29 May 2013

Anne Frank House, Rjiksmuseum, & Heineken Experience

DAY ONE: By the time we got to our hotel room, it was time for a quick unpack and then out to dinner we went. The Pancake Bakery, a well known pancake house located on Prisengracht near the Anne Frank House, came highly recommended. Their menu boasted over 75 different kinds of pancakes and omelets. I love breakfast for dinner so this sounded like a great choice. Well, we were quite surprised when we found out the traditional Dutch pancake, pannkoeken, and was essentially a crepe. We were thinking hearty, thick pancakes. Should have researched a bit more! A unique, authentic meal- but a bit overpriced when you're spending 10+ Europe for a glorified crepe. 

After dinner we walked around the beautiful canals along Prisengracht. 
They were some of my favorite in all of Amsterdam. 

DAY TWO: First on the agenda for the day was a visit to the Anne Frank House. The museum opened at 9 am and by 10:30, when we arrived, the line was down the street and around the block. We didn't keep track of time, but it was probably around 30-45 minutes before we got inside the museum. It was well-worth the wait! The Anne Frank House was one of my favorite tours to date. It was an incredibly sobering and very well presented. The tour was self-guided which allowed you to go at your own place. They did an excellent job of preserving the building which allows you to gain a much more realistic understanding of what they went through. Standing inside those small rooms gave incredible insight to the lengths at which the families took to hide out and really made the story come alive. 

After the Anne Frank House we grabbed a quick bite at an Italian restaurant and then headed over to the Rijksmuseum. Another long line which wouldn't have been so bad if it wasn't cold and windy that day. Once inside we were able to see the collection of Van Gogh as well as Rembrandt's Night Watch. 

The Heineken Experience was the final item on our list and a great way to close out the day. We took a tour through the brewing process like most places, but truly got the 'Heineken Experience'  with all of their interactive activities. We were able to watch Heineken advertisements in a comfy lounge chair, perfected our technique for achieving the perfect pour, got a history of the company, and of course the most interactive part of all- drank 2 Heineken beers. 


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