[Sorry, still no pics, should have some in another day]
Today I had intended to take a short nap when I got to the hotel, followed by a day on the town. Unfortunately, since I didn't sleep well on the plane, the "Short" nap was from 9am until 2:30pm! Oops. :-) So I rushed out at 2:30, and did a walking tour that was in my guidebook. The city looked a lot different than it did at 7:30am. What was a sleepy Sunday morning turned into a bustling weekend day. People were scurrying about in every direction across the Dam square. Bicycles EVERYWHERE (you really have to be aware of them, or else you'll get run over!)
The tour went through the Central neighborhood of town, along many of the canals. The shopping is clearly first-rate here, although some stuff that I was interested in was closed on Sundays, so I will be going back later this week. Canal life looks charming - houseboats line the sides of each canal, and they are kept up nicely, with patios of potted plants and nice roof decks with the owners lounging and eating and enjoying what was a fairly warm day for Amsterdam in October.
Sidewalk cafes are common, and the locals were all lounging over coffee and friends. Lots of dogs were out and about with their owners, and I passed some playgrounds full of kids. The nice thing is that the center of the city is still very residential, most of the walk went past rowhouses. So it's very active on the weekends.
Watching the canal traffic was fun. These are expert boatmen. The spaces are tight, especially the bridges. I watched a couple maneuver a boat with no hesitation through an arch that had maybe 6 inches of clearance on each side. You see all sorts of people in boats, even teenage girls going out for a day of shopping. The canals go everywhere and sometimes that must be the best way to get between places.
Halfway through the tour I came upon the Anne Frank house. The line wasn't very long so I waited and went on in. The tour was excellent. You went through Otto Frank's business offices and warehouse and meet some of the people who helped the family hide for two years in the secret annex above, which is where the tour went next. Climbing through the hidden entryway behind the bookcase, there I was in the middle of the actual home of Anne Frank. Through every room I went, and it is very well preserved. Up and down extremely narrow, extremely steep stairways to the different tiny rooms that housed eight people. Anne's room was stark, but she had decorated the walls with photos, which are still there. After touring the rooms, there is a new interpretive center attached where you learn more about everyone involved, and finally get to see her original diary. It was fascinating to see. Her writing was very neatly laid out on the page.
The experience is very moving. Throughout the exhibit they have video interviews with some of the helpers (including the woman who had saved Anne's diaries and presented them to Otto after the war) and with Otto Frank and a childhood friend of Anne's who, later in life when she was in a Nazi detention center, learned that Anne was also being held there in an adjacent yard over a fence. She learned that Anne had lost the rest of her family and was alone, so she would throw small packages over the fence to Anne. She was one of the last people to "see" (she couldn't actually see her through the fence) Anne alive. Anne died of typhoid while being held by the Nazis one month before the liberation, but you get a great sense from the museum just what a legacy she left behind through her diary.
On the way back to the hotel I found a major shopping thoroughfare, where all the clubgoers were shopping for their trendy clothes. Amsterdam is very much a clubbing and DJ town - lots of posters for events everywhere.
Back at the hotel I registered for my conference and grabbed a bite to eat in the lounge - I'll save the eating out on the town for after I make a few friends at the conference and can have some company. I did however venture back out for dessert on the town. On another half-hour walk, I managed to polish off both an ice cream cone and a chocolate croissant. :-)
Since I took a huge nap, I'm now wide awake and it's 3:45am. I've used the time wisely though, to work on my presentation. It is in much better shape now. I am going to try to catch a few hours of sleep now and make it through the tutorial I am attending in the morning. I figure a lunchtime nap (this time I'll set the alarm LOUD) and maybe a before-dinner nap, and I'll be pretty close to a normal schedule by the end of tomorrow.
Pictures tomorrow, I promise!
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