"One single Anne Frank moves us more than the countless others who suffered just as she did, but whose faces have remained in the shadows. Perhaps it is better that way: If we were capable of taking in the suffering of all those people, we would not be able to live."
Getting off a three hour train ride and onto a bicycle seemed like a good idea. My friend and I showed up for the free walking tour, and because of a blue sky and persuasive tour guides, soon found ourselves on a bike tour. My first glimpses of the city of Amsterdam were from the seat of a bike--pedaling and practicing arm signals while attempting to take in the many different sights and sounds. A bike seems to be the way in which the city is intended to be navigated and viewed. Turning in our bikes after the tour we found the hazards of the pavement real and somewhat terrifying. There is a constant dinging of bells and it's hard to know if you should jump to the left or the right. Sometimes there is no where to jump because you just seem to be in the middle of a clump of bikes and any wrong move could cause an accident. At first I was a little bit stressed out and confused by the city, so much going on and so much to take in. It can be difficult to get your bearings amongst all the stores selling wooden shoes, the bikes and trams, and all the stoned tourists. Once you get passed all this though it really is a great city and has so much to do. I met a bunch of Australians and ate a lot of good food.
Being that I was only in Amsterdam for two days I didn't get to do a whole lot. I did go to the Anne Frank house which I highly recommend. Anne's words are written in large letters throughout every room more than filling the sometimes empty rooms. The quote that moved me the most was the following one written, not by Anne but by Primo Levi (a survivor of the Holocaust):
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