I'amsterdam

I visited Amsterdam last month to meet Carrie Hanshaw and her daughter Nicole, visiting their extended family currently living in Bonn Germany.  When friends from home are anywhere near Brussels, I promise to come find you - or you are welcome to come visit me.  Its so nice to see friendly faces... and enjoy being a tourist with others.  I drove up to Amsterdam (only a 2 hour drive from Brussels) and met up with Carrie and Nicole and did a quick tour of the city.  In just the short time I was there, I am already super excited to go back.  What a charming city!  All the bikes and the canals and houseboats and row houses.  Just awesome.  The bikes however - quite aggressive... definitely stay OUT of the bike path or get run down.  No apologies.

We visited the Anne Frank House on Sunday morning.  It was absolutely incredible.  Seeing the actual hidden attic, climbing the stairs behind the moveable book shelf - well, it was intense.  I cried seeing the photo of Otto Frank, back in the secret attic after his release from Auschwitz.  The despair and grief displayed was unlike anything I've ever seen.  I've known loss in my life, but his hallowed eyes were just haunting.  It may sound silly, but I feel truly honored to have experienced this place.  No pictures are allowed inside so I bought a great photo book of the attic.

On the way back to Brussels, we stopped in The Hague, the judicial capital of the United Nations.  While there, we visited the M.C. Escher museum.  Very cool to see the actual works of the artist I admired so much growing up.  The museum is actually in the Queen's Palace so not only are the works incredible, but the building itself is something to see.  Each room had the most unique chandelier.  From bugs, umbrellas, to a skull and crossbones.  Very cool.