The only “real” tourist attraction that we went to in Amsterdam was the Anne Frank Museum. In this museum you can visit and walk through the actual hideway that 8 people used for almost 3 years as well as learn about some of the history (in case you were like me and don’t remember much from the book).
The Diary of Anne Frank is a classic book, and I believe I must have read it at some point. But it was a long time ago and I’ve forgotten most of it in my old age. What has stuck with me is the gist of what happened and the emotional impact – I always thought that the family had to suffer being trapped in a confined space until finally (inevitably?) being captured. While visiting the museum, I was surprised to find that in fact the space they had to live in was pretty large. Yes, their voluntary confinement was tragic in other ways, such as forcing the kids to grow up being quiet and never having the freedom to go outside and play; but in terms of living space, their hideaway would easily be an apartment in HK! What my younger self didn’t get is that the book and the museum is a statement against racism and xenophobia.
In the museum, you walk through the actual rooms, but they are now unfurnished as per Otto Frank’s (Anne’s father) wishes. The actual house is the second one from the left (although there were a lot of people taking pictures of the adjacent buildings that housed the museum part). The scope of the museum is quite narrow, and it’s not particularly cheap; but what convinced me to go was because I remember the story from my youth and I was surprised to learn that you could actually visit the original house.
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