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   We liked our time in Amsterdam and survived it, meaning we successfully avoided being run down by a bicyclist. Amsterdam is a city of bicycles and bike lanes, and bicyclists (insist they) have the right of way, although I don't know if that is codified in the law. When crossing the street, ALWAYS check the red bicycle lane to see if it is safe to enter and make your journey to the other side of the street. Most Amsterdam auto drivers yield to pedestrians, but a pedestrian needs to be on the lookout for the middle of the block U turn that appears to be a required driving maneuver for Amsterdam motorists. 

  Our final day in Amsterdam was full of walking and emotion since we visited both the Anne Frank House and the Dutch Resistance Museum. We utilized my City Mapper app to help us navigate by foot to Anne Frank's house. It was about a 45 minute walk and the weather was in our favor again. There was no rain and the temperature, while not warm, was warmer than we had experienced in other parts of the Netherlands. The walk was pleasant, flat, and not stressful. Sometimes we lost the voice part of City Mapper, but not the map that showed our location and what our next turn was. We arrived early enough that we were able to get a cup of coffee at a pancake restaurant close to the house. The tour we bought included an introductory talk in English that drew parallels between what was happening in Europe in the 1930s and 40s and the life of Anne Frank and was very informative and well worth it. The tour is self guided. Each person receives a hand held device that explains what he or she is looking at. There are very steep and narrow stairs and ladders as you ascend through the house so people with severe mobility issues would find it impossible to take the tour. If you have ever had the feeling that you are in a sacred place, then you know the power of being in the hiding place for Anne Frank and her family and the other four people who were with them. The space is small and the risk to them and to those who helped them by supplying them with food and other necessities was immense. At the end of the tour, you enter a room where the actual diaries of Anne Frank are on display. Anne Frank had a desire to be a journalist and I am sure had no idea how powerful her account of her time in hiding would be. Of the eight people who hid, only Anne's father Otto survived his time at Auschwitz. Anne and her sister died of typhus at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, and her mother died at Auschwitz-Birkenau. When Otto received the diaries of Anne, he knew he had to have them published. If memory serves, we learned her diary has been translated into 70 languages and is still read.

   After our tour, we walked to Dam Square area and had lunch at an excellent seafood restaurant called the Seafood Bar and after lunch were taken for a ride (both literally and figuratively) by taxi to the Museum of the Dutch Resistance. The actions of the Netherlands in World War II are a bit complicated and must be viewed through the lens of history. The government hoped to remain neutral in the war. The Dutch army was no match for the German army. When Germany invaded the Netherlands in 1940, Dutch resistance lasted only four days and the Dutch army surrendered. At first, it was hoped that Germanic roots of both countries would make conditions in the Netherlands tolerable, but that hope did not last long. Ironically and tragically, Dutch efficiency made it easy for Nazis to identify Jews. Dutch records included the religion of Dutch residents. Jews had the letter "J" on their index cards. Things got progressively worse for Jews in the Netherlands. All Jews had to wear the yellow Star of David sewn to their garments. They were not allowed to ride public transportation or attend movies or theater. Eventually, they were not allowed out in public. Anne's older sister Margot received an order to report for forced labor in Germany. It was at this point that Otto Frank knew it was time to go into hiding and so the family members wore as many clothes on them as would fit and went into hiding. The Netherlands was seeing that acquiescence to the Nazis was unconscionable, but even that was not 100% because Dutch Nazis were put in charge and it was not easy to know if the police were supporting the Nazis or the Dutch. Add to that the fact that anticommunists in The Netherlands saw the Soviet Union as a greater threat than Germany, and so they threw their support to the Nazis and some even joined the German army. Pockets of resistance emerged often with deadly consequences for the resistors. Had it not been for resistors who helped the eight people in hiding for over two years, there may never have been a diary written by Anne Frank that would have seen the light of day. 

  The museum is quite fascinating and worth a visit. There are some interactive displays such as one that shows you how to forge documents as well as a device designed to be able to unjam the jamming devices that the Germans used to block broadcasts to the people of the Netherlands from the government in exile  in London. Owning a radio was dangerous as was printing anti German leaflets and newspapers. In spite of the dangers, the Dutch Resistance carried on and helped bring about the defeat of Germany. German measures were very harsh, and the winter of 1944 was especially harsh because the Germans allowed no food to be brought into The Netherlands. When the Netherlands were liberated there was great celebration, but 75% of the Jewish population had died during the war. It was truly tragic.

  We walked back to our hotel from the museum and stopped for a light dinner on the way. Out waitress was a delightful young lady named Julia. She noticed our accent (you mean we Yanks have an accent?) and asked where we were from and we told her California. Her English was perfect because she is Canadian but has lived in The Netherlands most of her life. We really enjoyed our conversation with her. She was extremely pleasant. She is a senior in high school and will take a gap year next year after she graduates from high school.

  We had an early call on Friday. Our suitcases needed to be outside our rooms by 6 am and we had our Viking transport to the airport at 6:30. It took a bit of time to clear passport control, but other than that we had a smooth time at the airport. Our flight was right on time and we landed at SFO early. We were the only flight at passport control, and since Patti and I are Global Entry, we breezed through, claimed our baggage, and headed for BART. Patti's daughter Lindsey picked us up at Concord BART (one thousand thanks, Lindsey) and our day of trying to outrun jet lag was under way. I got my laundry done at home and picked up my held mail at the post office, most of which was junk mail. I was determined to make it until at least 8 pm, but I hit the wall at 7:30 and went right to sleep. I woke at 1 am, gave some thought to getting up, but fell asleep again around 2 and slept until about 5:15 and felt refreshed. Back to Pacific Standard Time.

  Our trip was really wonderful. Viking provided excellent service from the time the rep met us at the Brussels airport until we got into the van for our transport to Amsterdam's airport. We are so glad we took this trip. Our next trip is in March with Viking to Vietnam and Cambodia. After that, who knows, but we will travel again and travel for as long as we can. I hope you have enjoyed "traveling" with us.