Despair and Cheese

Monday in Amsterdam: It was quite hot again but the crowds were decidedly less touristy -- or maybe just the element that prefers the Red Light district is more diluted on a weekday morning. Either way, the city seemed more authentic and maybe a little less like Bourbon Street.

We started the day at Oude Kerk (literally "Old Church") which currently houses the World Press Photo exhibition. The best photo journalism in the world is on display here, first, before going on a tour of over eighty world cities. Its likely that you have seen a handful of the photos on the front page of your newspaper or on the Internet. The collection of them all together printed super-poster size makes a statement that was worth the trip. Unfortunately, most of the tones of the pictures are about war, genocide, and parts of the world that aren't happy places. A few spreads of American oddities, like Skatopia, fit all too well in with pictures of war and unrest. The church itself is amazing, too, but under major renovation. In a quiet corner, you can find the tomb of Rembrandt's wife, Saskia. The building is the oldest in Amsterdam.

Midday, we went in search of a few food shops that we had read about. This resulted in the purchase of too much cheese at Kaasland - one of these can last months and months so there is a good chance some of you will get to sample it! My favorite was an Edam heavily laden with cumin seeds.

The Anne Frank House was our last stop before heading back to the hotel. Most know the story, but this is a tour of the hiding place of eight Jews, including the Frank family, during the occupation of Amsterdam by the Nazis in 1942-1944. They were betrayed and captured by the Nazis and sent to Auschwitz. Anne died in the camps just weeks before liberation by British forces. While in hiding, she kept a diary and her words are amazingly powerful for a girl in her early teens. Her father, Otto, survived the camps and published the diary. It's very hard not to get emotional as you read her words.

On a tip by the Spencer's, we went looking for Wynand Fockink, a traditional Amsterdam distillery and tasting house. We didn't have to go far, as it was literally right outside the backdoor of our hotel. Back in the 17th century, distilleries would produce hundreds of flavors of liquors. To help consumers sort out what they wanted to buy, distilleries had tasting rooms where you could get small samples of the product. This tiny tasting room is one such remnant of the past with dozens of liquors and combinations to sample, including flavors like "Drop" -- a salty licorice. Once the tourist groups left, we spent over an hour with one of the most interesting people of our trip: "Hans". I think Rachel might have more to say about this guy, but he certainly provided a fantastic ending note for our historical view of the city.

Monday night, Holland played Italy in the Euro 2008 football (no, soccer!) match; I'm still rusty on this but I believe this is the start of the European soccer championships and a very big deal. Holland smoked Italy (World Cup winners) 3-0 (albeit with some controversy) while we were eating a fantastic dinner along side one of Amsterdam's many canals. Folks of all ages and walks of life were crammed around TVs outside of bars, on house boats, and in houses - most everyone yelling at the TV screen. I think everyone except the American tourists were watching this match, and that includes the waiters serving us! It was very cool, though: Random people would yell out one window of a multi-story building to be answered by someone equally enthusiastic from a window up the street. A great display of sporting exuberance.

Conclusion: Great city. But Where's Waldo's Next Adventure? And do I get to come along...? 'til then!