Anne Frank House Museum
The Anne Frank House was the only museum/gallery we chose to visit in Amsterdam. Amsterdam isn’t the most budget friendly city, and the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh museum, although enticing, were too expensive and wouldn’t fit in our schedule. The Anne Frank House is something I wouldn’t miss.
No amount of reading can replace the feeling you get when you walk through the house and try to relive their memories. I know so many peoples families have been affected by the holocaust or war, directly or indirect. We visited the house first thing in the morning, as that’s when you can book tickets. I would highly recommend booking ahead as it saves time from waiting in line. Book them as soon as you can!
We stopped by the Lunch Café Dialoog in the basement next door for breakfast. They don’t serve much, but the poffertjes there were amazing! I had to have poffertjes more than once in Holland, they were so tasty. Like mini puffy pancakes covered in butter and sugar, they are quite the treat. If you don’t have much of a sweet tooth, try them without the powdered sugar.
The restaurant has pictures and stories related to the Anne Frank House if you are interested in taking a look.
Venturing into the house, it is quite bare save for a few pictures on the walls. It’s the space itself that speaks volume. How they lived for so long tucked away from the outside world, waiting every second for the worst. The room that astounded me the most is where a video plays and there’s space for reflection. The video shows clips of interviews with famous people, people who knew Anne, and survivors. The thought that there were so many people who aren’t remembered like Anne, who don’t have a museum like Anne, and who are just a number in a horrible historical event is a somber one. The number people are the ones we fight for to find world peace.
