My Defining Decade: Europe 2019

We took a bullet train from Paris to Amsterdam (highly recommend)! We made it just in time to go to Mass at De Krijtberg. Lucky for us, it happened to be the English Mass, and it was entertaining to watch the Dutch try to figure out what was going on. Of course, the church was immaculate and ornate and absolutely beautiful. Because they all are.

We grabbed dinner and then took a canal cruise as the sun set. It was as cool as you would imagine, although Missouri sunsets are still my favorite. We learned a little history, sat next to an Egyptian mother-daughter duo, and enjoyed taking in the scenery after a day of travel. On our way back to our hotel, we stopped for a stroopwafel, and wow they are sweet! It's basically a crispy waffle with caramel syrup inside. I got mine with some sort of chocolate caramel sauce (?) and sprinkles on top! So fun to try one of their classics.

Amsterdam at dusk (this is the canal side of our hotel!)

Stroopwafel

The next morning, we hunted down a restaurant that Madeline Simon has not stopped talking about since last year. De Vier Pilaren sells poffertjes and pannenkoeken which are small fluffy pancakes and large flat pancakes (almost like a crepe). SO good! Definitely recommend for anyone headed to Amsterdam! It was also right across the street from Vondelpark, a beautiful and huge park that we wandered around for a while.

Vondelpark & Starbucks

Poffertjes!

After that, we headed to the Anne Frank museum. Just by chance, we were visiting on Liberation Day, which is the day the Allies liberated The Netherlands from Nazi control. We listened to a presentation about Anne Frank, her family, and how they fit into world history. Our guide reminded us that while Anne Frank's story is told, she was far from the only 13-year-old to lose her life in WWII. Over 90% of the Jews in The Netherlands never returned from the concentration camps. We learned about how racism and other-ism started small - with people feeling like they'd been wronged, that they deserved more than what the government was giving them. Then began the blaming, propaganda, and history's version of fake news. Then setting the Jews apart in society with symbols and different laws. Then taking their right to education, free speech, and the pursuit of enterprise. Then just murdering them. How quickly we can dehumanize people...Ugh. Should I go back to talking about food now?

Anne Frank's diary

Alright, well we headed to a stand outside that sold cones of fries! How fun is that?? They were amazing, of course, and we even tried them in true Dutch fashion - with mayonnaise. Not as bad as I thought it would be! We grabbed some canal pictures and ended up at an Irish pub, because Ireland will always have my heart. We took it easy and had a couple drinks (Jameson & Ginger Ale). We took our time on our way back to explore the city and take in the city. I think the best way I could describe the culture here is a mix of Venice with the canals, Las Vegas with the sex, weed, and wild things, and a college town with bikes, young people, and cafes on every corner. It's fun and different than I expected!

Our last full day there consisted of a full day tour of Keukenhof, a huge tulip farm and botanical garden as well as a stop in Haarlem to see a windmill from the 1300s. We timed our Amsterdam trip well because Keukenhof is only open to the public 53 days of the year! Unfortunately at Keukenhof, most of the large tulip farms had been harvested so we didn't see the vast fields of tulips, but we did get to see one last remaining strip! The farms cultivate tulip bulbs and send them around the world! Our tour group stopped for a Dutch pancake lunch and then headed to Haarlem. It was like a quaint Amsterdam - quieter and smaller, but still with a young vibrance and traditional architecture. The windmill was amazing. The innovation used to solve problems with wind is something we could take notes on today! The used windmills to drain lakes and create cities, grind wheat to flour, process oil, and a few other industrial purposes. We were able to go all the way to the top of the windmill to see how it worked inside, and simply put, it was just a series of spinning gears. So cool!