AMSTERDAM!

We left London on a train to Brussels, where we transferred to the Amsterdam line. Not stopping in the dreary, freezing capital of Belgium, we shoved along towards a city neither of us had visited. Leaving the Brussels station I looked out of my window to see women dancing in small window-cages in their lingerie for passers-by; I was under no illusion of still being in India now. The train ride took several hours - British, French, and Belgium countryside passing under in the relentless drizzle - and we arrived wet, tired and hungry at the Dutch-speaking station just after the sky had turned black. We quickly grabbed a cab to our hotel that we chose off a screen at the tourist info kiosk, and entered the most warm, garishly decorated lobby off a small canal. Our room itself sported several competing interior styles; the intricate wall-paper setting off the densely patterned carpet, our modern chandelier (that we LOVE) not matching the fake gold candelabras that hold our light bulbs, the thick, heavy and dark-colored (and might I add, dramatic) mauve curtain certainly has nothing to do with the faux black fur that rests on my bed as comforter, yet they all work. The Dutch interior decorations met nothing but admiration from these two Americans, too happy to put down our luggage and be out of the rain in an ensemble of patterns, colors, and material.

We were also both happy that we arrived late in the evening, because the next day as we strolled along the beautiful open channels we felt as though we were floating in a dream from which we had not yet woken. The skinny buildings sit so neatly side by side with their quintessential Dutch roofs, and the canals provide perfect guidance and serenity to walks through the old city. Having come from a hot climate, I quickly realized I needed boots to keep my toes warm as we move eastward, so we spent the day weaving in and out of amazing little neighborhoods with beautiful architecture looking for boots in countless funky boutiques. Finally (after finding a suitable pair) we made our way to the Reich museum to look at some of Rembrandt’s largest works. Unfortunately his drawings were not currently on display, but I have to say, a day spent walking in Amsterdam and an afternoon of seeing Rembrandt’s work up close comes pretty close to perfection. His darkened portraits have always been some of my favorite, and to see his work in his own place seemed to lend an extra magnetism to his familiar brushstrokes.

We spent our last day walking to Anne Frank's house, which has been preserved and constructed into an incredible Holocaust memorial. It was hard to imagine this almost fairy-like city under the heal of the Nazis, and the fear that gripped those who went into hiding as a desperate attempt to survive. Climbing the narrow staircase behind the bookshelf and arriving in the blackened quarters where 8 people lived for two years was hard to bear. Juxtoposed with Frank's poignant writing and her father's return from Aushtawitz to create this memorial, my mother and I were teary and in disbelief over the cruelty inflicted during the Second World War. We left feeling deeply moved and glad that we had seen this side of European Jewish history, emerging with a little more understanding of one of many phases this city has endured. Heading away we found a warm, quaint cafe where we could grab some tea and a croissant out of the rain and enjoy our last hours. Later we ate dinner at a little restaurant with melt-in-your mouth food, following up by walking through the famous red-light district (to see, not to buy) and passed up the sweet-smelling hash bars for a beer. A city more liberal than San Francisco, where everyone rides their bicycles even in the rain, led through gorgeous Dutch architecture by Venetian-like canals, Amsterdam has so far topped the charts for me. Next we will make our way to Berlin, and intensely fascinating city for me, before continuing on towards Istanbul.