Day 2
On our first full day of the tour, the city for the day was Amsterdam. Although Daniela had tickets for the train that she handed out, she always spent time explaining the metro system of the city--which ended up being especially helpful in Paris!
We arrived in Amsterdam and the first stop of the day was the Anne Frank House. I remember reading Anne Frank's Diary in elementary school and trying to envision this place where she and her family lived. As we shuffled through the house, it felt cramped and dark and gave you a slight understanding of how it might have been for those living in this house.
On our first full day of the tour, the city for the day was Amsterdam. Although Daniela had tickets for the train that she handed out, she always spent time explaining the metro system of the city--which ended up being especially helpful in Paris!
We arrived in Amsterdam and the first stop of the day was the Anne Frank House. I remember reading Anne Frank's Diary in elementary school and trying to envision this place where she and her family lived. As we shuffled through the house, it felt cramped and dark and gave you a slight understanding of how it might have been for those living in this house.
A major draw, for us, when choosing a tour was the ability to bypass lines...and boy were we glad we got to bypass this line with the group! We took the photo on the right as we were leaving the Anne Frank House, and the museum had opened only an hour earlier.
As you walked through the streets of Amsterdam (watch out for those bikes!) you could see other tours where the tour guide had a giant flag/flower/wand that they would hold in the air so that the members knew where to go. Meanwhile, our group was small enough that we could always keep an eye on Daniela, and on this day she happened to have a pink umbrella (the rain was never ending), so we always knew where to go.
After lunch on our own, we all met at the Rijksmuseum for our first art history lesson of the tour. We split into two groups and had a museum tour guide who took us around to select pieces of art for about an hour, then we were on our own until the canal cruise.Within the vicinity of the Rijksmuseum was the Heineken Experience, the Van Gogh museum, and the museum gardens.
We had a canal cruise through the city and out into the sea. After a long day, it was nice to be able to sit and take in the city. After our cruise, Daniela walked us through the Red Light District and explained where the train station was for anyone who was not interested in seeing the Red Light District. Although we had seen it on our own, Daniela provided a great background and information about the origination, rules, and regulations of the Red Light District.
As you walked through the streets of Amsterdam (watch out for those bikes!) you could see other tours where the tour guide had a giant flag/flower/wand that they would hold in the air so that the members knew where to go. Meanwhile, our group was small enough that we could always keep an eye on Daniela, and on this day she happened to have a pink umbrella (the rain was never ending), so we always knew where to go.
After lunch on our own, we all met at the Rijksmuseum for our first art history lesson of the tour. We split into two groups and had a museum tour guide who took us around to select pieces of art for about an hour, then we were on our own until the canal cruise.Within the vicinity of the Rijksmuseum was the Heineken Experience, the Van Gogh museum, and the museum gardens.
We had a canal cruise through the city and out into the sea. After a long day, it was nice to be able to sit and take in the city. After our cruise, Daniela walked us through the Red Light District and explained where the train station was for anyone who was not interested in seeing the Red Light District. Although we had seen it on our own, Daniela provided a great background and information about the origination, rules, and regulations of the Red Light District.
Day 3
The next morning it was time to make our way to Germany. We had to be up nice and early to eat breakfast and make our way to the bus for the first time. We met our fantastic bus driver, Ben, a few blocks away from the hotel and were soon saying goodbye to Haarlem.
Before entering Germany, we stopped at the Arnhem Open Air Museum in The Netherlands. It was a sunny day, a nice change of pace from the rain of the previous days, especially because the museum is entirely outdoors! We got to see old windmills that had been transplanted from their original location to the museum, historic houses, and enjoy the countryside. After a delicious pancake lunch, we were off to Bacharach!
The next morning it was time to make our way to Germany. We had to be up nice and early to eat breakfast and make our way to the bus for the first time. We met our fantastic bus driver, Ben, a few blocks away from the hotel and were soon saying goodbye to Haarlem.
Before entering Germany, we stopped at the Arnhem Open Air Museum in The Netherlands. It was a sunny day, a nice change of pace from the rain of the previous days, especially because the museum is entirely outdoors! We got to see old windmills that had been transplanted from their original location to the museum, historic houses, and enjoy the countryside. After a delicious pancake lunch, we were off to Bacharach!