The Houses of Anne Frank & Corrie ten Boom

My mom and sister flew into Amsterdam on their way over from Texas, so I scheduled a bit of time to show them my favorite parts of Amsterdam. Namely, poffterjes, stroop waffels, and the Anne Frank House.

The Frank's house is an easy 15 minute walk from the main train station, along scenic canals. For some reason, when I read the book I didn't envision Anne living on a canal in such a tall, slim row house. I imagined the house in an old American city. And I never dreamed that the secret annex was so huge!

When J and I visited in May, the line wrapped around the building and took about 45 minutes. My mom, sister, and I only had about 4 hours in Amsterdam, so I bought our tickets online a few weeks in advance (they sell out quickly). There's a convenience fee of a few Euros, but it's worth it!

We don't have any pictures from the inside since photography is forbidden, but walking through the rooms brings the story alive. I especially loved seeing the walls where Anne carefully pasted images of her favorite movie stars to make the space cheerier--she was just a regular girl, in extraordinary circumstances.

Canals in Haarlem

When J and I visited the Netherlands in May, we also went to Haarlem (just a 15-20 minutes train ride west of Amsterdam) to visit Corrie ten Boom's house. This museum is such a different experience than Anne's house--free tours are offered as specific times and you can only see the house via a tour. When we visited, it was quite crowded and we barely got a spot on the tour even though it was 'low season'.

I loved Corrie's memoir, The Hiding Place, and the museum was a continuation of it. I didn't take many pictures since the tour was crowded, but you can find a virtual tour and good pictures here. The hiding place in her closet was quite small, so their guests stayed in the main part of the house most of the time--the opposite of the set up at the Frank's house. However, the hiding place was very cleverly disguised and it was never discovered by the Nazis.

The original plaque in the ten Boom house: "Jesus is Victor"

What I loved most about the museum, though, is that the house is not just a museum--it's the Ten Boom's living testimony. Never have I been on a tour where the guide asked the audience if everyone knew who Jesus is! He told the story of Corrie and her family's faith, how it gave them the courage to help and hide Jews in their community and to have strength through their arrest, imprisonment, and the concentration camps.

Both of these museums are not to be missed during a trip to Amsterdam. I loved not only visiting them, but getting to share Anne Frank's house with my mom and sister. More on the rest of our travels soon!