Why is there a pear under your bed?

Just because the week started did not mean the adventures stopped. During the days that I had class, I’d go and Laura would stay home and clean/cook…not. She did create a new game for me, called “Let’s discover the new music in my media player.”

On Monday night, I chartered six of us a private boat tour around the old center of the city. While the weather was not the best, the tour was awesome – the price was much cheaper than the large tours and we had chocolate and wine as our guide told us interesting trivia about the city. When we arrived home, we watched some Nip/Tuck and plotted our next move.

Tuesday found us at NEMO, a large kid’s science museum. The place was mobbed with small children, which is to be expected. The most amusing part of NEMO was the new feature, “Teen Fact.” This exhibition was an educational but teen-friendly look at puberty, relationships, sex, etc. Let’s just say, the Dutch don’t beat around the bush. While the pictures speak for themselves, here’s an example: within a display labeled “Let’s Talk about Sex” there was a monitor of animals mating and a couple making out hardcore, which was just a prelude to the Kama sutra puppets and the birth control display. A-mazing.

Mixing it up a bit, we went to the Bible Museum early Wednesday afternoon (after more pancakes). It was pretty cool, considering what you may believe. After my night class, we headed to the Sex Museum with Molly. For 3 euro, its one of the most entertaining/mildly disturbing ways to spend an evening. Such wonderful features included classic Greek and Roman artifacts to homemade porn from the late 19th century. The S&M/Fetish room actually had a warning on the door and the sound effects within justified such caution. Continuing with the theme, we headed over to the Red Light District (or, RLD as I like to refer to it). We wander into the Erotic Museum’s gift shop and discuss what would be the best gifts to send home. I suggested Laura just buy a handful of pornos and pass them out when she returned to campus.

Thursday commences with breakfast with Molly, then shopping on Spui/Kalverstraat. It is not a very productive shopping day though; we spend several hours just wandering. By early afternoon, we return home to drop off groceries that Laura bought me (I’m gonna make it through the winter guys!) and rush to the Anne Frank Huis before other people realize it’s a good time to go. We get in without a wait, which is miraculous. It was such an experience to finally see this place. I first read the book when I was 9 years old and most recently re-read it this past January; still it proves moving. The tour proceeds through the lower levels, which were the offices of Otto and the storage rooms. Videos of interviews with Miep and others who helped the families in hiding are throughout, as are quotes from Anne’s diary. Some of the most treacherous stairs I’ve ever seen lead to the Secret Annexe. Anne’s room (which she shared with the dentist) is incredibly small and her collages remain on the wall to this day. Her original diary is also on display, along with Otto’s letters with family as he tried to locate his daughters. It is heart wrenching to realize that Anne died a month before the liberation; friends who saw her shortly before even speculated that if she had realized her father was still alive, she might have found the strength to survive.

The rest of Thursday was pretty low key. We made dinner together and watched Eurotrip and Moulin Rouge. Molly and Kristen came up for a while and we all watched Little Miss Sunshine, which was pretty amusing. We cleaned up the room (FOR ONCE) and gathered Laura’s belongings. At 6 am we were on our way to the taxi stop. We managed to avoid any tears.

So that is the story of our beautiful reunion. Good times were had by all but it went by so fast.

Upcoming: Paris this weekend!