Amsterdam Day Three Breda and La Trappe Monestary Day Four

Day Three:

 

 

Katie and I set out to visit the Anne Frank House, but the lines were too long. (expected)  We decided instead on a long breakfast of pastries and coffee on a lovely canal.  We then headed to a few churches, and then we were off the Breda to see a concert and spend the night.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nieuwe_Kerk_(Amsterdam)

Day Four:

While at the church we saw an exhibition to the new king, and Katie decided to become a royal herself.   Regal for sure.

 

 

Breda:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breda

Breda is a lovely town that used to be the center of the "Orange." William II of Orange and his wife Mary, (Yes, that William and Mary) resided in Breda.  It was also the residence of Charles II until the English Restoration.

Charles I was executed and England was ruled by parliament only during the Reformation.   When this new system did not go as well as planned, Charles II was asked to return from exile in Breda and assume his place on the throne, hence the Restoration of the Monarchy.  The town and its main church were pretty remarkable. Parts of the walled city and the moat is still in tact.

 

 

Life like statues in the church

Good Old William of Orange always on a horse. 

Walled city and moat


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Trappe_Abbey

Our final stop of the day was at the La Trappe Abbey and Brewery.  It seems these lovely monks have been making beer for hundreds of years.  Rob, Glen, and Katie did some tasting, and not liking beer, I did some designated driving.   hahaha  The abbey and its grounds were remarkable.   The walls  around the abbey are high and covered with vines and moss, and the wind through the trees was peaceful and calming.  I can see why these monks may feel closer to their God in this place.

Amsterdam: Day Two

I spent the day in the Jewish Quarter of the city today.  Hopped the 5 tram to the 14 and started the day at Rembrandt's house, moved from there to the Jewish Museum, the Portuguese Synagogue, and finally the Dutch Resistance Museum.
I woke up the this beautiful view outside our bedroom window.  Grabbed some toast with some smeerbare (no really what they call  margarine) and headed out.

 The Synagogue was pretty amazing!  I have never had the opportunity to visit one, and I was fascinated.   I bought a museumpass and purchased it with my international student ID.  It gives me complete access to museums, churches , and a lot more for or one year for 39 euros.  They did not require me to put my name on it, so I will leave it here for the next visitor.  Being Portuguese, I never knew there was an influx of Jews from Portugal to Amsterdam in the 17th century. The community was very poor and had difficulty finding work, so the synagogue was the center of their life. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portuguese_Synagogue_(Amsterdam)

Next I visited the Jewish Museum that covers the time period of the Jewish community in the Netherlands from 1900 - 1980.  Of course the war years from 1940 when the Germans arrived until 1945 the most prominent. There were home videos of families at the lakes and parks, hundreds of family portraits and personal items such as a circumcision kit, prayer shawls and so much more. The museum was a very personal experience.The books and religious document collection was immense.  It was not a collective history of a community but rather, a look into homes and family lives.   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joods_Historisch_Museum

The next stop was the Dutch Resistance Museum.  This was pretty incredible.  It houses thousands of items used by the Dutch in there secret war against the invasion. The museum has recordings from the radio announcing the Germans had landed and to stay in your homes. Lists of executed resistance workers.  And even an account by a friend of Otto Frank who was hidden near him in another house.  http://www.verzetsmuseum.org/museum/en/museum

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