7/19/11 Amsterdam

 Our first destination today was a farm where they make cheese and clogs.  There were these giant clogs outside to pose for pictures with.

Bob with the giant clogs



The cute dairy cows



The cows kept head butting me!



Mathias found a cat he knew







First we were shown how clogs are made.  They are a traditional shoe in The Netherlands and have been around for a LONG time.  There are specialized shoes for farmers and fishermen who still wear them today.  I tried them on and they weren't very comfortable.  The clog maker uses a machine to form the basic shape and then they are hand painted.  I didn't buy any, but they cost 44 Euro!

Next we saw how cheese is hand made at this farm.  In one wheel of cheese there are five liters of milk from the cows on the farm.  They make Gouda cheese, but my favorite was the garlic and chive cheese.  We got to sample several types.  I bought a wheel of the garlic and chive cheese to bring home for my family and Grandpa Rick to try since he loves cheese so much and will be visiting us soon after I get home.

I also bought these mini clogs for my best friend, Maiza.  They had free engraving.

When we left the farm we had to hurry to make our reservations at the Anne Frank House.  We were not allowed to take pictures there.  It was the actual house that Anne Frank hid in.  It was really sad!  There are two secret floors there.  The stairs were really steep! There were black curtains on the windows and the room had very dim light.  Anne's mom had made marks on the wall to show the children's growth.  Anne was very social and there was very little talking allowed.  I can't imagine how hard that must have been for her.  There were magazine clippings on the wall that Anne had put there.  It was pretty amazing to see.  There was one toilet for the family and they were only allowed to flush it once a day after the workers had gone home for the day.  There was also a small stove and oven.  I cried a bit while I was there because it was so so sad.  I bought a copy of her diary while there because I have always wanted one.  I can't believe I was actually at the house I had read about!

Next we walked to the Hard Rock Cafe.  Here are some pictures of the scenery on the way.

The Hard Rock Cafe, Amsterdam!  I had a burger.

After lunch we went on a canal cruise and sailed around Amsterdam to see all of the sights.

A funny thing that happened today.  Bob, our bus driver, doesn't like pink.  Another girl, Emma, bought Bob a pink clog and mask.  Here is a picture of him wearing them.  He wore the pink clog for the rest of the trip and bought Emma a pink beret!

Tomorrow, Belgium.  I wish we had a little bit more time to spend in The Netherlands though. Thank you to Savannah and Mrs. Bluhm for some of these pictures.