Once we booked our tickets back to the states out of Amsterdam we immediately went online to get tickets to the Anne Frank House. Lori has wanted to see this historical spot ever since she read Anne Frank's famous diary back in elementary school. It is a highly recommended stop and millions visit her secret hideaway each year. We were fortunate enough to see her actual diary, which is sometimes out on loan to other museums around the world.
If you plan on going to visit the Anne Frank House, we would recommend you purchase them online as soon as the date you choose becomes available (two months before your arrival date). If not, you will have to wait in line beginning at 3 PM to get same day non-reserved tickets. But beware. You could wait in line for hours (outdoors in inclement weather) and still not get in, so be prepared.
Amsterdam is filled with history and wonderful architecture. The muddy canals are indicative of the color of swamp water. Why? The city was built on a swamp. Everywhere you turn, you see innovations of the past that are still used today to prevent the inevitable floods that happened often. The buildings are slanted and hooks are placed in the top of them in order to hoist the furniture and goods to the top floors without destroying the exterior of the home during flooding. The stairs are typically too narrow to use to move large items quickly.
We have uploaded the rest of our Amsterdam pictures to our travel section of this blog. Click "Travel 15-16" at the top of this page and then scroll to the bottom to see the rest of the pictures of our time here.