01/04/07

            JPN

We had to take a bus and a train to get into the city of Amsterdam.

We had breakfast in a cafe.  I ordered a croissant and a cup of coffee.

Speaking of cafes in Amsterdam, since soft drugs are legal in this country,

in many cafes you enter, you find people smoking drugs.

Which, from a normal person's point of view, is a bit dodgy.

By this time, my money has totally ran out, and had to borrow from Masa,

who, through his financial prowess, has acquired a new nickname

"Masa Bank".



We visited the Anne Frank House.

Anne's experience of the War was vividly displayed and I was moved.

Anne stayed in this secret house from July 1942 to August 1944 with her family and relatives.

They were betrayed by someone and were all brought to the Auschwitz concentration camp.

Except for her father Otto, everybody died in the camp.

It was extremely sad to learn that Anne died just a month before the end of the War.

After the War, Otto editted and published Anne's diary.

From the visit to Berlin to here in Amsterdam,

I have been thinking about this awful war.



A majority of Amsterdam's land is said to be reclaimed land.

(perhaps for that reason) There are many canals and beautiful bridges over them.



It was a beautiful spring weather.

Leaves were sprouting from the trees.



There are so many bicycles in Amsterdam.

I wonder why.

It's not such a big city, I'm sure they can just walk, or swim (just kidding).

Althought the bikes are scatteredly parked here and there,

due to their retro designs, they fit into the overall atmosphere of the city.







We had burgers for lunch (not Mcdonalds, not this time at least!).

A cute dog was staring at me, or rather, at my burger.



There was a store full of wooden shoes.



From four, we went to hear an organ concert at Oude Kerk (old church).
 
It was a Spanish music, played by six organists;

my friend from the highschool, Junko, was one of them.

The pipe organ was huge and its sound resonated in the halls.

I was moved.

Junko is currently studying Organ in Amsterdam.





After the concert, Me and Masa drank the Amstel beer.

It's a beer with no alcohol.

Or rather, a drink that taste like a beer but with no alcohol.

It wasn't that good to be honest.




We decided to go to the Indian restaurant.



Masa was taken aback, as he cannot eat hot food,

but then, he cannot really tell the difference between different foods anyway, so he managed it somehow.

It was good food.

And it was nice to see Junko.

I wish you all success.



Yesterday   Tomorrow
1 year ago
2 years ago