Art, Politics & Power 2017 Study Travel to Belgium & The Netherlands

Our last day in Amsterdam was an emotional one. Not only were we leaving a beautiful city the next day but we were going to see the Anne Frank museum. We started the day going to seeing the city and the Jewish district. It was cool but heartbreaking to see these little stones that were placed out side peoples houses in memory of the people that had died in holocaust camps.

Another thing we went to do is see an old and very traditional synagogue which was beautiful. It was really cool to walk through with the headset. It felt like we were apart of the synagogue because we were interacting in it to listen to the facts. I found it intresting to learn about the rolls of the woman. One section of the synagogue there was a bath tub and we learned that while a woman was on her period she was not allowed to go near her husband because she was seen as unclean. After her period was over she had to take a bath in that tub and be checked before she could see her husband again. I found that to be really intense but interesting.

My favorite part of the day was walking through the Anne Frank Museum. Julie and I walked through it by ourselves and it was very emotional. We took out time and read every card and every wall piece there was to read. I remember at one point Julie turned to me and just shook her head. We couldn’t even imagine the situation the family was in and I am so impressed how strong they are.

I am going to miss Europe a lot I am so impressed with how much I learned. Also this was one of the best “grilled cheeses” ever and its kosher.

Tuesday was our last day of the trip–ending in Amsterdam. We saw a Jewish district in Amsterdam during the morning, and was able to learn more about the holocaust in a museum after. But what really stood out on the last day was the Anne Frank house.

You always hear people talking about the house, or see it in the movies, so being able to stand where Anne Frank and her family had once stood was incredible. The bottom floor was part of a museum and gift shop (unfortunately) but as you climbed through the house it remained the same as it had been (never refurnished or painted over). Even the same pictures that Anne Frank had decorated the walls with remained glued on, and her diary remained there as well. The stairs were so steep and tall that the house felt enormous and towering. It was incredible that they managed to black out all the windows and live in that space for so long.

But, what the house really stood for (for me at least) was not really Anne Frank. Yes, it was her house and her family’s house, but they were just one in a million. So many Jewish families and others were taken from their homes and were killed so unjustly and inhumanely. The house does not only represent Anne and her family but others as well during this time of cruelty. It was really an eye opening moment being able to walk around that house and feel the history of what had happened.

After the Anne Frank house we had the rest of the day free to explore Amsterdam. I only wish the trip had lasted longer!

Until next time, Amsterdam.

For my last days in Amsterdam, I had such a fun time! I got a little sick while I was there, but I still managed to push on through and see so many miraculous things!

One of the places my class and I went to was the Rijksmuseum! I was especially excited to go there because the art piece I chose to do for my documentary project was there! Seeing the Landscape with Waterfall piece by Jacob Van Ruisdael in person was such a breath taking experience! It was bigger than I anticipated it to be and I could see the brush strokes of the painting on the canvas it was on! Of course I saw more important pieces like the Night Watch and the Milkmaid and the Jewish Wedding, but just being at the museum in general was such an amazing experience!

For the rest of the trip! My group and I visited the Van Gogh museum, the Central Station, as well as the Portuguese Synagogue and the Anne Frank House! The amount of history that city had was incredible! I also loved the food they served! I can easily say Europeans serve some really good food and if I could eat there every day I would! I also wish I could’ve stayed longer, this trip was the best one I have ever been on! I made so many new friends that I hope to have for the rest of my life, learned many new things that were very interesting, and visited places that I may or may never see again so going on this trip made me very happy!

To everyone who went with me on this trip, thank you for making this experience worth it for me! I hope to see you later!

I had such an interesting time at the Rijks museum today. Other than the museum with the cool flower art hanging on the ceiling this was my favorite museum.The building itself was extraordinary. The detail on the walls was art in its self. We only had time to see a few paintings in the museum with the tour guide and then we got to Explore the rest of the art by ourselves.

Julian, Julie and I really enjoyed trying to figure out what the artist was telling us through the painting with out looking at the title. While we couldn’t read the title card any way because of the language barrier our concepts were really close sometimes and sometimes very far off when we would ask someone for the real meaning.

My favorite painting in the museum that day was The Fall of Man by Cornelis Cornelisz. van Haarlem. I liked this painting because of the lines he made with Adam and Eve’s bodies. Most people do not stand like that and I thought the curves were so interesting Julian and I recreated it.

After we left the Rijks Museum we went to look through the Van Gough museum which was if not my favorite, second favorite tour. Although the tour was quite depressing because Vincient was a depressed man I loved it. Overall it was a fun day.

Today was our last day in Europe, but that did not mean that we couldn’t enjoy it. We went to several great museums all around Amsterdam, and then we were able to explore the city!
First, we visited the old Portuguese Synagogue, which was built in 1675. It was very interesting to read and hear about Portuguese Jews who fled to Amsterdam because of its religious freedom. I also learned that, if the Germans had won the second world war, their plan was to turn this Synagogue into a museum on the extinct Jewish people. 
Next was the Jewish historical museum, which had many exhibits about WWII propaganda against the Jewish people, as well as other pieces of artwork that were historically relevant to the Jewish people. This museum explained that, for a long time, Jews were only permitted to work in certain fields, which led to many stereotypes about them. 
My favorite, and most emotional part of the day was being able to see the Anne Frank House, where she lived in hiding during the War. Seeing where they were forced to live was heartbreaking, and even more so was to see her diary pages. 
The rest of the day, we got to explore the city. I went to a few stores with some of my friends, and then we went back to the hotel to eat dinner. The next morning, we were ready to leave for the States!

This trip has been so much fun. From the shopping to the site seeing to the naked Dutch man walking into my bed, I would say it’s been a very successful trip. On the last day we took a walking tour of Amsterdam with our tour guide. We were able to see so many beautiful buildings including the Diamond factory which of course was one of my favorites. After the tour we went to a synagogue, where we were able to learn about the Jews and walk through the church. It was so gorgeous and interesting to learn about. After we went to a museum about the Hollocaust which was very sad but also exciting because I had such a yummy lunch in the cafe there. We went straight from the museum to a canal cruise where we got to see Amsterdam from a different view. Finally we made it to our final stop of the day, which happened to be my favorite part of the trip. Our bus drove us to the Anne Frank house where we got to tour the house that her and her family were hiding in from the Nazis. It was truly one of the saddest but most eye opening experience. It was my favorite because I’ve learned so much about Anne and her family so it truly came to life when I was actually there in the house where it all happened. After the house, we had the rest of the day for some free time where I spent mine shopping and getting dinner. After a long day we journeyed back to the hotel to pack and pray that everything fit in our luggage….it did by the way. 👍🏽❤️

 

Sadly, yesterday was our last day in Amsterdam but we definitely made the most of the time we had. We started yesterday morning with a walking tour accompanied by our fantastic guide, Pim. Our tour was of The Jewish Quarter, where the Jewish community resided before World War Two. We saw many interesting spots and learned some new information about the part of the city. Though my favorite part of the walking tour was the Portuguese Synagogue which was built in the 17th century. We were able to get an audio tour and venture around the grounds of the synagogue. As I am not Jewish it was very interesting to learn about such an important part of Amsterdam’s culture and past. We went from there to the Jewish Historical Museum right across the street and learned even more about jewish culture and life in The Netherlands.

Next in our day we took a boat tour of some of the beautiful canals in the city. This was a good way for us to relax and still get a great tour of Amsterdam. After the canal cruise we visited the Anne Frank House and it was one of my favorite stops of the whole trip. I have read her diary and it was incredible and very powerful to stand in the rooms that she and her family hid in during the war. There were even photos and height marks left on the wall from their time in hiding. After the house, Cassidy and I made sure to find the bench used in the movie The Fault In Our Stars and had a mini photoshoot. We really enjoyed exploring the city on our own and enjoyed a last dinner at a very good restaurant in the city. I can’t believe this trip has come to an end and I already want to go back!

The last day in Amsterdam was easily my favorite day of the trip. I did not want it to end!

We started out the day with a walking tour around part of the city. We viewed some old Jewish residential areas, and also some new construction in the city. While walking around, we saw memorial stones that had been placed in front of an old house. These stones were there as memorials for those residents that lost their lives during WWII while in concentration camps. Seeing these stones were quite moving- many walk by them every day, yet they are so powerful and I am glad we noticed them as not just another stone to walk on.

After our walking tour, we visited a Portuguese Synagogue. This was my first time in a synagogue, and it was quite interesting! There were many areas to go in and visit, and the synagogue was overwhelming in size compared to what I am used to seeing in the states. I love getting to know new cultures and traditions, so this was very exciting for me. I highly suggest for anyone to go see this synagogue if you visit Amsterdam (and do not forget to play with the dreidels in the gift shop if you have a chance to do so!!)

The next place we visited was the Jewish History Museum. I only got to walk around for about an half an hour, yet what I saw was interesting.

The most interesting and anticipated part of the trip, for myself, was having the chance to visit the Anne Frank Museum. In eighth grade, I was given the task to read The Diary of Anne Frank. I know it might sound lame, but this reading assignment is, to this day, one of my favorite that I have ever had. I always wanted to go see the annex, and am so glad that I got the chance to! This museum was moving in every way possible. What struck me most was the silence throughout the house.. When you go to other museums, they are overwhelmingly loud with chatter and children playing, yet this one was totally different. As I walked through the halls, all I could think is that I hope that Anne knows that she became the star she aspired to be, and is continuing to inspire people yesterday, today, and in the future.

After the official learning day was finished, Mattie and I decided to scout out the bench from the movie, “The Fault in Our Stars.” This is a movie that is derived from a book written by John Green. This is one of my favorite books and movies, so this was very very exciting for me. I am pictured at the top of this post sitting on the bench from the movie!

All-in-all, this trip was truly amazing! I cannot thank everyone enough for giving me the chance to travel to Europe as a freshman in college. I am so exciting to go back again one day!

 

For our last day in Amsterdam we went to the Jewish museum, a synagogue, and the Anne Frank house. It was a very fast paced day and the coldest one yet. 

The synagogue was a cool experience because I haven’t been in one in a long time but it reminds me of my grandmother who was Jewish so I enjoyed it.The Jewish museum was another stop that made me thing of my grandmother because I got some potato latkes with apple sauce which she used to make for me and my family. Personally the Anne Frank house was my favorite museum of the trip. It was cool going through the house and reading all of the different quotes around the walls and watching video footage of some scary stuff like people being taken to camps.