Today is our final full day in Amsterdam. We woke up at 8 for breakfast before leaving for the metro at around 9:30 am. We arrived at the Our Lord in the Attic at around 10:15.

When entering the museum we were met with a very white and modern gift shop which I was not expecting. However, we were soon split into two groups and taken to the actual museum, a former hidden church that Catholics used in Amsterdam in the 17th century when protestants said that they could not worship publicly. Unlike what you may think, the Dutch allowing Catholics to worship behind closed doors was actually very tolerant. For once since we have been here, I actually see some strong similarities between the US and the Netherlands. For hundreds of years America was a beacon of hope for people who wanted to have freedom of religion. Thousands left their home countries in search of the Americas to escape discrimination. The US rarely has any controversy when it comes to practicing religion and have never banned a religion before ever. The Dutch were the sanctuary for religion hundreds of years before the Americas were even found. It was very interesting to see the creativity required to create this church in the row houses. There was a large altar at the front of the church that was painted like marble but actually wood. This is because true marble would have been too heavy and fallen through the wood floor very quickly. Also, as they wanted a balcony for the church they cut out the beams of the top floor. However this was unstable so they put thin metal rods in place which left the ceiling open and kept it stable. Their innovation just proves how advanced the Dutch were for their time. It was amazing to see such an old and well kept piece of history. After the museum we had free time. My group went to eat Dutch pancakes which were delicious.

After lunch we met with the rest of the group at the Anne Frank House. It was my least favorite thing we’ve done so far, not due to any fault of the museum but because of how depressing it was. It was so eerie to finally see the house that we have heard and learned so much about for years. It’s crazy to think that almost 80 years ago there were 8 people hiding, scared for their lives, living in three rooms hidden behind a bookcase for years without leaving. It is crazy to think that was once a reality and I find it hard to grasp. That is the thing about the United States and we kind of take it for granted. The whole country was left unscathed after a treacherous war and I feel that helped create the cultural differences between the two countries.