"I woke up at 3:15 AM today to catch the flight from London Heathrow to Amsterdam. To me, getting to the airport at 5 AM for an 8:30 flight is ludicrous, but it's something that my mother's gotten me used to by now. At least I got to watch the sun rise from behind our coach. The flight was only an hour, and so we got in to Amsterdam, waited a bit, and then met our coach to drive us to our first stop for the day, lunch on the canal.
Walking around the cities we've visited so far, one gets the sense that they are living in history. When you walk into Westminster Abbey, or Edinburgh Castle, or York Minster, you suddenly are within history. You feel as though you are not only a witness to the marvels that you're seeing; you're a part of them. Walking through the Anne Frank House today was another one of these experiences; it let you get close to the subject, to feel how they felt, to live how they lived. You were a part of history. I love these kinds of things; I love being absolutely immersed in the history of this place or another, just taking it all in. And I think this speaks to a very archaic but popular view of why exactly history is; specifically, one that shows history as an unchanging Thing, which we can only read about but never truly experience. And before taking AP Euro this year, some part of me shared that view of history as something to be read, but not experienced. But Amsterdam, and Edinburgh, and York, and London, are all really something to take in yourself."
- Braeden
Sunday, June 11
Today, everybody woke up at around 3:30 AM for an early flight from London to Amsterdam with hotel prepared boxed lunches. We arrived at around 11:00 AM in Amsterdam to be immediately shuttled into the city for a picnic lunch sitting on the edge of one of the many beautiful canals that Amsterdam has. This experience was particularly enjoyable due to the sunny and clear skies, which created a pleasant temperature of around 70 degrees Fahrenheit. After lunch, we walked to the Anne Frank house/museum to listen and read about the history of the family and what events occurred in the house. The experience was incredibly interesting, as it gave further insight into a person who we had studied and read about many times before when talking about the Holocaust. After looking through the house, we were shuttled around Amsterdam, and given a tour of the city from our bus with the guidance of our experienced tour guide. We saw the entirety of the city, but many of us took the opportunity to take a short, much needed, nap. Finally, we walked to "Haesje Claes" for dinner. The choices consisted of a a wiener dish, as well as a vegetable dish for vegetarians. But, both options were delicious. Lastly, we took our bus back to the "IBIS Amsterdam City South" hotel for some much needed rest.
John Koskela
Today, everybody woke up at around 3:30 AM for an early flight from London to Amsterdam with hotel prepared boxed lunches. We arrived at around 11:00 AM in Amsterdam to be immediately shuttled into the city for a picnic lunch sitting on the edge of one of the many beautiful canals that Amsterdam has. This experience was particularly enjoyable due to the sunny and clear skies, which created a pleasant temperature of around 70 degrees Fahrenheit. After lunch, we walked to the Anne Frank house/museum to listen and read about the history of the family and what events occurred in the house. The experience was incredibly interesting, as it gave further insight into a person who we had studied and read about many times before when talking about the Holocaust. After looking through the house, we were shuttled around Amsterdam, and given a tour of the city from our bus with the guidance of our experienced tour guide. We saw the entirety of the city, but many of us took the opportunity to take a short, much needed, nap. Finally, we walked to "Haesje Claes" for dinner. The choices consisted of a a wiener dish, as well as a vegetable dish for vegetarians. But, both options were delicious. Lastly, we took our bus back to the "IBIS Amsterdam City South" hotel for some much needed rest.
John Koskela
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