A Day of Tears

I Amsterdam
Apparently, I am Amsterdam.  The sign says so.  It is in front of the art museum that holds all the Dutch masters' works of art.  As you can guess, I am now in the Netherlands for 4 days studying the forest schools here. But today is Sunday so I am checking out the city.  I wanted to get the lay of the land on foot and I walked over 12 kilometers today… In the rain, because that what it does in the Netherlands in the fall, it rains.

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​Bikes and Canals
If you are wondering, where can I get that perfect photo of the canals? Well, the answer is EVERYWHERE!  No kidding, there are so many canals it is like Venice, but more planned and grid-like.  And the bikes, holy cow, clearly more bikes than cars and LOOK OUT! They will run you down if you are in the bike lane.

Van Gogh Museum
OMG, OMG, OMG!!! As an art teacher I cannot even!  I am really here in Amsterdam at the Van Gogh Museum!  I arrive 1.5 hours early.  I am so excited.  NEVER! In my wildest dreams did I ever think I’d actually be here seeing this in person. This is a dream come true.  I have read about it, I have seen it on an episode of Dr. Who. but I am actually here.  I just love Van Gogh.  His artwork is so vivid and ahead of his time.  He wanted to fit in soooooo badly with his contemporaries, but he just couldn’t, no matter how hard he tried.  He had so much more to offer that wasn’t appreciated at the time.  What an amazing experience. The self-portraits moved me to tears. Completely AWESOME!  

The Annex of Anne Frank
This was a completely humbling experience.  I cannot even come close to imagining what it was like living during the Nazi occupation of Amsterdam during WWII.  It was horrific.  The museum moved you through the Frank family’s experience, from a happy middle class family, to hiding for two years with 8 people in an incredibly small space. The only survivor was Anne’s father Otto. This was so upsetting, my husband is Jewish.  Many of my friends are Jewish.  It is beyond understandable how something like this happened. I cannot believe how people were treated during WWII in Europe.  Please never forget and hopefully this kind of reality will never be re-experienced by anyone again. 

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Vondelpark
This is the Central Park of Amsterdam.  This was a beautiful park with a ton of places to kick back and relax.  They even have a Picasso sculpture in the park and an impressing children’s rope course/ playground.  This, as it was described to me, is very Dutch.  It is just their way.  They want their children to play, and take risks.  They (the children) bike everywhere at age 10.  They want their children to be independent. They value the children and their autonomy.   

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​Stoop Waffle
This is so amazing.  It is a flat waffle cone, that is sliced in half and slathered with a syrup.  The syrup I believe is made with a combination of maple syrup, honey, and the happy tears of angles.  It was so good!  They are also commercially packaged in smaller versions, but it is NOTHING compared to the freshly made, warm, oooey, gooey stoop waffle… seriously life changing.

​The Dutch Way
One of the people taking me from school to school explained to me the “Dutch Way.”  It was fascinating.  She was from England and admired the Dutch way of doing things.  For instance, the schools I visited were in the Haag (about 1 hour from Amsterdam and a  major location hosting the United Nations) and on the outskirts they were expanding the area.  But prior to the development they discussed what the current residents wanted.  And they listened to them (not the builders) and then the first thing they put in was the infrastructure.  The trams and mass transit were first to come.  They let them run for a year.  When it was ok, then they put in the roads and bike paths…. THEN the homes came. Brilliant planning. Real positive. No wonder why the Dutch are polled as the happiest people and children in the world.  

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