16 September 2015 - The Dutch Resistance Museum - Verzetsmuseum

 Drizzly rain continues but once outside in the fresh (and slightly dung scented) air, one can't help but feel alive and invigorated!  The view as I bring the clothes from the laundry, over the sloot (irrigation/drainage canal), to the field of cows is hard to beat!

Karl, Luke and I set off on the bikes to go to the Resistance Museum.  Note to self - take a map - when forging a new/unknown route which would have saved several kilometres!  The bikes aren't particularly comfortable and whilst the countryside and old buildings are lovely, new housing estates aren't at all exciting!  Suffice to say, by the time we reached the museum, I was tired and hoping our choice of museum was worth it.  Indeed it was!  We knew we were getting close when we rode down Anne Frankstraat.

Verzetsmuseum - the Dutch Resistance Museum

 The Resistance Museum is not necessarily on the typical tourist trail but it is well worthwhile and very well done.  Everyone is given an audio device as part of the admission (not added extra), which, with our Museumkaart is free in any case.  The audio device was very user friendly. The Dutch resisted the invasion of Germany with courage and creativity and some of their methods and stories were brilliant.  Displays of forgeries, hiding places, innovations and slightly "cheeky"resistance/ sabotage made for good reading/listening.  However, those caught, were often executed if they were not sent to concentration camps.  There was the Dutch lady who was ordered to give socks to the Germans and so she sewed up the tops and the family who named their daughter after the Dutch Queen and put her name and birth details in the newspaper, thus publishing the Queen's name and showing support for the Queen whilst their country was occupied by Germany.  Their midwife also had the birth written in the paper mentioning the baby's (Queen's) name and she was sent to a concentration camp for her impertinence.

Following the trail through the Junior Museum - this boy looks like Luke.  His name was Jan.

 The Junior Museum was a separate space comprising 4 houses and 4 children with different perspectives of the war: A Jewish girl, Eva, a son of a resistance fighter: Jan, a daughter of a Nazi Party official: Nelly, and Henk whose family hid an allied pilot and helped him escape to England.  Luke was well occupied.  I will encourage Tim and Annika to visit this place as it really is a very detailed portrayal of WWII in Holland.

"Flying across the world"

"Eva" - the Jewish girl, outside her house

Fleeing...

All welcome!

Such a vulnerable country.

 After we had been thoroughly saturated by the resistance, in the foyer was a gathering of people.  We got talking to a couple of people, one being Bregitta Kramer, who is a lecturer in media studies at the University of Applied Sciences.  Her recent area of interest was to have her students gather information and stories from Dutch people who have experienced war time as a means of preserving their stories and history.  It is always great to talk to interesting people! 

The question is what would we have done in war time Holland...and I guess the answer is only a philosophical one as it cannot be accurately answered unless one is actually in the situation.  I would like to think I'd be brave enough to join the resistance but indeed it was risky.  And what about the guilt if something could have been done but wasn't or something was done and in retrospect shouldn't have been done?  The questions, the repercussions, and even the generational guilt that persists - all this was brought to mind and I suppose the museum's purpose was to do just that! Do we learn from war and other mistakes and successes? No definitive answers proffered! We would highly recommend a couple of hours to wander through this museum.

BTW, we happily accepted a glass of apple juice and a few nibbles from the conference provisions!  I learned that trick from my Dad!

Book of stories of WWII survivors

 Outside the museum is the Artis Zoo and some weird junk sculptures which attracted Luke's attention.  We wound our way to the Amstel and followed it back to our familiar bike track just as the dark clouds were gathering....and then the rain started.

Luke found some friends

A kangaroo?!

We arrived back in the bikes looking a little bedraggled after the short burst of heavy rain.  We had a nice chat  to our lovely hosts Aletta and Hugo and they were kind enough to give me some fresh raw milk from their cows!  Lucky us!  This place is amazing!

I must mention a real highlight of my evening was Luke spontaneously writing a whole page in his journal - a real breakthrough!!  Long may it continue.