In Which I Fall in Love with Amsterdam

Last night, I ended up getting very lost. Not cute, adventurous lost but in-a-torrential-downpour-and-it's-getting-dark lost. I was finally aided by a shopkeeper named Ricardo who pulled out actual maps and phonebooks to help me, all the while asking many a question about my "boyfriend in America".

Today, the weather is beautiful and I had whole wheat toast with Dutch nutella and a hardboiled egg for breakfast. On my way to the Anne Frank house (which I almost found by myself), I got a bit turned around and had stopped in the middle of the sidewalk with my nose in a map like a dolt. A woman walked up to me and asked if I needed any help. What I think she actually said was "Something?" accompanied by a helpful facial expression.

I told her that I was trying to find the Anne Frank house (which I pronounce "Ay-n Fray-nk" in my nasal American accent) and she said, "Oh, yes, the Anne Frank house," except she said it in Dutch and then she said (also in Dutch) that she didn't speak much English. She then proceeded to give me directions IN DUTCH which was amazing. The reason it was amazing is that I felt like I was having an actual conversation with someone instead of just being a jerk who makes people talk in English to her. The best part is that I totally understood what she was saying and then I said 'Thank you' and she said 'You're welcome' (I think) and then I said 'Have a nice day' and she said something friendly in Dutch and we went our separate ways.

HOW AWESOME IS THAT?

So anyway, at 8,50 Euro, I thought the Anne Frank house was a little disappointing. There was a line outside and the inside felt surprisingly sterile and commercial. It was a lot of video installations but they don't have any of the original furniture so maybe they've done the best they can.

There were two things I liked about the Anne Frank house. The first is that the staircases were so steep you had to climb them like ladders and the second is that they had her actual diary in a case. It was bright pink plaid and I wondered if someone had given it to her as a gift or if she picked it out herself.

I got lost again today but this time it wasn't drowned rat lost, it was delicious, wondrous lost. If you took the feeling of being curled up on a couch by the window with a cup of tea and you turned that feeling into a whole city, that would be Amsterdam. It's cozy and charming and today I wandered aimlessly through narrow cobblestone streets and the whole world was quiet as a church except for the occasional snatch of conversation or peal of laughter that drifted through an open doorway like a windchime.