Amsterdam -- Haarlem -- Amsterdam

We've been busy the past couple of days. On Wednesday, after recovering (a little) from our jet lag, we started our visit in Amsterdam at the Anne Frank House. It was a moving and difficult experience. It is a very quiet and spare museum, with none of the furniture in the rooms. The walls display photographs of the family and some of Anne's writing. Not to be missed if you are in Amsterdam. We spend most of our time wandering in the city, going from museum to museum and many little squares... We also popped into the Rijksmuseum which is currently being renovated, so the large main building is closed. However, most of the masterpieces that you want to see are in the Philips wing, so you get a really good dose of the best in a short time. View the masterpieces here. Yesterday we visited Haarlem, minutes away by train. We stopped in at the Franz Hals Museum and also visited an exhbition on the sea in Dutch art. Was very interesting. Along the way discovereed Isaac Israels, Dutch impressionist. Also had an interesting visit at the Corrie Ten Boom house. Corrie Ten Boom was an evangeliscal Christian who saved many Jews and others during the Holocaust by hiding people in safe locations, including a tiny false wall in her bedroom. Read about her here. We also wandered in and out the delightful streets of the "buttermarket"area of Haarlem. In the afternoon, Avi and I continued our architectural safari in the Ijburg district of Amsterdam, and viewed the unusual "floating homes". Today also an eventful day: Van Gogh Museum Iamsterdam sign in Museumplein City archives (exhibit of Isaac Israels - not planned to stop there but amazing) Jewish Museum Lunch Amsterdam Architecture Center NEMO Now at amazing public library in Amsterdam. More later. Tomorrow we leave for our tour of the countryside.