Day 10: Our final day away was an amazing one!!!

Our final group shot in Amsterdam. 

This morning we woke at our final Ibis of the trip. I was up a little earlier than everyone and went for breakfast. It was very similar to our other spots, but didn't include scrambled eggs or beans. Regardless, I made a sandwich and had a croissant as well. I was ready for the day. It was 6:30am, lol.

Our first destination was the Anne Frank House. We had to park outside of the city and walk in, but it was becoming a beautiful day and the walk was nice.

Every canal view is amazing in this city.

Thousands of old bikes line the streets of Amsterdam.

The Tulips were blooming

Visiting the Anne Frank House is a particularly unique experience. I cannot express how every student felt as they walked through the museum. Not all of our students have read Anne's book, but all of them were aware of her story. I think the best way to approach this part of the blog is to kind of explain what we did today and then share some thoughts about the day.

First, it should be said that the museum does not allow photography inside of the house. I have some from the outside and I will share them in a bit. We arrived to the House and found no line waiting for us. We were given headsets and instructed that in some of the rooms, the headsets would tell us more details about that particular exhibit. The first part of the museum explains about the Franks and their lives before the Secret Annex. As you make your way through the exhibit, you eventually enter the office building that the Franks hid in while in exile. At this point, the narrations slowed down and we were left in the voids of empty rooms. The silence is somewhat deafening. There are moments that strike you as important, too. The stairs are very steep. The bookcase is slightly ajar and you need to crouch to make your way through. On the walls, you will find photos of those who lived in the annex along with quotes from Anne. There are plaques on the walls that go further into the lives they lived in the annex too. 

As you wrap up, you enter back into a modern museum exhibit. There are a few more details on the Franks and what happened to them after they were discovered. A copy of Anne's book rests in a glass case as you exit into final chamber of the museum. It is a somber experience for sure.

I didn't speak with everyone after we concluded, but I did hear from most of the kids that it was an interesting and moving experience. A few of the students wept. It is such a sad story, but there is inspiration in the mind of a young girl who wanted the world to know her story. 

Our visit concluded and we departed for the next stop of our day.

A canal cruise. 

This is an old subway station and you can see the tracks to help move bikes up and down.

Our group photo on the way out of Amsterdam

We left the city center for an experience meant to lighten the mood. I've called Roel the Crazy Cheesemonger in the past. He is so much more than that through!

Roel in his cheese making workshop. He is describing the process to the students.

Gouda waiting to be eaten

Roel owns one of the few remaining old style cheese farms in the nation. He is an extremely friendly man who uses humor and charm to win over every audience. He explained the cheese making process and invited all of us into his world. 

After describing how he makes his gouda, he brought us into his workshop. In here, he makes clogs.

Roel described the different styles of clogs that the Dutch use and for what purpose. He showed us, using molds, how easy it was to make them too. Again, I can't truly do it justice, but his presentation was so funny. It was easy to understand why so many of us left with some of his hand-crafted cheese and some even purchased clogs. It was a refreshing change and brought positivity back to the day.

We headed back into the city for lunch. Maria, living in Amsterdam, brought us to a local market where we were able to shop and eat at our leisure. I went to Amsterdam's best chicken restaurant. 

One of Roel's Gouda makers

An iconic windmill

The street market

Amsterdam's best chicken sandwich!

We then left to go to a tulip farm. It is bloom season and tulips are everywhere. 

When we left the Tulip farm, we headed back into the city center for dinner. Our dinner was at Wagamama. If you haven't been, it is an Asian style restaurant but it is kind of modernized. They exist in the United States and a few of the kids had had it before. We had a few options and every enjoyed their meal. 

Chicken and Rice bowl

Chicken, Prawn, and Noodles

When dinner concluded, we went on the search for one last souvenir stand. The kids were in high spirits even though we had been on the road for over 12 hours. It was chilly and some rain had passed through too, but overall, it was a nice evening. Maria escorted us to the tram and we all boarded for the hotel. It was a relatively quick ride before the blue Ibis sign appeared in the horizon.

Tomorrow, we have a late breakfast and will transfer to the airport at 11am our time. We should have plenty of time to pass through security, grab lunch, and catch our flight home. Another Eurotrip will be  in the books. I may write a bonus blog on the journey home, but if not, I want to make sure that I thank my chaperones for all of their hard work.

These trips are not vacations for us. Sure, we see amazing sites with equally amazing kids, but it is work. It is exhausting work, at times. I volunteer for these things because I love travel and trying to connect the places we visit to the lives of our students. It is a passion of mine. I am floored by how giving Dawn, Gail, and Guillermo are with their time. They all have their own families and leaving for 10 days cannot be easy. They help me, without complaint. I also wanted to thank Kathy Tolios. Kathy traveled with me before and if the name rings a bell to some, she is an elementary school teacher in Saugus too. She loves travel and cares deeply for our students too. She worked, even thought she didn't need to, to make sure every student felt comfortable and cared for. It was an absolute pleasure to have her on board with us again.

Maria, Martin, and Joris also made huge efforts to make this trip special. Joris spoke to the group tonight and told us that we are all welcome to travel on his coach in the future. He was thrilled that the students cared for his bus as much as he does. It is high praise from a coach driver in Europe! Maria, especially, worked tirelessly on our behalf. She changed dinner times and reservations so that we could fit as much in as possible. Seeing her with her son, Leo, last night was heartwarming and I am psyched that she can rejoin him again tomorrow. 

Our trip would not be complete without an amazing group of students...and these kids were amazing. Throughout the day, I kept hearing Maria ask the kids about their special assignment and tonight at dinner, it was time to deliver. Maria had purchased a map of old Paris and on the back, the kids all wrote a quick note of thanks. I will hang this map somewhere special in my house and will look for a double windowed frame so that I can read their kind words whenever I need them. I strive to make sure that gratitude is something that they takeaway from these trips. I've grown accustom to great kids. I am no longer surprised to hear our kids saying 'thank you' and 'please' while we are away. This group is certainly a special one. I will remember them fondly!

Well, it is about twenty minutes past midnight here. I am going to wrap up and head off to bed for one last night in Europe. I appreciate all of the kind words and compliments that folks have sent our way over the past few days. It will be nice to sleep in my own bed soon...even if that means I will have to report to work on Thursday!

For now...goodbye and thanks for reading!

Mr. Lavoie, shutting down his computer for the night and the trip! Thanks again everyone!