Well, it’s now been about two weeks since Amsterdam so I’ll keep this brief. The rest of the week there passed quickly and a lot less eventfully. Saturday I trekked back to my moms hotel room with all of my shit (essentially had spent about half my time in Amsterdam in transit) exhausted and drained from my night out with the bed bugs (free breakfast!). Without pausing to rest I met my cousin for the second parade in a nearby town, as Margaret was leaving later in the day and we had limited time together.
We wandered down the route of the parade until we found a cafe to post up and watch from a table. I will say it was pretty fun to see my mother and Fred marching along in the middle of The Netherlands, surrounded by Dutch people and being cheered on. As soon as the parade was over and Margaret and I split ways, I went straight to the hotel to catch up on sleep. 
Sunday I finally ventured back to the city to my new hostel, Flying Pig, which wound up being amazing. The next two days I mainly explored with an English guy I had met, ate too many cheese samples, and caught up with an old friend from college.
On my last day, I checked out from the hostel and ventured into the museum district to meet my mother and Fred. We headed to the Amsterdam sign, snapped some photos, and wandered around. 
We spent the afternoon stopping in cheese shops before our slotted time at the Anne Frank museum. The museum was halfway through a remodel, but walking through the house itself was chilling. Remnants of Anne’s family and the other family whom had lived in hiding with them for two years were lined around the house. Excerpts from Anne’s diary, recollections from survivors, and pieces of the deceased lives were left behind.
At the end of the tour, there was a book that visitors could sign and write their thoughts and where they were from. I flipped through it, thinking how odd and somehow cold each comment was;
“Poor girl! Loved the museum”
“Really enjoyed it!”
“What a story, glad we came”
Etc. I shut the book shaking my head slightly. Just another tourist site.
Gypsy&Dragon 