Anne Frank: live in Amsterdam

 In spite of every obstacle (getting very lost on the train platforms, working to decipher Dutch, and an extremely creepy train ride to the Central city) I got to visit an old friend in Europe.

I had five hours before my next flight, and I really hoped there would be enough time to see her and get back.

Amsterdam was a pretty rust coloured place where people are very businesslike and serious and the architecture is flat and grey. The police offcers pass through the long airport terminals on segways. Everyone speaks immaculate English.

Waiting in the line for the Frank house I was surrounded by a group of obnoxious American tourists who insisted on recounting the life story of Anne from the Gospel according to Wikipedia. There was one whose main contribution was their incredulity over the fact that Anne Frank actually died. Wait, so this doesn’t have a happy end?... I was standing next to two girls from the UK and we exchanged looks.

Going into the Annex itself, so cleverly hidden behind the façade of a working business, was surreal. These people were all in on it but even with all these gentile necks willingly on the line, they were still betrayed. The hiding place was smaller than I ever could have expected. I stood where Anne stood, lived, worked, ate, bathed, and realized this was her life from 1942 til the day she was captured (in terms of going into hiding the Franks were actually one of the later families to make their plans – while they lived there successfully for two years this lateness in realising the level of risk may have contributed to their eventual downfall.) It was hard to imagine that Anne  never set foot outside of this tiny space for two years, yet she created this rich inner world for herself shown so clearly in her writing. The steps leading up to the famous attic are closed off to the public but every other space is open and can be fully experienced. It almost didn’t register with me as I was on my way through the narrow halls – I was a tourist. I almost bypassed Anne's bedroom as I was stepping through. It was really difficult with so many people around to keep pulling myself into the present and reminding myself where I was.

I would love the opportunity to experience the Annex for myself but it seems too selfish not to share Anne.