DOCSLIB.ORG

Amsterdam-Budapest/Index.Html DAY 1 - AMSTERDAM

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Amsterdam-Budapest/Index.Html DAY 1 - AMSTERDAM VIKING TRAVELOG GRAND EUROPEAN RIVER CRUISE RHINE-MAIN-DANUBE RIVERS “If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.” (Sufi) https://www.vikingrivercruises.com/cruise-destinations/europe/grand-european- tour/2019-amsterdam-budapest/index.html DAY 1 - AMSTERDAM We arrived at the Amsterdam Airport Schiphol on May 16, 2019. We were met at the airport by Viking representatives, and by a gigantic wooden shoe structure. 1 Upon our arrival on the Viking Vali, I noticed a symbolic painting and a mythic description of the longboat we would be sailing on. Vali was the son of Odin: The son of Odin and the giantess Rind, Vali was conceived strictly to avenge the death of Baldur, another of Odin’s children. To achieve this, Vali grows into manhood in just one day, developing courage and perfecting his marksmanship with the bow and arrow. https://www.vikingrivercruises.com/ships/longships/viking-vali.html We had lunch on the ship before we headed out to explore Amsterdam. 2 Waterfront of Amsterdam. Amsterdam's name derives from Amstelredamme, indicative of the city's origin around a dam in the river Amstel. Originating as a small fishing village in the late 12th century, Amsterdam became one of the most important ports in the world during the Dutch Golden Age (17th century). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amsterdam Amsterdam Centraal (railway station) was designed by Dutch architect Pierre Cuypers and first opened in 1889. It features a Gothic, Renaissance Revival station building and a cast iron platform roof spanning approximately 40 metres. 3 We decided the best tour in Amsterdam was the “Hop on, Hop off” canal boat tour. Amsterdam, capital of the Netherlands, has more than one hundred kilometers of grachten (canals), about 90 islands and 1,500 bridges. The three main canals (Herengracht, Prinsengracht and Keizersgracht), dug in the 17th century during the Dutch Golden Age, form concentric belts around the city, known as the Grachtengordel. Alongside the main canals are 1550 monumental buildings. The 17th-century canal ring area, including the Prinsengracht, Keizersgracht, Herengracht and Jordaan, were listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010, contributing to Amsterdam's fame as the "Venice of the North". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canals_of_Amsterdam We hopped on the blue canal boat tour near the central station (west). 4 EYE Film Institute Netherlands (white building) is a Dutch archive and museum in Amsterdam that preserves and presents both Dutch and foreign films screened in the Netherlands. The EYE building was designed by Delugan Meissl architects, which specializes in buildings that appear to be in motion. The much admired 85m/275ft high Westerkerk Tower, built in 1638, dominates above most of the Old City centre. Westerkerk is the burial place of the famous Dutch painter Rembrandt. 5 Right in front of the Anne Frank House was a tour boat named “Anne Frank”. Located on Prinsengracht (Prince's Canal), the fourth and the longest of the main canals in Amsterdam. The Anne Frank House is shown here behind the tree, and a museum entrance is to its right. The Anne Frank House (Dutch: Anne Frank Huis) is a writer's house and biographical museum dedicated to Jewish wartime diarist Anne Frank. The building is located on a canal called the Prinsengracht, close to the Westerkerk, During World War II, Anne Frank hid from Nazi persecution with her family and four other people in hidden rooms at the rear of the 17th-century canal house, known as the Secret Annex (Dutch: Achterhuis). She did not survive the war but her wartime diary was published in 1947. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Frank _House 6 The canals in Amsterdam are now used for tourism, recreation, house boats, and a relatively small amount of private transport compared to the main modes of walking, light rail, subway, and bicycle. Most of the canals are paralleled by automobile roads on both sides. 7 Heineken Building. Heineken Bierbrouwerij Maatschappij -- Tile tableau with the name of the company on the façade of the former brewery complex at the Stadhouderskade in Amsterdam. It concerns the 1911-1913 dating brewing House. 8 Rijksmuseum. https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en Rembrandt billboards adorned the building when we passed by the museum. See his art in the museum: https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/rijksstudio/artists/rembrandt-van-rijn Or online: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rembrandt 9 Westerkerk (a Reformed church within Dutch Protestant Church). Today the Westerkerk remains the largest church in the Netherlands that was built for Protestants, and is still in use by the PKN (Protestantse Kerk in Nederland). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westerkerk Classic low-rise canal houses 10 Houseboats on the canal. There are around 2,500 houseboats in Amsterdam, many of which are moored in the city center. The original houseboats are charmingly restored ships that hail from Amsterdam’s seafaring and trading legacy. Many of these are more than 100 years old and retain original features alongside modern amenities, such as electricity, heating and running water. In the 1960s and 1970s, an influx of more modern houseboats appeared as a solution to increasing demand for housing. This type of houseboat, known as a woonark (literally a house ark), is built on a floating pontoon and typically isn’t motorized. Luxuriously furnished houseboats, sometimes built over multiple floors and complete with adjoined terraces and gardens, can be seen all around Amsterdam’s most picturesque canals. https://www.holland.com/global/tourism/destinations/amsterdam/houseboats-in-the-amsterdam- canals.htm A city of bicycles. 11 The Basilica of Saint Nicholas (Dutch: Basiliek van de Heilige Nicolaas) is located in the Old Centre district of Amsterdam, very close to Amsterdam's main railway station. It is the city's primary Roman Catholic church. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_of_Saint_Nicholas,_Amsterdam Bikers have the right of way in the city. You have to watch for bikers as you would for cars. Bikers lanes are usually drawn right alongside pedestrian walkways. 12 We finally arrive back at the Viking Vali longboat, which will be our dwelling place for the next two weeks. We are ready to set sail on the Grand European tour via the Rhine- Main-Danube rivers. Little do we know what awaits us on the long-anticipated, and long- planned, journey. In the evening we had our orientation to the Viking Vali’s 1st maiden voyage on the Grand European Tour (Rhine-Main-Danube). We were told there were 184 passengers and 52 crew members. Our tour director, Stephen Guy, prepared us for tomorrow’s excursion in Kinderdijk. Dinner that evening included Ahi Tuna, salad, and ice cream. Afterwards, I went to my room 114 and tried to sleep. 13 I barely slept my first night on the longboat Viking Vali. I was recovering from jet-lag, and I was also very excited about the upcoming journey to my homeland, the place where I was born on Sept. 25, 1945 in a small village named Tann, near the town of Pfarrkirchen, which is between Passau and Munchen (Munich). It was like a homecoming of sorts, a rediscovery of origins (roots), and a hopeful recollection of my childhood. I was six years old when I left Germany for the promised land of the United States of America. I had previously visited the northern port of Bremerhaven, from which I had emigrated to the USA. Now I wanted to visited the place in Munchen (Munich) that my brother told me we had lived in for about a year before we headed up north on our way to the west (USA). When I woke up at 6:30 AM, I checked the Ship Tracker to see where the ship was. We were on our way to Kinderdijk to see the world-famous windmills. The Ship Tracker showed that we had already arrived at our destination Kinderdijk, near the town of Nieuw- Lekkerland on the River Lek. 14 .
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Best Landmarks in Amsterdam"
    "Best Landmarks in Amsterdam" Created by: Cityseeker 20 Locations Bookmarked De Nieuwe Kerk "Spectacular Architecture" The Nieuwe Kerk is a 15th-century building, partly destroyed and refurbished after several fires. Located in the bustling Dam Square area of the city, this historic church has held a prominent place in the country's political and religious affairs over the centuries. It has been the venue for coronations of kings and queens, and also plays host to an array of by Dietmar Rabich exhibitions, concerts and cultural events. Admire its Gothic architecture, splendid steeples, glass-stained windows and ornate detailing. +31 20 638 6909 www.nieuwekerk.nl [email protected] Dam Square, Amsterdam Royal Palace of Amsterdam "The Royal Residence" Amsterdam's Royal Palace is the crown jewel of the city's cache of architectural marvels from the Dutch Golden Age. The palace was originally constructed in the 17th Century as the new Town Hall, designed by Jacob van Campen as a symbol of the Netherlands' far-reaching influence and its hefty stake in global commerce at that time. The palace by Diego Delso is an embodiment of opulence and lavish taste, generously adorned with marble sculptures, vivid frescoes and sparkling chandeliers that illuminate rooms of palatial proportions. Within, are numerous symbolic representations of the country's impressive economic and civic power in the realm of world politics in the 17th Century, including a larger-than-life statue of Atlas. In 1806, Louis Napoleon, brother of Napoleon Bonaparte, was named King Louis I of Holland, transforming the former Town Hall into his Royal Palace.
    [Show full text]
  • A Day in Amsterdam"
    "A Day in Amsterdam" Created by: Cityseeker 16 Locations Bookmarked De Nieuwe Kerk "Spectacular Architecture" The Nieuwe Kerk is a 15th-century building, partly destroyed and refurbished after several fires. Located in the bustling Dam Square area of the city, this historic church has held a prominent place in the country's political and religious affairs over the centuries. It has been the venue for coronations of kings and queens, and also plays host to an array of by Dietmar Rabich exhibitions, concerts and cultural events. Admire its Gothic architecture, splendid steeples, glass-stained windows and ornate detailing. +31 20 638 6909 www.nieuwekerk.nl [email protected] Dam Square, Amsterdam Royal Palace of Amsterdam "The Royal Residence" Amsterdam's Royal Palace is the crown jewel of the city's cache of architectural marvels from the Dutch Golden Age. The palace was originally constructed in the 17th Century as the new Town Hall, designed by Jacob van Campen as a symbol of the Netherlands' far-reaching influence and its hefty stake in global commerce at that time. The palace by Diego Delso is an embodiment of opulence and lavish taste, generously adorned with marble sculptures, vivid frescoes and sparkling chandeliers that illuminate rooms of palatial proportions. Within, are numerous symbolic representations of the country's impressive economic and civic power in the realm of world politics in the 17th Century, including a larger-than-life statue of Atlas. In 1806, Louis Napoleon, brother of Napoleon Bonaparte, was named King Louis I of Holland, transforming the former Town Hall into his Royal Palace.
    [Show full text]
  • Pulitzer Amsterdam - Families Fact Sheet
    PULITZER AMSTERDAM - FAMILIES FACT SHEET - Exploring somewhere new and creating meaningful memories is even more special when shared with the ones you love. Pulitzer Amsterdam proudly welcomes travelers of all ages, and the Pulitzer Family Program makes travelling with children comfortable and enjoyable for the entire family. Accommodation The newly re-designed 45-year-old hotel’s 225 guestrooms and suites includes: One Family Suite Three dedicated Family Rooms 16 rooms with connecting doors. The spacious Family Suite sleeps a family of four in a beautiful split-level apartment with canal views. The suite has charming design elements and sumptuous furnishings that blend the hotel’s rich past and contemporary present. The Family Suite includes: Two bedrooms Two bathrooms Dining area Lounge Each Family Room also sleeps a family of four and is split over two levels. Children’s programming Complimentary children’s programming is available for children of all ages and is offered based on age group. It includes natural skincare amenities for babies, personalized surprises and activity books for toddlers and kids. Additional products and services are available upon request including a baby bath, baby monitors and bottle heaters, as well as nanny services and board games. For those travelling with older children aged 13-18 years, rooms are equipped with Pulitzer Amsterdam travel diaries to allow younger guests to document their stay and note down their favorite moments of their visit to the Dutch capital. Dining Pulitzer Amsterdam has a passion for culinary craftsmanship and its restaurant, Jansz., offers a specially curated kids menu with dishes such as: Spaghetti with meatballs in a marinara sauce Grilled chicken with glazed carrots and bimi Children will be entertained with a coloring page that they can turn into the hostess at the end of the night in exchange for a gift from Mr.
    [Show full text]
  • Amsterdam: on the Road with Rembrandt
    Amsterdam: On the road with Rembrandt As the National Gallery opens a major exhibition, Jonathan Lorie travels to the Old Master's home JONATHAN LORIE MONDAY 13 OCTOBER 2014 127 PRINT A A A 'It's like getting to know Rembrandt as a friend," whispers Celeste as she smears black ink across the fine lines of the copper plate. "People come here and watch me making these prints and sometimes they cry." Autumn light falls through a leaded window into the room where the master once worked. "I think it's because he put so much emotion into his pictures." She cranks the plate through a wooden printing press where it bites into a sheet of creamy paper. When we peel them apart, what I'm holding in my hand is the closest thing I will ever get to owning a Rembrandt etching. Out of the page stares a portrait of his wife, Saskia, a curly-haired woman in the second year of their marriage, with a quiet smile and patient eyes. It is signed and dated 1636. We are standing in Amsterdam's Rembrandt House Museum – the actual house where the couple lived in his heyday as a fashionable painter of the Dutch Golden Age. I have come here to explore his world, as a major exhibition of his later works opens at the National Gallery in London. And you can't get any closer to the great man than wandering the 17th-century rooms of his home. I am shown around by the curator, Dr David de Witt.
    [Show full text]
  • Dutch Delights Amsterdam, Utrecht, the Hague & Delft
    Dutch Delights Amsterdam, Utrecht, The Hague & Delft Discover the delights of the Netherlands! See the traditional side as you experience a lively cheese market where traders still shout prices as they have for centuries, learn how the iconic Dutch clog is made, and witness a master painter at work creating the exquisite elegance of Delft earthenware. Marvel at the astonishing logistical ballet of the world’s largest flower auction, dive into the rich Dutch culture seeing great works by Rembrandt, Van Gogh, and Vermeer, and stroll the enchanting streets of sophisticated cities like Amsterdam and The Hague. TRIP INCLUDES: • Arrival and departure transfers with assistant • Welcome dinner in Amsterdam • Superior 4-star hotel accommodation • Luggage handling at hotel (1 piece per person) • Breakfast daily • Walking tour of Amsterdam • Visit to Aalsmeer Flower Auction • Tour of Rijksmuseum • Visit to Hortus Bulborum gardens • Cheese factory visit & tasting • Tour of Van Gogh Museum • Visit to Paleis Het Loo • Royal Delft Pottery Factory visit and tour • Farewell dinner in The Hague Pre- and post-stay tailor-made itineraries as well as special coach and business class air fares are available on request keytours.com | 800.576.1784 11096-B Lee Highway, Suite 104, Fairfax, VA 22030 Detailed Itinerary DAY 1: AMSTERDAM - ARRIVAL Meet and greet upon arrival in Amsterdam, then enjoy a tour of this lovely city. Explore the elegant Golden Age canals lined with row upon row of colorful historic houses, wander the lively 13th century Dam Square, admire the gorgeous Royal Palace, and take in the vibrant colors and heavenly fragrance of fresh flowers at the floating Flower Market.
    [Show full text]
  • Amsterdam, Netherlands Overview Introduction
    Amsterdam, Netherlands Overview Introduction Tell anyone you're going to Amsterdam and there's a fair chance they'll either sigh with envy or give you a sly nod. Amsterdam's reputation for tolerance laced with sin precedes it, but equally renowned are its scenic and cultural attractions. Amsterdam hotels are known for their cleanliness and hospitality, its restaurants offer world cuisine, and along the city streets is a shopper's paradise. Most visitors fall in love with the city and return again and again. Amsterdam is nourished by a wealth of museums, concert halls, and avant-garde theater and dance venues. Its relaxed and tolerant attitudes draw those looking for a creative, anything-goes atmosphere. Large numbers of beautiful tree-lined canals are bordered by streets with rows of narrow, gabled houses and 17th-century warehouses, making Amsterdam an architectural treasure trove. Amsterdam is much smaller in population (but no less interesting) than many European capitals. As a result, much of the city center can be comfortably explored on foot—or, if you want to look like a true local, by bicycle. Highlights Sights—The Westerkerk (West Church) on the Prinsengracht and the spectacular view from its tower; gabled mansions on the 17th-century canal ring inside the Singelgracht; the Anne Frank Huis; the Red Light District; Amsterdam-Noord. Museums—Rembrandts at the Rijksmuseum; the Van Gogh Museum; the Stedelijk Museum. Memorable Meals—Smoked eel at Haesje Claes; french fries with mayonnaise or peanut-butter sauce from the rear end of the Albert Cuyp Markt; rijsttafel at Tempo Doeloe; salted or pickled herring from one of the fish stands along the canals; traditional Dutch fare at Moeders; international dishes from Food Hallen.
    [Show full text]
  • 7.5 X 11 Threelines.P65
    Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-44455-2 - Public Faces and Private Identities in Seventeenth-Century Holland: Portraiture and the Production of Community Ann Jensen Adams Index More information INDEX Aar, Anna van der, portrait of by Frans Hals, 68, 76 Company of Captain Cocq by Rembrandt van afbeeldsel, term for portrait, 4, 7 Rijn, 2, 16–18, 19, 144, 211–17, 213, 220, Aglionby, William, Painting Illustrated in Three 240, 241, 247–48, 249 Dialogues, on portrait ownership, 10 Company of Captain Vlooswijck, by Nicolaes van Aitzema, Lieuwe, Historie van saken van staet, 142 Eliasz., 245, 245 alba amicora, portraits in, 1 Governors, portrait of by Govert Flinck, 247, Alberti, Leon Battista, De pictura, 42–43, 49, 72, 247 96, 100 Nieuwe Kerk, 178 Algiers, battle of Noorderkerk, 178 Michiel de Ruyter and, 141 Orphans Chamber (Weeskamer), 11 painting of by Reiner Nooms, 141 portraits in auctions of, 20 allegory, history portrait and, 186–88 Oude Kerk, 178 Alonzo de Velasco, Don, 136 Remonstrant Church, plundering of in 1616, Althusius, Johannes, Politica methodice digesta, 113, 233–35, 235 253 Remonstrant controversy, 218, 236 Alvarez de Toledo, Ferdinand, statue of destroyed Schouwburg (theater), 182 by mob, 32 inscription on, 96 Ambrose, Isaac, Prima, media & ultima ...dingen, Westerkerk, 178 41, 170, 191 Zuiderkerk, 161, 163, 175–76, 178, 180 Amsterdam and Jacob Poppen, 175–76 Admiralty storehouse, designed by Daniel¨ and Michiel Poppen, 175–76 Stalpaert, 141 and Solomon’s Temple, 179 civic guard, organization of, 237 d’Andrada, Diego,
    [Show full text]
  • Managers of Decay
    Managers of Decay Conservation and Restoration Edition 2013 Managers of Decay 2 3 Introduction 4 Here we are! Jørgen Wadum 10 The management of aesthetics and decay Norman Tennent 20 Conservation science … or science for conservation? Summary's 30 Abstracts of both Master’s- and post-Master’s-theses Team C&R 96 Professors, lecturers and management Alumni 116 Overview alumni Colophon 128 2 3 4 5 Introduction Here we are! 4 5 6 7 Here we are! In 2005, the University of Amsterdam, was sion. Moreover, it is necessary to cultivate sary skills are presented to the students, passed the baton from the Dutch Cultural insight in, and reflection on, the scientific and the insights and attitudes necessary Heritage Agency (then ICN, now RCE) practice and the choices that have to be for a conservator-restorer are cultivated. and the SRAL (Foundation Conservation made when interfering in the materials. During the master phase the students are Studios Limburg) to further develop and The team of the Conservation and restora- confronted with all aspects of the profes- maintain the educational programme for tion department (C&R) teaches the students sion within its role as a scientific discipline. conservator-restorers in The Netherlands. and the ‘conservator-restorers in training’ The students discover and develop their Now that the fourth group has graduated (rio’s) to use an analytical approach which manual dexterity and become aware of the University, we can leave the early hectic will help them develop a critical and the central role of research at all stages of years behind us and take a moment to inquisitive attitude.
    [Show full text]
  • The Abduction of Europa, Rembrandt, 1632
    Stories in Art Information and Questions for Teaching The Abduction of Europa Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn Dutch, 1632 Oil on panel 24 1/2 x 30 5/16 in. 95.PB.7 Background Information In the Metamorphoses, the ancient Roman poet Ovid told a story about the god Jupiter, who disguised himself as a white bull in order to seduce the princess Europa away from her companions and carry her across the sea to the distant land that would bear her name. During his long career, Rembrandt rarely painted mythological subjects. Here he conveys a narrative story through dramatic gesture and visual effects. Bewildered, Europa grasps the bull's horn, digs her fingers into his neck, and turns back to look at her companions on the water's edge. One young woman falls to the ground and raises her arms in alarm, dropping the flower garland intended for the bull's neck into her lap, while her friend clasps her hands in consternation and watches helplessly. The carriage driver above rises to his feet and stares at the departing princess in horror. In the background, a city shrouded in mist extends along the horizon, perhaps serving as an allusion to the ancient city of Tyre as well as to contemporary Amsterdam. The dark thicket of trees to the right contrasts with the pink and blue regions of the sea and sky. Sunlight breaks through the clouds and reflects off the water, but the sky behind the trees is dark and foreboding. A master of visual effects, Rembrandt took pleasure in describing the varied textures of sumptuous costumes and glittering gold highlights on the carriage and dresses.
    [Show full text]
  • Review 6 Luc Rombouts, Singing Bronze. a History of Carillon Music
    bmgn - Low Countries Historical Review | Volume 132 (2017) | review 6 Luc Rombouts, Singing Bronze. A History of Carillon Music (Leuven: Lipsius Leuven, 2014, 368 pp., isbn 978 90 5867 956 7). The carillon is a striking cultural marker in many towns of the Low Countries. Its sound is heard and enjoyed by hundreds of people several times a day, and it is often perceived as a part of the town’s identity. As the author of the present work rightfully remarks: ‘Bell music creates a collective listening experience and in this way plays a binding role in society, like monuments, parks, squares and public buildings’ (322). Therefore it is a good thing that we now have an accessible book on the history of this most public of musical instruments, written by an expert author, who himself is a carillonneur. The book sets forth the carillon’s history very well. It originated in the late Middle Ages in the region that encompasses present-day Netherlands, Belgium and northern France. In the last decades of the fifteenth century bell ringers in Flanders began to play religious melodies on the church bells, which by that time had already developed into a set of smaller bells that were used to announce the tolling of the heavy hour bell. Playing mechanisms with a keyboard were developed, and soon also mechanisms to produce pre- programmed automatic music. In the sixteenth century the carillon spread rapidly over the Low Countries. The number of bells increased from about six to up to twenty, and the repertoire was expanded with secular melodies and polyphonic settings.
    [Show full text]
  • Rembrandt Van Rijn | Biography
    Rembrandt van Rijn | Biography 1606 Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn is born on 15th July in Leiden, the son of Hermen Gerritsz van Rijn, who owned a mill, and Neeltgen van Zuytbrouck, a baker’s daughther. 1613 He attends a strictly Calvinistic grammar school in Leiden. 1620 He enrols at the Faculty of Philosophy of Leiden University. 1620-24 Rembrandt is apprenticed to the Leiden painter Jacob Isaakz van Swanenburgh, and studies under the Amsterdam history painter Pieter Lastman for another half- year. 1625 He sets up a studio in Leiden together with painter Jan Lievens; first successes. 1626 First etchings. 1630 There are already apprentices employed in the Rembrandt workshop, such as Jan Joris van Vliet and Gerrit Dou. 1631 Rembrandt moves to Amsterdam. He stays with art dealer Hendrick van Uylenburgh in his house in Breestraat. 1632 Rembrandt paints his first famous group portrait, Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp. 1634 He marries Saskia van Uylenburgh, daughter of a wealthy patrician. 1639 He buys a grand house on Amsterdam’s Breestraat. 1641 His son Titus is baptized on 22nd September in Amsterdam’s Zuiderkerk. Three children before him died in their first year. 1642 Rembrandt finishes what is to become his probably most famous painting, The Night Watch. His wife Saskia dies in the same year; Geertge Dircks joins the Rembrandt household as a nursemaid. Personal problems between Rembrandt and Dircks (an alleged promise of marriage) have to be settled in court. Eggenberger Allee 90 A – 8020 Graz, Steiermark Tel.: +43 316 8017 9770 Fax: +43 316 8017 9779 E-mail: [email protected] www.museum-joanneum.at 1654 Cornelia, Rembrandt’s daughter by his nursemaid and housekeeper Hendrickje Stoffels, is baptized.
    [Show full text]
  • Anne Frank Travel Piece
    The Los Angeles Times April 30, 1995 Travel Section Destination: Amsterdam By Daniel Akst Fifty years after her death in a Nazi camp, diarist Anne Frank's 'Secret Annex ' still haunts its many visitors AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands — You've read the book. Maybe you've even seen the movie. But nothing quite prepares you for your first glimpse of the bookcase. The bookcase, in Amsterdam, is the one that served to disguise the entrance to what Anne Frank called the "Secret Annex" deep within Prinsengracht 263, a four-story brick row house on a quiet canal in the heart of the city. It was in a cramped warren of half a dozen rooms behind this bookcase that Anne, her sister, her parents and four other Jews hid for more than two years in an ultimately futile attempt to escape the Nazis. Pass behind the bookcase--empty now, save for a few yellowing account books--and you pass into the eye of that long-ago storm. Here, young Anne maintained the chronicle that survived the Nazis to become one of the most remarkable--and widely read--literary documents of the 20th Century, the work officially known as "The Diary of a Young Girl." Last month, when I visited Amsterdam, was the 50th anniversary of Anne's death from typhus at age 15, in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. The occasion has been marked in the United States by a significant literary event: publication of a newly translated expanded edition of Anne's diary. The original version--which sold more than 25 million copies in 55 languages and later became a Broadway play and popular film-- was edited by her father, Otto, the only survivor of the group that hid in the annex.
    [Show full text]