Fun fact: I was born in the Netherlands. A lot of you probably knew that already, but I think there are actually people who read this that aren’t related to me, so I thought I would mention it. I was born in Den Haag, The Hague, which is the third largest city in the Netherlands. My dad worked for a US judge at the Iran-US Claims Tribunal for a year and half and I was born about a year into it. Answers to some frequently asked questions: No, I do not have dual citizenship, I do not have Dutch ancestors, I can not speed skate, and until last weekend I had never been back to the Netherlands. I’m waiting for my parents visit in the spring to go back to Den Haag, but visiting Amsterdam was incredible and I can’t wait to go back.

It’s incredible to think that a few hundred years ago, all the land that Amsterdam occupies was a swamp. The entire city is below sea level, which could be a problem if the polar ice cap melts, but for now people can enjoy the canals and all the beautiful houses that line them. We arrived in Amsterdam on Friday evening, just before dusk. It’s roughly a three-hour bus ride, depending on traffic, perfect for a nice long nap. After depositing our luggage at our hotel, we set off on a walk to get our bearings. Our hotel was in a great location, right on a canal near the Old Church and the Anne Frank Huis. After making our way to the main square and discovering the shopping street, we split up to get dinner. Everyone was pretty tired so we stayed in and hung out in one of the hotel rooms.

Saturday morning we were up bright and early for breakfast before heading to the Rijksmuseum. As we walked along one of the main canals, Dr. Hughes pointed out lots of different houses, where interesting people had lived or worked. The Rijksmuseum has been under construction for a few years, so the whole collection is not on display, but we got to see the highlights. Being the art history nerd that I am, I was very excited to see some of the paintings that I had studied in class. After the museum we walked through the flower market, where thousands of tulip bulbs were for sale. Other activities for the morning included a visit to the Begijnhof to see a secret Catholic church, and a little preview of the Amsterdam historical museum.

After a delicious lunch, we took a boat tour of the city, which was very touristy, but a nice break from all the walking that we had done. It was interesting to see how the city is laid out with the canals in rings, and it was a beautiful day so it was nice to be on the water. After our boat tour, we headed to another hidden church in the Amstelkring. The church is located on the edge of the red light district, and the small section that we had to walk through to get there was an interesting experience. Amsterdam really is unlike any other city. The hidden church was very cool, it occupies the top floors of a house, and has been there for 350 years! By the time we finished with the church, we were “museumed out” as Dr. Hughes likes to say. We spent the evening relaxing, shopping, and had a really nice dinner at an Argentinian steak house, which is a very popular dining option in Amsterdam.

Sunday morning we were up before dawn to be first in line at the Anne Frank Huis. Luckily it was about a three minute walk from our hotel, just across the canal. Of all the museums that I have been to, I think the Anne Frank Huis is my favorite. I read the Diary of Anne Frank in middle school and I have seen the play. Her story is so familiar to me, it was incredible to get to see the house where it all happened. I’m glad that Liam and Maeve will get to see it when they go to Amsterdam with my parents in the spring, hopefully I can convince Maeve to read the book before she goes (easier said then done). Our last museum for the trip was the Van Gogh museum, which is incredible. I love Van Gogh and I enjoyed talking to Sue about his art, deciding which paintings we would grab if the museum was on fire. 

I could have spent all day in the Van Gogh museum, but there were last-minute souvenirs to buy and lunch to eat before heading back to the hotel to grab our luggage and get on the bus for our ride back to Leuven. The weekend was the perfect combination between learning and fun. I can’t wait to go back!