On the evening of April 18th, I eagerly took off on an evening flight to The Netherlands! After the two hour layover in Iceland, my plane arrived in Amsterdam. The airports offers several options for transportation to the city. For me, the train to Central Station provided convenient and inexpensive fare to downtown Amsterdam! When I arrived, the first thing that struck me was just how elegant the Central Station actually is! From there, it was a quick metro ride to my Christian Hostel(Shelter City Christian Hostel). So thrilled to have found a conservative Christian hostel! That was the perfect choice for my conservative Christian values! Along my walk, I enjoyed viewed of the canals and Dutch architecture. After freshening up, it was time to hit the town for some sightseeing!

My first stop was the Rembrandt House and Museum. His home displayed actual items that he owned such as pottery, in addition to using period pieces to represent the bedroom and kitchen furnishings. The museum included his drawings, prints, and some paintings, as well as his studios. It was fascinating to be in the presence of Rembrandt’s actual home and art collection!

At this point, I was famished so next on my agenda was lunch. Deshima(Deshima Restaurant) is a mainly macrobiotic,vegan restaurant which offers sanwiches, hot and cold buffet, and desserts in a cafteria-style setting. I selected a veggie pie with flaky crust filled with broccoli, carrots, and onions. My dessert was a vegan tiramisu cake. Both were fabulous! I purchased an oat cookie for a later snack and a fruit muffin for the following morning.

My first stop after my meal was the RijksMuseum. This famous museum houses works from art masters such as Vermeer and Rembrandt. It was exciting to view Vermeer’s “Milk Maid” painting and Rembrandt’s “The Night Watchman”!

Amsterdam is home to a vegan shop called “Vegalife”(Vega Life). I dropped by in the evening to see the vegan shoes, clothing, and skin care products that they sell.

I knew that my next stop would be a somber and poignant experience. I made my way through the canal-lined streets heading towards the Anne Frank House.

When I arrived at the house museum, there was a long line, but it moved quickly. We made our way to three flights of stairs to see the offices and store rooms of Otto Frank. We then arrived “There”: at the wooden bookcase which camouflaged the entrance to the Frank’s secret hiding place, until a still unbeknownst person had betrayed them to the authorities. As the tourists climbed the staircase up to the attic, there was silence in the air and an eerie feeling of somberness. I had arrived at Anne Frank’s hiding place..her bedroom, as well as her sister’s, parent’s, and friend’s family rooms. The windows were covered with black draperies and little wooden crosses. Her bedroom walls were covered with her drawings and photographs of celebrities to brighten the room up for her childhood. Everyone had chills no doubt, being in that room and in that house.

As I walked back to town, dinner time had come upon us. I opted to dine at vegetarian restaurant called “Bolhoeds”(Prinsengracht 60-62) because it was close to the Frank House. My dinner choice was a North African entree of eggplant in phylo dough, hommous, and green salad. For dessert, I selected the vegan chocolate fruit pie. Everything was delicious and gourmet at its finest!

I also passed by the Nieuwe Kirk Church during my walk. This 15th century church is located next to the Royal Palace.

It was a great day! I called it a night and got some shut eye before the next day’s adventure at Keukenhof Tulip Park!