Definitely not much to say today, so I’ll keep it brief. I spent most of the day on the train and most of the evening hanging out in my hotel, so there’s not a lot worth remembering. I probably should’ve spent some time adding to the blog, but it was nice to just chill and look at my phone for a while. I’ve been touring, traveling, museuming, researching, or blogging non-stop for at least a week and a half. Surely future me will forgive me for a night of rest. 🙂
Anne Frank house
Pretty much the only reason I wanted to go to Amsterdam was to see Anne Frank’s house. Unfortunately, I found out 4 weeks before my trip that tickets sell out 6 weeks in advance. I was super bummed. If not for Katie and Hudson, I might’ve skipped out on the whole city. I’m glad I didn’t! There was so much to see and I loved the bikes. I’m having trouble convincing myself I don’t need one.
Anyways, I decided to at least go see the outside of Anne Frank’s house today. I’m surprised that I was surprised to find a normal-looking house lol. I guess that’s what you want when you’re hiding refugees! To blend in. I’m glad I saw it though. I have such a hard time imaging things happening in the spots where I stand over here. It’s good to see that it’s not some far away exotic place that terror happens. It’s in normal neighborhoods and towns. That’s a recurring theme that I’ve discovered on this trip. Eventually, it’s bound to happen in America too.
Train travel
I LOVE trains. They’re one of my favorite things. There’s something about them that just feels different and magical compared to any other form of transportation. Today, I did not love trains. I had 5.5 hours of overcrowded, dirty train riding to Arlon, Belgium. I was just glad to have a seat for the whole trip; some people stood for over an hour. I had to do that in England though, so I don’t feel toooo guilty.
The countryside was beautiful though. It’s interesting to see how much it changes in such short distances. England was lush and green with both trees and hills, similar to New England (go figure). France was lots of farmland and lush, golden fields, kind of like if Central Kansas actually got rain frequently. The Netherlands were very wet with lots of streams and rivers, scattered with wet fields and traditional Dutch windmills. I can’t think of a good comparison in the US. Belgium is very hilly, dense forest. It reminds me a lot of southern Missouri and northern Arkansas. The trees are kind of different though — I’m sure much more temperate-weather based species. I’m in the midst of the Ardennes Forest, which is probably the densest woods I’ve ever seen. It’s no wonder they played such a big role in WWII, but more on that tomorrow.
Flowers
Speaking of plants, I’ve been taking LOTS of plant photos in every country I visit. At first glance, you probably wouldn’t notice much difference other than all the green. Most tourists probably never take a close look. I’ve tried to go slowly, which has helped me see SO many differences! Eventually, I’ll get some dedicated plant posts on this blog so you can see what I’m talking about. Here’s an example though. Gorgeous.
The other plant thing I wanted to note is the lack of dandelions. I’ve seen a few, but the weeds here generally blend in and look fine. The prettiest weeds are the daisies and the buttercups. They are everywhere in every country. They make all of the yards and parks look so pretty. I’m so jealous.
My view
I got a nice apartment hotel tonight! It has a mini kitchen, so I went to the Aldi’s next door. It’s so nice to see a store we have in the US (even though it’s a German company). I had Belgian microwave dinner and sandwiches. Surprisingly delicious and healthy! Everything over here has at most, half the calories that it would in the US. I hear corn syrup is a big part of the culprit. It’s also nice that every food item in Europe has a “health rating” on it from A to E, A being the best. It makes it so much easier to see how good your diet is. I desperately wish we had something similar in the US, but I bet most everything would be a D or E rating, which would make consumers unhappy and food companies have to switch their processes. I’m getting into rant territory, so I’ll stop. I sure appreciate it here though!
The other big perk about the hotel is the wonderful view of the cathedral. So awesome. I’ve sat at the window all evening.
Tomorrow
Tomorrow I’m heading to Bastogne, number 3 on my want-to-see list. It was the last great victory of the German army before the war ended. More on that tomorrow though! I’m so excited.