Amsterdam's Royal Palace (above), and New Church (below).
Not pictured is our visit to the Anne Frank House. We always learn during our adventures, some of which bring out deep emotions within us. That was the case walking through the house where Anne and her family hid for 2 years during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. They were eventually found by the Nazi's and sent to concentration camps where all of them except for Anne's father died, Anne at age 15. Her diary has been an affirmation of the uncrushable human spirit.
A visit to Amsterdam is not complete unless one visits the museum of the Dutch master Van Gogh. His turbulent life, dominated at times by his severe mental illness, only lasted 37 years during which he became a monumental artist.
We also visited the Amsterdam Museum (of history) and the Rijksmuseum, where thousands of art objects and paintings are housed, including Rembrandt's famous "The Night Watch"
The Netherlands is a country where people live and let live. Same-sex marriage was legalized in 2001, the first country in the world to do so. Marijuana is legal but "hard drugs" are not. Prostitution is not condoned, but it's legal, which allows the government to control the businesses and set expectations for the health of the workers. Its population is young, friendly, and seem to be dedicated to good family and work values.
