For eight days we walked our feet off, Aj and Aaron had finally come to Amsterdam. There were at least two trips worth of sightseeing, shopping, and eating to fit into the one trip that could be scheduled between Covid, weather, and work. The trip was twice delayed and once cancelled, but eventually the borders were opened and we were together again in Amsterdam.
With few exceptions, like the Shipping House, and De Dageraad, we went to places Andy and I have gone to before; The Rijksmuseum, The Moco, The Van Gogh, the bakery next door, the shops on the Kalverstraat, and even down to Leiden. The difference is that we could now see them through Aj and Aaron’s eyes. We have covered a lot of ground in our eighteen months, and yet much was new to us during their visit.
We began the week with a tour and high tea at The Shipping House or as it is now named, The Grand Hotel Amrath. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scheepvaarthuis This began our official education in the Amsterdam School style of Architecture developed in the early twentieth century. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amsterdam_School And, gave us one more chance to have a High Tea while in Europe.
We filled another day with The Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art/Moco; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moco_Museum their ongoing Banksy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banksy exhibit was worth a second look in addition to the multiple immersive rooms with other artists.
An afternoon was spent at the Rijksmuseum where we took in the current exhibit on the topic: “Remember Me”. (Selfies of the 13th – 19th century) https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/whats-on/exhibitions/remember-me A walk through Vondelpark and it was time to find some dinner.
The New Church is not new to us anymore. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nieuwe_Kerk,_Amsterdam But, it did have a new curated Amsterdam fashion exhibit; The City, Fashion, and Freedom, which was interesting to all of us. https://www.nieuwekerk.nl/tentoonstellingen/maison-amsterdam/
After the New Church, we made our way past the ARCAM, the Center for Architecture in Amsterdam, https://arcam.nl/ and on to the Museum of the Resistance. https://www.verzetsmuseum.org/
We knew the afternoon at the Resistance Museum would not be easy; but the history of World War II does not go away by just ignoring it. The Netherlands was neutral during WWI and most Dutch assumed they would stay neutral and avoid Hitler’s reach in the late 30’s. That did not happen. While not a large museum, it does an excellent job of detailing the ways that life changed for everyone, every day under the occupation by the Nazis. The Dutch are known for their organization and general willingness to follow the rules; Jewish families willing registered as they were told. Authorities documented where every Jewish family lived. The result; no country lost a bigger percentage of its Jewish population than the Netherlands. https://www.annefrank.org/en/anne-frank/go-in-depth/netherlands-greatest-number-jewish-victims-western-europe/
It is haunting to think that tens of thousands of innocent victims walked the same streets we did.
Stumble stones are placed in the sidewalks in front of the homes, the last place of free choice, of the victims of the holocaust. https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2019/feb/18/stumbling-stones-a-different-vision-of-holocaust-remembrance https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stolperstein
One of the many memories I’ll take with me from Amsterdam.
Next up; our last trip while living in Amsterdam.