Living History

Amsterdam is a charming town with much to offer. Granted, it was extremely crowded and there was a surprising amount of trash floating in the canals, but it was still a beautiful city.

Of course, we did the obligatory tourist rounds through the Red Light District to see what all of the fuss was about, but the Anne Frank House was one of the sights that I truly wanted to see. I was surprised by how large the house actually was. However, I would imagine that it would have shrunk each day when being forced into hiding for two full years. The house is a true piece of living history. It was haunting to see the rooms in which Anne and her family lived for so long. Especially interesting was seeing the actual diaries written by her own hand.

Her story is a true human tragedy, but it has endured as a witness and reminder of the cruelty that mankind can visit upon itself. Let's hope that a story like hers will never again be told.