Amsterdam: Thank you so much for the fabulous two weeks . . .

This morning I decided to just sleep in and have a nice liesurely morning before I go out and enjoy my last full day here in Amsterdam. Yikes, how did the time go by so fast.

I decided to write my final post first thing in the morning as I'll probably be busy tonight packing for my early morning departure to Berlin and my long 6 hour train ride.

It's difficult to capture and articulate my impressions of this city and of the country of Holland. Like its signature flower, the Tulip, this country has many different colors with lots of flavor and life.  With each trip that I take I seem to gain a new foundation and perspective in life and Holland did not disappoint in this respect.  And as a fellow blogging friend (Sandra) once said in a comment, traveling changes us. 

There has been so many highlights here. The most poignant moment for me was being able to visit the Anne Frank House. To be in her room and read and hear her words. Why did a child and why did people have to die and hide for their lives just because of who they were, their personal beliefs and their choice of faith. It makes no sense to me and we are all very fortunate that this brave young girl wrote down her thoughts in her diary and that it was saved and made public by her father to be shared with the world.

There was this quote on the wall of the museum that said, "In order for us to move forward, we have to remember the past." I actually have a similar statement on my blog because I do believe it that philosophy. Our history as beautiful and/or as cruel as they may be must be a reminder to us that hate, no matter what level or form they come in cannot be tolerated.  We don't all have to be alike but we have to respect our differences and disagreements. I am so thankful that I was able to visit the Anne Frank's house on this trip and I will remember my experience there forever.

There were many memorable moments indeed.  I have to say thank you again to all of my blogging friends and founder of Slow Travel, Pauline Kenny, for all that I have experienced. It's not like a thought up all of these things that I've done or places I've visited. I was inspired and learned from some very experienced travelers.  And to take the time to read my blog and send me more tips on the fly, you all are the best. 

Amsterdam was just fabulous and staying in an apartment near "my" beautiful canal has been a great experience. It's been my home for the past two weeks, well minus my two nights in equally beautiful Beligum. 

I loved visiting "all" the wonderful and unique museums, I loved the fantastic dutch pancakes and Indonesian cuisine, I loved waking up each morning and seeing "my" beautiful canal.  I loved looking at the dutch architecture and the windmills in Zaanse Schans, I loved visiting the other cities and towns nearby, I enjoyed meeting the lovely people here in Amsterdam, heck I even loved watching those speeding bicyclists.  I guess what I'm trying to say is I loved my time here in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

And so, I leave you with an early evening view of one of the beautiful canals near my apartment.

Bye for now and I'll check in live from Berlin tomorrow . . . .