Greetings All!
It’s day
five in the Netherlands and we have dodged our one hundredth bike. There have been some extremely close calls but we are anticipating that by the time we leave on Friday we will have learned to stop walking on the part of the sidewalks specifically for bikes. Like we said---some really close calls. The weather
continues to be enjoyable and the temperature allows us to bring out some summer
clothes. As the days go by our great memories continue to pile up!
Today we started the morning off
bright and early. We woke up at 6 am to ensure that we arrived at the Anne
Frank museum before the line got too long. While waiting in line we played a fun game
called Heads Up that had the entire team energetic and laughing (loudly). Our moods were quickly altered when
we entered the museum. The story of Anne Frank was told through her diary entries
that were expressed on the walls and through visual media. The experience
proved to be very moving and many of the girls were experiencing strong
emotions throughout the tour. We were
able to fully understand Anne and her families living conditions by
being able to walk through the entire house that they lived in while they were
in hiding during World War II. The extremely steep staircase that we were
allowed to ascend was a feature that stood out in the museum because it led to
the attic where Anne and her family spent two and half years in darkness and
almost constant silence. Towards the end of the tour, a video of Anne Frank’s
father, Otto Frank, showed an interview about Anne’s childhood. The most emotional
part of his speech was when he talked about how parents don’t fully understand
their child until they are gone. The daughter that Otto Frank thought he knew was
completely different from the Anne Frank the world has grown to know and love
through the publication of her diary. This experience was very intense and it was truly shocking
to realize that this horrible event in world history actually occurred. We were
all very touched by the whole experience and very thankful for the opportunity
to experience the Anne Frank House. For many of the ladies on the team, this was the
activity that most of us were most excited to participate in on this trip and were were not disappointed. We
can now check this experience off of our bucket list.
After the
museum, we were given the rest of the day to explore—a rarity considering our
jam packed schedule! A few of us decided
to visit the Heineken Brewery. After we found out that the walk would take
around 30 minutes, we made the executive decision to take the train, also known
as the tram. As we prepared to get on
the tram, we searched our pockets for the correct change and unfortunately watched
as the Tram passed right by us. Our first experience with public transportation
in Amsterdam was off to a rocky start. Once we managed to get on the correct
tram, we had no idea where to pay so we quietly put our euros back into our purses,
and got a free tram ride (shhh!). The Heineken Brewery was filled with the
history of how Heineken was created and how the family business has flourished
over the past century. There were many interactive experiences throughout the
tour and all of us took full advantage of these opportunities. We were able to make
our own music video for a Heineken advertisement, and pose for our own poster. We
also were able to take Heineken pictures or videos and e-mail them to our
family and friends. The tour ended with a 25 minutes boat ride to a different
Heineken souvenir shop where we were given a lovely tour of the canals of Amsterdam. We were on our own
for lunch, which lead us to a restaurant that served wonderful goat cheese and rested on the banks of the canals.
We ended
the night with a quaint picnic on a boat throughout the canals. The evening was
filled with laughter, music, great food, and a great team. The girlfriend of one our favorite tour guides
prepared the food and it was a delicious treat for all! There were a
variety of foods that we were able to choose from including Dutch egg salad,
potato salad, freshly baked bread, and much more! The timing of the boat ride was perfect
because we were able to catch the sun setting, which made a
We have much more exploring to do and we are entering the final phases of our trip. Tomorrow is the day that we have all been waiting for: The World Cup!!!! We will be leaving bright and early to spend the ENTIRE day watching the best field hockey players in the world compete for the Gold!!!
Until tomorrow….
Love,
Tatiana and Emma
The team right before taking off on our boat canal tour and picnic dinner!
Some of ECFH in front of the Anne Frank House after our tour of the facilities.
The outside of the Anne Frank House--although it looks big the quarters Anne and her family stayed in for two and a half years was anything but spacious.
Coach Cosenza and Coach Carlson enjoying the boat canal tour.
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