The tower Anne could see from her window |
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| The house is the 3rd full house from the left |
Apparently I like to follow the European marathon schedule without even knowing it. There was a marathon in Cologne when I was there and there was on in Amsterdam! Kind of makes walking about the city a little more difficult.
For lunch, we went to woktowalk :) An oriental fast food restaurant that makes your food to order in a wok! Such a fun concept and really tasty!
Amsterdam was finished with some shopping :) Always a good way to end a trip.
