Haarlem & Anne Frank
Though less well-known than Amsterdam, Haarlem is also a city of canals, church spires, cobbled streets, and gorgeous architecture.
The one thing that’s conspicuously missing in Haarlem are the crowds—except the night the Dutch Flower Parade arrives in town, of course.
Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg comprise the region known as the Low Countries. Netherlands means low-lying country, and with an average elevation of only 98 feet above mean sea level and 26% of the country below mean sea level, water is everywhere.
Haarlem feels like you’re living in a cozy Dutch town rather than an international metropolis like Amsterdam.
Such a cool cantilevered drawbridge. The country is The Netherlands, not Holland. That is because Holland is only a region within The Netherlands. Holland means wood land, and there are two Holland provinces: North and South Holland. Amsterdam and Haarlem are in North Holland, while Keukenhof and the tulip fields are in South Holland—along with the famous cities of The Hague, Delft, and Gouda.
The sign reads “Bicycle Shed.” Inside is a massive bicycle parking garage—only in The Netherlands!
Amazing old architecture.
Shorto’s book inside The American Book Company (ABC) in Amsterdam.
I found this excerpt from Russell Shorto’s book Amsterdam so interesting:
“Amsterdam, Holland, and the Dutch provinces as a whole were a source of fascination for the English during much of the seventeenth century. The English couldn't get over the fact that the inhabitants of the tiny, water-logged strip of land across the Channel had done battle with the great Spanish empire, formed themselves into a nation, and risen to become the dominant financial power of Europe. Repeatedly the fascination boiled up into hatred. Competition between the two small Protestant countries on Europe's north-western shoulder erupted into three trade wars during the course of the century. The rivalry was so intense that English pamphleteers competed with one another to come up with ever more lurid headlines about the Dutch.”
Not to put too fine a point on it, the English hated everything Dutch. The smear campaign was so successful, some four centuries later we still have the derogatory expressions the English made up about the Dutch:
Going Dutch or Dutch Treat—Each person pays for themselves.
Double Dutch—If you don't understand what a Dutch person is saying, they are said to be speaking “Double Dutch,” in other words, gibberish. All of this makes me realize Dr. Evil’s comment “I don’t speak freaky, deaky Dutch” actually had some cultural context.
Dutch Courage—Needing to get drunk to summon the nerve to take a difficult step.
Dutch Uncle—A person who is unusually frank, harsh, or severe, the opposite of the stereotypically friendly uncle.
And then there is the English pamphlet that said the Dutch “were first bred and descended from a horse-turd which was enclosed in a butter-box.” 😂
This also finally explains why Nigel Powers in Goldmember says, "There's only two things I hate in this world: people who are intolerant of other people's cultures, and the Dutch." I had no idea this comment had real historical context.
We found this great store in Haarlem, which incidentally sold traditional Dutch baby toys. We may or may not have bought one or two. 😊
The Netherlands just landed #5 on the 2025 list “happiest” places to live. No doubt these are part of the reason. There are very few cars. In fact, at any given time you are more likely to be run over by a bicycle than a car.
Since being here, we’ve seen thousands of kids out riding bikes (when was the last time you saw that?). Every day we’ve see moms and dads walking their kids to school or on bikes together. We’ve seen a lot of people well in to their 70s and possibly their 80s riding bikes.
It seems clear that frequently moving about in the outdoors goes a long way in explaining why they feel so content and fulfilled here.
We were thrilled when we found Bagels & Beans in Haarlem.
Their motto is, “We are anti-herd, contra masses, & 100% against stress.” Translation: “We are not Starbucks.” Which means come in, sit down, and enjoy the place. Amanda ordered tea which was loose leaf in a clever steeper. My cappuccino was velvety smooth (sorry, stirred it before the photo). Each came with a little packet of chocolate nibs for pairing.
And then there was the bagel! First you select your sandwich. No one will be surprised that I selected the Avocado. Next you choose your bagel type (an everything…perfectly toasted). Finally, you pick your flavor of their homemade flavored vegan cream cheese (sun-dried tomato please). All put together it was a taste experience! Their avocados are from Spain and, I must say, it was avocado perfection.
In Amsterdam we walked to the largest of the Red Light Districts.
The area seems to be an older part of Amsterdam with amazing architecture.
Some of these buildings look like they might topple over at any minute.
Signs everywhere indicated at €240 fine for taking photos of the sex workers.
However, since it’s around noon and all the windows have their red curtains drawn, I don’t think I’m at risk of being fined.
So as not to disappoint, here’s your chance to see something lurid in the windows—Renaissance style.
Dirty old sailors!
No where else in the city did we see this except in the Red Light District—at least businesses indicated they had an AED available—hilarious! (Sorry to disappoint, we didn’t visit the museum.)
Equally apropos was the cash machine right outside the peep show shop.
I loved this sign, especially the way he’s arching back and bracing himself.
But even more interesting were the streetside public urinals.
One thing you quickly recognize being inside their buildings is that very little can be carried up the stairs. Which is why they have ingenious devices like these to move larger household items in through the windows.
Wooden shoes anyone?
Amsterdam was founded around the year 1275 and got its name from the combination of “Amstel” (the river where the city originated) and “dam” (the structure built to regulate the Amstel). Dam Square marks where the dam, and the historic city center, once stood. The National Monument behind us stands in Dam Square.
The National Monument is for the remembrance of WWII, which had particularly poignancy being in The Netherlands. The relief entitled De Vrede ("Peace"), consists of four chained male figures, representing the suffering endured during the war. The figures on the two sides represent the Dutch resistance. Weeping dogs are at their feet, representing suffering and loyalty.
How cool are these buildings?
You can see the gap between the houses growing wider as you move upward.
A river of bicycles.
A delectable vegan dark chocolate croissant, courtesy of Madame Croissant.
The Anne Frank Monument outside Westertoren church, near the Secret Annex.
Looking down the canal toward the front house and Westertoren church.
Delivery service Netherlands style.
Our visit to the Secret Annex did not begin until 6: 45 p.m., so we headed to dinner nearby.(Tours are sold-out every day and run until 10 p.m.!)
The moment I saw my aloo gobhi (potatoes & cauliflower), I knew it was going to be amazing. The spice blend was out of this world! Amanda loved her chana masala, but said Dishoom remained in top position. Well, this one landed solidly in second place then.
Another lovely canal view on our way to the museum.
The house and annex highlighted in red. The chestnut tree in the courtyard behind the Annex. Westertoren church and its belfry in the foreground.
Original bottle of Opekta produced by Otto Frank’s company in the factory below and in front of the Annex.
It’s difficult to comprehend that Otto Frank was an artillery officer in the German Army in WWI, only to later be vilified by his country. Against all odds he survived the Somme and the Holocaust.
After the orientation program held in the adjacent building, no photographs were allowed in the house or annex. In this case I have to respect the rationale: it is a memorial space and hordes of people standing around taking selfies would cheapen the experience. The tour started in the ground floor of the warehouse, which was a single, connected space. The cobbled floor was original and it felt like standing on hallowed ground.
After viewing the upstairs offices, we climbed the stairs to the landing where the original bookcase stands open (Otto Frank entering ☝️). To say it was a deeply emotional moment to walk past the bookcase and step through into the Secret Annex would be an understatement. The audio tour paused while inside the Secret Annex and everyone slowly made their way through the rarified space in near silence.
The Nazis cleared the Secret Annex after it was discovered. When it was made into a museum, Otto asked that it be left as it was. This was the room where Anne slept. Many of her original pin-ups remain on the walls. Through the doorway to the room Otto, Edith, and Margot shared at the back right, you can see a glass case covering where the girls’ heights were marked on the wall—heartbreaking! It was sobering to learn that the family was sent off to the concentration camps from the Amsterdam Centraal train station, the same one we took a selfie in front of when we first arrived.
We always knew this would be an emotional experience, so it was lovely to walk outside and find the sky warmed by the glow of a beautiful sunset.
“Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy." —Anne Frank
