After a very long flight with a stop over in Frankfort, we finally arrived to Amsterdam. The girls were total troopers on the plane ride and enjoyed the meals and movies and coloring in coloring books. Arianna slept like a baby for most of the evening hours, while Mattea stayed up like a night owl watching movies.

We visited the Anne Frank Museum. There was no photography allowed but the memories of it will be ingrained in our minds forever. It's hard to believe such atrocities were committed such a short time ago, and even harder to believe that racism still exists today. Afterwards, we stumbled upon a park and the girls played on a tire swing with a Dutch girl who was about their same age. They couldn't understand each other, but nevertheless had fun taking turns pushing each other back and forth on the swing. Watching children from two different worlds delight in play together provided a small spark of hope that our world is slowly changing for the better.

Later, we toured the Van Gogh Museum, where many of his famous painting are housed in a large multi-story building. It was fascinating to explore his mind through his works of art, and how his style of art changed from his happy go lucky early years, to his darker years where he suffered from depression. We enjoyed learning about the different techniques he used in his art. Photography was only allowed of one of his sunflower paintings, which the kids happily posed by.

The next day we caught a bus to the Keukenhof Gardens. The tulips only bloom for one month out of the year, and our timing was perfect. The entire garden was filled with hundreds of varieties and colors of tulips, and each section of the garden had its own unique design and layout. We enjoyed listening to music from an organ, and the kids snacked on hot dogs and fries. We're excited to plant the bulbs we purchased.

Our last day in Amsterdam we took a tour to a cheese factory, a wooden shoe manufacturer, and the windmills. The wooden shoes are made from a machine very similar to a key duplicating machine. The kids ended up each picking out a pair of unpainted shoes so they can add their own colors and designs to their new garden shoes when we get home. We really enjoyed seeing the old windmills that still function, and learned that they power much more than water pumps -- some were used for manufacturing.

We all really enjoyed Amsterdam -- the people were warm and friendly, the food was organic and very fresh, and the sites were amazing. Next, we're off to hop on a plane to Venezia!