Day 26 - Amsterdam

After a good night's rest we're ready to play tourist for one last day. We decide to purchase canal bus tickets, Amsterdam's version of Greyline's double decker tour bus. It's a great, relaxing way to see the canals and buildings of the city. First stop, the Red Light district, one of Amsterdam's top tourist attraction.

The district is a bit difficult to find, but we know we arrive when we see the "workers" in the windows. It's hard not to gawk as something that's so foreign to us and after viewing a couple of windows we're happy to turn a corner. Later we realize we never really made it to the main street of the red light district, but we've seen enough.

Back on the boat we float through the canals disembarking at the Anne Frank Museum. Now, we've been through a concentration camp, climbed to the Eagle's Nest, and walked through the tunnel system of Hitler's Burghof. But the Anne Frank museum put a victim's face on the atrocity of WW II. Eight jewish people hid in the small rooms of the "secret annex" for two years only to be betrayed during the final months of the war. All were interned in concentration camps and the only survivor was Anne's father, Otto Frank.

After it's discovery, the rooms of the annex were emptied of their content. When the building was opened to the public in the late '50's, at Otto Frank's request, the rooms remained empty. It was a truly moving experience, moving us to near tears during our walk through the dark, stark rooms. If you're ever in Amsterdam, this is a "must see".

After our tour we jump back on the boat and float back to the area of our hotel. One more chance for some McKenny beer at the sidewalk cafe being serenaded by local musicians. Then we grab one final meal and head back to the hotel to pack.

It's been a wonderful trip!