It is one of Europe's alternative capitals, but not everything is as it seems.
Amsterdam is an interesting city, but with some contradictions. Looks can be deceiving. One of the points required to see and little known in the capital, is the Museum Amstelelkring, better known as the Lord in the attic, it is a house with a Catholic chapel inside, confused? Let me explain, when the Protestant movements swept Europe, the Dutch responded to the call and was born the Netherlands Reformed Church. So, as there were many religious persecutions to non-Christians, the infamous Inquisition, the Dutch, in turn, persecuted Catholics in their territory. There was a very wealthy merchant family who secretly continued to practice their own religion by building a small shrine inside the house, which was also a place of worship to other Catholic families. Were discovered, tried and stripped of their fortune. From those times to our days, Amstelkring is a symbol of religious intolerance.
The Anne Frank house. A stop rather than mandatory, but you must get up early to visit, the queues go around the block and the space itself is very small. It is an old house. I was very emotional during the visit, had read the diary of course, was there to see with my own eyes and try to imagine what is like to live in an attic, hidden from an intolerant world. I met a group of American Jews, who reported their experiences of life, as they lost friends, their family and brothers of heart in a senseless war. I was truly touched; fortunately I hope I never go through such an ordeal, while I felt privileged, because I heard history being told in the first person. On the ground floor, do not hesitate and enter, there's a small interactive room that addresses intolerance in all its forms and that makes us think.
The masters of painting are a delicious option. I know there is a broad spectrum of people who think is a real torment to lose an afternoon looking at old pictures, but I cannot resist such beauty. When I look at one of these masterpieces I think there is something truly divine in the way they, the artists interpret the world. The frantic strokes in rolling landscapes. The intense colors which perpetuates the moment. One evening in Arles by Vincent van Gogh. At the home of Rembrandt we can appreciate the utensils, pictures and models that the painter used on his large canvases, then, yes, it can be seen in the famous Rijksmuseum.
