All Aboard: Amsterdam & Antwerp

To continue our travels throughout the week, my mom and I visited the city that truly has something for everyone – Amsterdam. Famous for its 47-mile network of canals, the small city has been reclaimed from the sea. Our welcome wagon was a Heineken horse and buggy, as Amsterdam is home to a former Heineken brewery. Needless to say, the brewery is a popular tourist destination.

Our first stop was a deeply moving visit to the house of Anne Frank. As one of the most inspiring figures of the 20th century, the museum tells Anne’s story of her and her family’s 25-month life in the secret annex above her father’s office. Otto Frank, Anne’s father, was the only survivor of the eight people in hiding. He published his daughter’s diary and was active in making the secret annex accessible to the public as a museum. Open since 1960, nearly 1 million people visit the museum each year. “To build up a future, you have to know the past,” said Otto Frank in 1967.

My mom’s only request of our Amsterdam excursion was to shop at the Royal Delftware store. Of course, I had no complaints! The blue and white porcelain has been a Baker family tradition. Several purchases later, I left with my favorite European mementos.

The Dutch adore flowers, particularly tulips, which are throughout the city. While Mom and I were admiring the flower markets, we stumbled upon Amsterdam’s infamous “Red Light District”. As one of the city’s greatest tourist attractions, the world’s oldest profession not so modestly occupies Amsterdam’s oldest quarter. From the photo, Mom and I were lucky enough to find a Dutch knight to escort us out of the seamy side of Amsterdam.

We trotted along to the Van Loon Museum, a traditional 18th century canal house. Home to the co-founders of the Dutch East India Company, the family opened the prestigious property to the public in 1970, fully restored to its appearance in the 1750s. The delightful and charming canal house is unlike most preserved museums, as nothing is roped off, so visitors can enjoy every nook and cranny.

With street performers, adorable shops and cafes, we concluded our visit at Dam Square. The very heart of Amsterdam marks the site of the original 13th century dam on the Amstel River. Today, “the Dam”, as the locals call it, includes the town hall, national monument, Madame Tussaud’s Scenerama, and stunning canal views.

To see the European source of cutting-edge fashion design firsthand, my mom and I took another day trip on Friday to Antwerp, Belgium. Antwerp is Belgium’s second largest city and has one of Europe’s busiest ports.

Immediately off the train, I began snapping photos, as the Antwerp Central train station is an architectural monument in its own right – modern with several stories of platforms on the inside and Neo-Classical preservation from the outside. Directly adjacent to the station is Diamond District, including the Diamond Museum, dedicated to the world of the precious stone.

Continuing through Diamond District, we reached the Meir, Antwerp’s premier shopping street. The pedestrian high street is packed with boutiques, including popular European and designer brands. As we passed the main shopping area, Mom and I stopped at Rubenshuis, the artist Pieter Paul Ruben’s home and studio from 1611 to 1640. After being carefully restored, the home now showcases Ruben’s formal gardens, art gallery, main studio, and private living quarters.

Our next stop was Grote Markt, which reflects Antwerp’s golden age of trade in the 16th century, as the cosmopolitan town hall was built by architects from all over Europe. Around the Grote Markt sits the Onze Lieve Vrouvve Kathedraal, the largest Gothic cathedral in Belgium. The construction of the cathedral took nearly two centuries to complete and now occupies 2.5 acres in Antwerp’s city center. Mom and I finished our visit of Antwerp at the pier of the River Scheldt. Here, we toured the National Scheepraartmuseam, the maritime museum located inside Antwerp’s original fortress and oldest building of the city, known as the Steen. And of course, no trip with Mom could end without a surprising twist... On our return, we passed Brussels’ very own “Red Light District” at the Brussels Nord train station. Never a dull moment!