Amsterdam : The City of Canals

Amsterdam is a great place to visit. Water canals, boat houses, cute houses. Unfortunately it rained so much when I was there. The sky was extremely gloomy and the wind was crazy. We still got the best out of the trip. The moment I saw the sun shining, I took the opportunity to go on a canal cruise, one of the best way to see the city.

Canal cruises are everywhere in Amsterdam, run by several companies. They mostly cost less than 10 euros. One thing that I like about going on the kind of touristy cruise is that they'll tell you lots of things about whats around you. What it was like in the past, why they have boat houses, why their buildings are as such and etc.

Perfect timing for a round tour.

At its lowest point, Amsterdam is almost 7 feet below sea level and a quarter of the Netherlands is below sea level. The canals help keep the city dry and since a long time ago, the windmills are used to pump excess water off their soil. One day when global warming goes overboard, we might loose this city.

House boats are plenty along the canals. Once upon a time, land was very limited in Amsterdam so the Dutch decided to live in houseboats. They are all legally licenced and provided with electricity and clean water like a normal house. There are also houseboats for rent.

This might just be a float for the Gay Pride weekend which we just missed by 24 hours.

Because of the limited land that the city has, houses are made as high as possible to save space. Higher taxes will be charged on houses that are wider. This results in their narrow houses with really steep staircases that would be my nightmare if I ever have small children living here.

As narrow as the houses are, they have big windows and a hook hanging on the top of each house. This is to make the process of moving furniture easier since big furnitures can't be brought into the house through the door. A pulley would be hung on the hook and a rope would be tied on furnitures to pull them up or take them down.

Their houses were so cute and pretty like a scene from a movie. The top part of the facade which are called Gables are made famous during the Dutch Renaissance period and comes in many designs.

As we cruise along the canals, we went under many bridges that connects them. The sides of the parking lot facing the waters are fenced to avoid cars and bikes from plunging into the waters. I'm sure that had happend so many times before the fences we made compulsory.

I was wondering why this here does not have a fence

The day was sunny only for a moment. I was glad that I took the canal cruise. By the time evening came, it rained cats and dogs. After dinner we went for a stroll on the famous red light district. It didn't matter that it was drizzling.

Did you know that Amsterdam has been the City of Diamonds (literally) for the last 400 years?

Amsterdam : The Prinsengracht secret hideout

The first place we visited on our morning of arrival in Amsterdam was the Anne Frank House. I booked the tickets online before hand to avoid the massive line outside the House.

There is only a limited number of people allowed in the house because it was really small. Bookings for the afternoon was already sold out and also the one in the evening, so I booked tickets for the morning.

A wax sculpture of Anne Frank in Madame Taussaud Berlin

Who is Anne Frank?
Anne Frank was a Jewish-German little girl who was a victim of the Holocaust. Their family fled from Frankfurt to Amsterdam when the Nazis took over Germany after the elections. What made this girl famous was her personal diary which her father published, years after she was sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland which was at that time under the Nazis.

Her diary was published with the title The Diary of a Young Girl and was translated in many other languages. In her diary she describes her life, her feelings and most of what we are curious about, how it was to be a Jew in hiding during the Nazi Rule.

She also wrote about school and how they were treated. All Jews were forced to wear a yellow patch of the Star of David on their clothing. With this, they are not allowed to mix with non-Jews, ride in public transports or have bicycles. Jewish kids are only allowed in Jewish schools.

The Anne Frank House on Prinsengracht 263 was their hiding place, also known as the Secret Annex. Only a small empty section in the building her father was working. Its main door was a bookshelf to hide the lives behind the doors. They lived with four other Jews here and had to be very careful with their daily movements to avoid being found.

Unfortunately, they were betrayed and arrested. Betrayed by whom, we will never know. They were deported to concentration camps and only her father, Otto Frank survived the camp. Anne wanted her diary to be published because she really had a passion for journalism and wanted to become a writer. Her father made it come through, sadly after she died at the age of 15, in Auschwitz.

In the Anne Frank Museum, we got to step into the house that they were hiding in. The high steep staircases, their small rooms and their covered windows to avoid the outside world from finding out. It was a real life museum. Unfortunately, no pictures are allowed inside. But you can see some of them in their website here.

How we all should be grateful for today.

If I had a choice, this would be my job.

Who would'nt want travelling as a job? Of course you would if you're a travel addict like me who watches out for cheap flight promos on the net as a part time hobby. More ideal, I would choose to be an adventurer. Because I'd like to befriend Dora the explorer.

Adventure gears on. Deducting money on my account doesn't seem like a pain (the after match is) as I would earn Adventurer points in return in my book of life. I would be poor, but at least I've been there, and there and there. My saving for the whole semester wuld be spend on flights, accomodations, local cuisines, museums, tours, souvenirs, but heck the experience is what you can't put a tag on.

So where to this time? We were pulling strings towards Croatia on the east side but the west got it's turn. Lucky me. Spending days in a country where illegal means legal. There's a lot going on in the city of Amsterdam. Always compared to its underwater Italian cousin, Amsterdam is Venice with vehicals (and lots and lots of bicycles).

Detour from Amsterdam, we made an abrupt decision to visit Brussels one morning. Took the train the next hour and in two hours ; walla!, the city coated in chocolate and the famous peeing boy. There isn't much to Brussels. Just a few turns around the city, out to the Palace, nothing much. Done in 3 hours. But well, I was there.

 I'll post more on each city and its attractions soon. I've got my room to clear since I'm moving out at the end of the month and there's another adventure waiting for me this week.

This time, to the east. A spectacular city : Budapest.

How are you?

It's been quite a while since I've last posted anythig on this blog. It was that time of the year. No, not Christmas. It was the exam season. Something that I might miss one day when I start to have a job. I'm not sure what I would like to write about today whilst I had it structured in mind as I was on a train ride back.

How has everyone been doing lately? The world seems worn out and it's people too are getting problematic each day. Just hoping that everyone is well and most importantly on the positive side of life. In the midst of all the problems of the world, I wish you well that you'll all stay positive in the midst of people who remind you that they love you. Life is only for a moment. Don't ride with the wave of self-centeredness and selfishness. Being yourself is the only way people will recognize and appreciate you because you're not part of a huge population.

Have you been loving yourself? This is not being self-centered. Loving a being that God has created beautifully and wonderfully which is yourself. Unless you're feeling that you're so great you're putting others down. Love your neighbours as you love yourself. Nothing beats that. You won't burn youself on purpose because you know it will hurt you and it's painful. Do it to your neighbours? They will hurt too. Love your neighbours. No matter what religion, race or background they differ in. Equality at it's best. The Lord will show His favour upon you.

Love. Spread it around. It's what the world really needs. Not a new Apple product. Not another political deal. People run around chasing dreams and forget what they are made for. Humans are made for relationships which needs love. To a friend, to a collegue, to an immigrant. Whoever it is. Humans : plural for a single being. We live in a community. We don't live alone, cry alone, smile alone, laugh alone. Look around. You are not alone.

Because love never fails. It's up to dramas to tell you what love is. Nor Hollywood sex scenes. It's not only in songs. It's purely an act of affection we have for one another. Something treasured which is irreplacable. A feeling we have when we do not want people around us to get hurt or lay in the hospital. How we feel when we look out for another because we know that they are precious to us. Going home to an open arm and a shoulder to cry on is what we need more than an empty penthouse filled with the scent of lavender.

So love, because that's what you are created for and out of.