I’ve been itching to ride a bicycle around town from the moment I got here. Since today was the first clear day we’ve had, I took off toward Amsterdamse Bos, a wooded area southwest of central Amsterdam. I’m not really sure what route I took to get there; I just followed the signs posted along the bike path (fietspad – my Dutch word of the day), but eventually I got there. The woods were delightful. Bike and walking paths criss-crossed the entire area, which is roughly 2,500 acres. It was really easy to feel like I was alone among the trees. I took a break from riding at a goat farm and watched human and goat kids playing together. Of course, I had to sample the goat-milk ice cream. It was definitely a little goaty, but it was yum. Then I rode to a little church in a village on the southeast end of Amsterdamse Bos for a peaceful moment of reflection. My ride back to the hotel was much more direct than the route I took to the woods, and I got there in time to join a group going to the Anne Frank House. I’m not going to try to put into words the emotions I felt as I went through the hiding place of Anne Frank and her family. I’m sure I’ll never completely understand the enormity of the tragedy of World War II events, but I came away hoping that I’ll learn to better accept others’ differences.
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