Wednesday, April 8, 2015

So Much Chocolate (Amsterdam, Brussels, Bruges)

Bonjour!

Last Wednesday, my travel buddies and I were traveling to Holland to spend a few days there and in Belgium. It was such a fun trip! I'm so glad we saved this one for springtime!

We flew into Amsterdam from Bordeaux, and I had a friend waiting at the airport to show me around the city. She's living near Amsterdam for a year, so we had planned to meet and spend the day together since she didn't have to work Wednesday.


While Lizette and Joe took the car north of Amsterdam to see the windmills, Gabriella and I walked all over Amsterdam. We didn't have any sort of agenda, so we just wandered and saw what we could see. We stopped for frites, croquets, and waffles (yummy, yummy, so yummy). Every time we spotted a cheese store, we popped inside to sample whatever they would let us. Basically, the entire day we had food in our hands (because...why not?).

Since we really didn't have a plan, we ended up walking in circles. We would turn a corner and realize that we had been there before. At the end of the day, she and I had a great time, which is awesome considering we'd never even met in person before that day!

The next day, Gabriella had to work, so Lizette, Joe, and I went into the city. We started at the Anne Frank House. It was absolutely freezing. Bitterly cold. The worst kind of windy days. (And I know windy days.) We had to stand in line for about two hours before we made it inside. The line was down the building, across the street, and down the block, and curled around the square. The lady standing in front of us was quite nice and we talked with her as we waited and even walked through the house with her. She was from the US as well, so she was easy to talk to.

When we finally made it inside the house, I was so relieved. It took awhile before I could feel my fingers or toes, but I didn't notice so much because I was so happy to be in Anne Frank's house! I've read her book a few times and have always loved it. It was so cool to actually be in the place where she spent so much time.

We were able to walk through all of the rooms in the factory, then behind the original bookcase and up the stairs to their secret annex. There is no furniture in the rooms because Otto Frank requested that the rooms always be left empty, but I could easily picture life there.

At the end of the tour, Anne's original journal is on display, which is just the absolute coolest thing ever. I really didn't expect it to be there, so I may have shed a few tears when I saw it. It's so amazing that her story has lived on and become so important to so many people.

Everybody knows that Anne died. Everyone should know that her father survived, but we never really hear about the people who helped her family during their years in hiding. I was happy to hear that the four people who brought them food and updates and kept them alive, all survived to tell their stories. If they hadn't lived, it would have been all the more tragic. They risked their lives for years because they loved people. What an amazing legacy.

We reluctantly left the House and went out into the wind again. We didn't venture far though. We found a sandwich shop and stopped for lunch, then we bought tickets for a boat tour through the canals. It was an hour long and completely sheltered from the wind, so I was happy. The rocking motion of the boat nearly put me to sleep, and if I could've gotten comfortable, I would have happily napped for that hour.

Afterwards, we walked to the flower market and meandered among the vendors. We grabbed a quick dinner, then caught the bus back to our hotel.

The next day, we visited Keukenhof, which is a huge garden with all kinds of tulips and acres and acres of beautiful landscapes. We spent a good 5 hours there, walking through the gardens. There was authentic dancing shows and a windmill and waffles and a street organ and so, so many flowers. It was a really great day-- it wasn't windy!


We left mid-afternoon to head to Antwerp to pick up a friend of ours at the train station. Traffic in Belgium is horrific. We arrived so much later than we planned because we had to stop on the road so many times. It was awful, but we finally made it to the station and picked up Li.

That night we stayed at the strangest Airbnb. Lizette booked it because it was cheap and the woman had really good reviews. She greeted us at the door and led us into this dark room and asked us to sit. Then another woman came in, then a man, then another man, and we just sat and talked for about an hour. She offered us drinks and served peanuts and other snacks, which was all great and nice, but I was really beginning to wonder where the four of us were going to sleep and who these other people were.

Finally, she offered to show us our room, and it was just upstairs. We ended up having to share a bathroom with some other guests, and three of us had to sleep on the floor, but it was ok, as we were only there for one night. It was all just odd, but the lady actually was very nice and helpful.

The next day, we visited Breendonk, a nazi work camp south of Antwerp. This one felt so different from Dachau (the concentration camp we visited in Munich). The buildings were originally a military fortress, so everything was dank and dark and incredibly threatening. It was drizzling that morning and it all felt very dreary.


We were given audio tour guides, so we all walked through at our own pace and listened to the things we wanted and skipped over the stuff we didn't want. It was all very organized with a specific trail to follow throughout the camp.

Since this wasn't an extermination camp, there were no ovens or gas chambers, but there was an area outside with a gallows and an open area for a firing squad. There was a torture chamber and horror stories of what went on behind the walls. The way this one was set up was so different from Dachau.

At Dachau, we were given the facts. We were given true stories that were hard to hear, but all the information was there even when it was gruesome. There were horrible pictures and videos, but because it happened, they were showing it. At Breendonk, we were given stories to stir our emotions. There were no awful pictures or videos. The way everything was portrayed was meant to affect us emotionally. The audio guide sounded bitter as he talked about the SS and guards at the camp. He was sassy as he spoke of the injustice so many people had suffered.

I (think I kind of) understand both methods of information sharing, but the Breendonk method kind of bothered me. I walked away from the camp and didn't feel like I had learned anything. The stories they shared didn't give me a real feel for what had happened there. Yes, I saw the living conditions, I walked the halls, and heard the prisoners' stories, but I felt like there was so much held back from the visitors. Maybe it was meant to make me feel sad, but I left nearly unaffected. (I swear I'm not heartless!)

From Breendonk, we drove to Brussels and checked into our Airbnb. This was a much better apartment than the first. It was on the fifth floor (fourth floor in Europe) so it was a bit of a climb to get there, but the flat itself was the cutest thing, and it had amazing views of the city.

That afternoon, we walked Brussels and saw a bit of the city. It has lovely streets and squares. We had to see the Manneken Pis, of course (google it, there were so many people I didn't get a picture!), and stopped near there to get  Belgian waffles, then continued walking the streets.

The next morning, we drove to Bruges. Easter Sunday in Belgium was beautiful. The skies were clear, the sun was shining; it was a bit chilly, but at least it wasn't raining or blowing! We walked around and saw some churches and some towers and some squares. It was a quaint, medieval town. Everything was old and charming and just lovely. Once we reached Grote Markt, a square in city center, we went up to a bar that had a balcony overlooking the square.


I ordered a tasting tray of Belgian beers and shared it with Li. I can't say I'm a huge fan of beer, but these definitely opened my eyes to the possibilities. One of them was lambic (really fruity)-- it was basically Kool-aid beer. So, yeah, if I could just have that kind of beer always, that'd be nice. The others were ok too, but I mean, come on.

We left to find lunch, then went on another boat tour of the canals. This one was shorter and more fun than the one in Amsterdam. We saw baby ducks in the canals!! So precious.

Afterwards, we stopped at one more chocolate shop to stock up, then headed to Ghent. Ghent is a charming little town as well. One of the cathedrals there houses the very famous Ghent Altarpiece. Lizette really, really wanted to see it, and we parked 20 minutes before the church closed. However, since this is Europe, we didn't park in the parking lot next to the church because there just isn't one. We ran, RAN, through the streets to see this piece of art.
Lizette was ahead of us. 

Never before have we been so committed to getting somewhere before they closed. We made it in time and got to see the the replica that was on display. One of the reasons the altarpiece is so famous is that it has been the victim of 13 crimes. It is the most stolen piece of art ever. To this day, there is one panel that is still missing. It has a very interesting history, and a big thank you to Lizette for being awesome and informative when it comes to this stuff, because without her, I wouldn't have a clue what I was even looking at.

After we'd seen it, we walked over to the belfry next door and went to the top. I love it when we get to see the city from above. Inside, there was a drum that controlled all the 47 bells, and we got to watch it turn and listen to the bells chime. That's one thing I appreciate about European cities-- bells.


We walked back through the city to our car and headed back to the apartment to get ready to leave the next day. We caught a train from Brussels to Paris, then Paris to Poitiers. I enjoy train rides. I pick an album to listen to, then sleep it out or watch the countryside fly by.

I'm happy to be back in Poitiers, but also a little anxious. I've only got 50 days left here. 50. Remember when I wrote my 100 day post? Math time: that was 50 days ago. 50 is not that many. And I may or may not be fluctuating between really freaking out about the thought of leaving and bouncing off the walls because I get to leave soon. Whirlwind of emotions, let me tell you.

Anyway, that's my life right now.

Je t'embrasse,
Sarah

Here are the pictures from the trip! Quite a few this time!

No comments:

Post a Comment