Amsterdam Museums

Today was yet another rainy day in Amsterdam. As a result, we figured that hitting up museums was our best bet. First thing in the morning, we headed to the Vincent Van Gogh Museum.

Overall, we really enjoyed this museum. Not only did it showcase Van Gogh masterpieces, but it also gave some very interesting history about it his personal life.

Each floor of the building was dedicated to a time period if his short 10 year career. You could easily observe how the theme of this art evolved as career progressed. Near the end of his life he suffered from some severe mental health issues, but continued to use art as his release.

There is also a section of the museum dedicated to Van Gogh's art style. Getting up and close and personal with the paintings was truly special. Van Gogh is known for his very bold brushstrokes. He used thick paint to give his subjects dimension that almost made them look lifelike.

When we were done with the Van Gogh museum, we picked up some lunch at a nearby bakery. Earlier that morning we reserved tickets for the Anne Frank house tour.

If you are ever in Amsterdam, the Anne Frank house is an absolute must. Tickets are extremely limited, but we got lucky purchasing them at 9am the day of. Again, there were no pictures allowed here.

This now museum, is the house where Anne Frank and her family hid from the Nazi's for nearly two years before they were captured. The free audio tour provides information as you walk through each room of the house.

Finally you, get to the annex. Hidden by the original bookshelf, guests climb up to the secret area where Anne was hiding. We got to walk through nearly every room of the three story annex learning what life was like during hiding.

Anne Frank and her family were in hiding for two years. On August 4, 1944 they were discovered and arrested. The family was split up into concentration camps across Europe. Anne Frank died in March of 1945 due to Typhus Fever. It was just two weeks before British army liberated the concentration camp where she was at.

The only surviving member of the family was the father Otto Frank. He discovered Anne's diary and is the reason why her story and legacy can be carried on forever.

After that we took a stroll around Amsterdam including the famous red light district. We stopped off at an old bakery to try a classic Dutch treat, the Stroopwaffel. These crispy wafers filled with caramel are delicious beyond words.

To rest our feet, we found a hole in the wall bar and enjoyed an ice cold Heineken. This tiny little bar had every square inch of its walls covered in colorful soccer memorabilia. Exactly what we needed after a long day of walking.

We ended the night at FoodHallen. This old train station has been converted into a creative space that is home to a number of street food vendors.

We picked an assortment of different foods including some "Bitterballen", a traditional Dutch snack. They are essentially an extremely thickened meat stew that has been rolled up into balls, covered in breadcrumbs, and deep fried.

After that we headed back to our place and planned out our last day of vacation.