Biking
After a very soggy weekend, the week started off with pleasant autumn weather. As I look back my time in Amsterdam, I'm sure that Monday morning's trip to the Anne Frank house will be one of the highlights. It's an incredibly moving experience to walk through the Secret Annex, as Anne called it, and see the cramped living space where Anne, her family and four others stayed in hiding for more than two years. Almost immediately upon entering, the house exerts an emotional impact. The sense that this is hallowed ground is palpable. Although so much of it is about Anne Frank and her companions, I kept thinking about the others who went into hiding during the Nazi occupation and wondered about their stories, too. We are fortunate to have the diary and other writing that Anne left behind. They signify not only the physical and emotional development of a young girl and the promise of a hugely talented writer, but also the humanity that couldn't be denied even in those dir