This morning, after the Aalsmeer flower auction, the group took a short bus drive to The Hague.
The Hague is the seat of the Dutch government, so we got to see their parliament building where their Senate and Prime Minister do their work. A surprising thing to us Americans was the relatively relaxed security around these buildings. There were a few armed guards but not what I expected given the level of security at many places in Washington DC. Additionally, most countries have their embassies located here in The Hague.
The Dutch Parliamentary building
In the middle of the government buildings located here is the Ridderzaal or the Knight’s Hall. It was built all the way back in the 13th century, and is still a prominent building for ceremonies and other events.
Another point of note about The Hague, is that the International Criminal Court (ICC) is based here. These proceedings sometimes take place at the Peace Palace which we got to see.
As we went through the streets and the companies in Amsterdam, all of the groups noticed very interesting things that are different than the culture and practices back in the United States. The most impressive aspect that we noticed was the ability for the majority of the residents in Amsterdam to speak English. Going into an area that speaks Dutch, it was wonderful for ourselves to be able to speak well with others in the Netherlands.
The city was also vibrant in their transportation. Besides pedestrians, the majority of the people traveled on their bicycles. This caused our group many times to scurry away from an ambitious biker. The street layout also had traffic lights specifically for bikers which is extremely uncommon compared to the United States. The other transportation that was used was trolleys. Note: These were easier for us to dodge. Then the last major transportation was vehicles however they were rare as we approached closer to the middle of the city.
The layout of Amsterdam is amazing to look at firsthand. Firstly, the majority of the buildings are different compared to the one directly next to it. This means that there is something interesting to look at on every single building. Then the city is also known for their canals. While they were originally used to help create the city, they are extremely pretty to have. Ever so, some people live in house boats that are placed on the canals. Overall, Amsterdam is a place filled with friendly companies, crazy bikers, and new sights at every street corner.
Corrie ten Boom was born on April 15, 1892 in Amsterdam into a family of watchmakers and, according to some sources, devout Calvinists. Maintaining the family tradition, Corrie became the first woman in the Netherlands to be registered as a watchmaker. Our visit to her house revealed the shop was still open, under the name Ten Boom Jewelers, though it looked more commercialized for tourists. The Ten Boom family began hiding Jews in May 1942 after a woman, claiming armed guards had come to her house, appealed for help. Over the next two years, the Ten Boom family helped approximately 800 Jews evade the horrors of the Nazi concentration camps despite the police station being situated only half a block away. On the tour we were shown the hiding place, which hid six people in a twelve foot by two foot area, and was entered through a small opening hidden by the back of a bookshelf. Unfortunately, the operation was betrayed by an informant, and the Ten Boom family was sent off to the concentration camps. Spending the majority of her time in Ravenbruck, Corrie was released after 10 months due to a clerical error. It was discovered that all the women in Corrie’s age group were gassed a couple days later. After the war, Corrie founded rehabilitation centers, serving the Lord the rest of her life until she died at age 91. Much like the Ten Boom family, the tour guides were also devout Christians and often reminded their audience of the awesome power of Jesus.
Recreated Hiding Place in the Ten Boom House
The Entrance to the Hiding Place. It was Hidden by a Sliding False Back.
Anne Frank was born June 12, 1929 in Frankfurt, Germany, but moved to Amsterdam with her family at the age of four when the Nazi’s gained power in Germany. The Nazi’s followed a decade later, however, and forced the Frank family back into hiding. The “Hidden Anex” they now called home, consisted of three floors with full functionality hidden behind of plain grey door. Those hiding often shared bedrooms, and the living room also functioned as the dining room and Mr. and Mrs. Frank’s bedroom. Anne wrote in her now famous diary that it was vital they made no noise during the day for fear the warehouse on the lower floors discover their presence. It was interesting to see the persecution form the perspective of a little girl, who just wanted the war to be over so she could grow up to become a famous writer. It is unknown what caused the raid that finally captured the Franks, but sources say that, only a few months after D-Day, the family was discovered by two policemen “investigating” a burglary which had occurred in the area. Anne was deported to Auschwitz, and finally to Liebau labor camp where she died of Typhoid due to the overcrowded conditions. Of the Frank family, only the father, Otto, survived and worked to have Anne’s diary published. It has since been translated into over 70 different languages.
The Main Entrance to the Frank’s “Hidden Anex” Hidden Behind a Bookshelf.
The Largest Room in the Anne Frank House. It served as the Living Room, Dining Room, and a Bedroom.
Amsterdam was officially founded in 1327, though we have a bridge toll record from the area in 1275. The capital of the Netherlands covers a total of 219.32 square kilometers and has a population of approximately 760,000 people. As the group walked through the streets of the city, it was impossible to avoid the smell of Marijuana, which is legal in the country. Prostitution was also allowed. Architecturally, the buildings were almost exclusively built of brick and stone, due to fires which led to wood being banned as a building material. The city boasts an impressive canal system, which originally served as a defense for Amsterdam. It was interesting to see how much the man-made rivers were a part of the cultures. Houseboats lined the canal walls and pleasure boats were common away from the center of the city.
A Typical City Street in the NetherlandsThe NEMO Science Museum. One of the impressive buildings seen during a boat tour
Today, myself, Graham, and Dan presented a devotional and gave our group further information about the Flower Gardens in the Netherlands, as well as the storm barrier we visited for the day.
The flower gardens move over 20 million flowers a day, which is incredible because the flowers come from all over the world to be auctioned off at these gardens. The flower auction is so impressive considering 20 million flowers are sold each day, the logistics and the communication that must be flawless in order to continue filling orders.
Our devotional touched on the fact that God took his time in making the flowers with so much beauty and design. So if he put that much attention into creating a flower, it is impossible to measure the amount of time, love, and effort, that went into creating human beings, his children. We can take comfort in the fact that God created us with love and in his image.
We then went to the storm barrier which took over 6 years to complete and protects part of Holland from terrible floods, like the one that happened in 1953.
Outside the RijksmuseumThe group is walking from the Rijksmuseum building, near our hotel. Then on to church at the English Reformed Church of AmsterdamWe had a moving tour of the Anne Frank HouseThen back to the hotel for a break
Below is are several picture from our boat tour of the city. Click on a photo to see them larger.
Today we took a canal tour throughout Amsterdam. We learned about the history of the canals, the houses along them, and the expansion of the city. The city has created new canals expanding from the center to allow for development. Many of them used to be heavily traveled for commerce. House boats also litter the waterways. These homes are surprisingly nice and apparently the real estate on the water is high demand.
The tour took us out of the canals into a body of water called the IJ, meaning water in Dutch. It used to be part of the sea but is now separated thanks to barriers.
After a long and sleepless flight, we arrived in Amsterdam airport where we were picked up in a bus by our excellent guide and driver Joop. We started our day walking a bit at the chilly North Sea. Then it was off to Haarlem where we visited the St. Bavo church and the street market……and Corrie Ten Boom’s home. Then, back on the bus to the hotel for a much needed nap. Out for a walking tour of Amsterdam
and a Dutch meal at a local restaurant.
Tomorrow we will go to church, visit the Anne Frank house, and have a canal boat tour.
This morning on the way to the airport, Tony and I presented on several topics regarding the Netherlands, one of which was windmills. We discussed how windmills began as a means for pumping water out of flooded plains, allowing the dutch to expand the amount of farmland available. As they moved into the 16th century, windmills were used for more industrial purposes, such as pressing oil, milling flour, and cutting wood ,which allowed the dutch to construct a large fleet in the 17th century. We also delivered a devotional to the group, reminding us that no matter where we travel, God watches over us, granting us traveling mercies like his did for Jacob in the Bible.
The third largest airport in Europe was interestingly quiet as the group arrived with glazed over eyes from the 7.5 hour flight. We arrived at a local time of 5:45 AM safely and with all luggage in hand, still a bit sluggish, but excited for the first taste of European culture. Schiphol airport features almost all English signage which was a great help to navigate through the terminals and baggage claim.
Dutch Dikes
As the group approached the Netherlands from the North Sea it was dark and many were attempting to catch some zzzz’s. The Air line provided a satellite image of the landscapes we were flying over. Amazingly, the famous dikes holding back the water were visible from the satellite view of the Netherlands. On the very pleasant bus ride from Calvin to Detroit the group was informed of the cultural and historical significance of the dikes. If not for these incredible land masses is is estimated that 2/3 of the Netherlands would be under water. The dikes seen from the plane a categorized as sea or ocean dikes and the group (especially the civil engineers) can not wait to catch an up close glimpse of the some of the second category river dikes in the coming days in Deutschland. A treasured pastime in relation to the dikes is dike jumping. (Check out the link below)
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