The Anne Frank House

Here is my post, all on the Anne Frank House, the thing I was most excited to see! So we looked it up on the map and figured out which canal it was on, and headed off. It was about a 20 minute walk from where we were, but we are too cheap to use public transportation. Plus, then we got to see a lot of neat things! Like canals and boats and bikes and flowers and lots of things! So we got to Anne Frank Huis and my dream was about to come true =] For a long time now (since probably the 8th grade when I learned about Anne Frank) I've always wanted to go visit her house. And now, I was standing outside her house! It was truly a dream come true!!!

Sign inside the entrance to the Anne Frank House

So we stood in line, and we got in and started walking around. I wanted to make sure I took my time, even though I knew I would be coming back at least once, maybe twice (its going to be twice!). Sadly, you can't take pictures (I was going to take in my little camera with me next time, but I learned that there are plain clothes officers in the house, so I might not do that...). It was absolutely incredible. I wish I had reread the book before coming, but they have a lot of displays and plaques telling all about what each room was, and how it played into their life. When we got to the secret bookcase, I got goosebumps! I was walking through the exact entryway that they had crossed through; I was entering the secret annex. I couldn't believe it. All this time of just reading about it, and now I was actually crossing the threshold into history. It was amazing!

Door to her actual house

All the rooms in the secret annex were amazing, but when I got to Anne Frank's room, wow, that was a powerful experience. I seriously almost teared up in that room. Knowing that a young girl, whose story I have read, wrote that story in that room, and lived part of her life in that room, fearing for her life and trying to be as quiet as possible so that the police didn't find her, it was all just amazing. And what was incredible too is that they have left some of the pictures and such that Anne had put up on the wall. After they were found, police came through and removed everything, but a lot of the pictures Anne had pasted on the wall were still there, and the museum has preserved it enough to where they are still there. That was incredible, to see what she had chosen to put up, to see what meant a lot to her. Absolutely incredible. Anyway, needless to say, that was an experience I hope I never forget!!

Church right by Anne Frank's house. These are the bells that she mentions hearing in the book. So neat!