tuesday, april 17: amsterdam

We had to get up super early on tuesday morning to get on the plane and there were no direct trains from the airport because of a suspected bomb. So, by the time we got to our hotel (okay, it's a boat)* we were exhausted. So we went to the restaurant next door to have some dim sum and then went back to our hotel and took a nap.Though the canals are kinda icky, they are charming. Also, the sheer number of bicycles EVERYWHERE is amazing. Locked up, they are wonderful. But until we learned where we were supposed to walk and where the bicycles are supposed to be, it was both stressful and dangerous(for both pedestrians and cyclists).We walked around for a few hours, ending up at the Anne Frank House. We had heard that the lines can be terrible, so when we walked by and there wasn't one, we went in. It was interesting, though I couldn't drink it in as deeply as I wanted to because I was dealing with a toddler attention span. I have read the book many times and it meant a great deal to me. Anne Frank is totally an inspiration. My cousin says that they used to have all the original furniture and other effects in the museum and it was a lot more evocative. Today it is just a bunch of empty rooms; you have to really concentrate to make it feel real. Particularly with a toddler. It was much more holocause focused than Anne Frank. Her individuality is what makes the story so touching, so I wish they had left that. My cousin says that there was a big conflict between two directors, one who wanted to pack 'em in, and one who wanted to maintain the original setting. The pack 'em in one won, which is really too bad.

I had emailed my mom's cousin and arranged to have dinner with them. He and his partner (they are married, should I say husband? that feels right) decided that we should eat in, so we did, in their beautiful apartment not far from the city center and our hotel.
Nina totally fell in love with both of them and, I think, they really enjoyed her too. We got back to our hotel at about 11:00 pm UK time, and there was no melting down, so I think that's a good indication of what a good time Nina had.

*it appears to be a retired cruise ship, and though my cousin was skeptical, it was fine. Not fancy or roomy, but serviceable. I will admit it was a little cramped, but we all fit and the bed (I think it was latex) was super comfy and we didn't spend much time there anyway. We had a canal view and it was super close to everything (including the train station). Plus we got free breakfast and sometimes they had apples in the lobby.