My first stop was the Anne Frank House, one of the old buildings lined up along the Prinsengracht, a canal in Amsterdam. Since it was close to the hotel I was staying at, I decided to rent a bike to go there. I enjoyed riding along the canal. The Anne Frank House is one of the most visited museums in the Netherlands. It housed the secret hiding place of Anne Frank. There was an old bookcase on the second floor. It looked ordinary, but behind it was a secret space where Anne and her family hid for over two years during World War Ⅱ. The steep stairs and narrow passages gave me a better understanding of what life must have been like for them back then.

After visiting the Anne Frank House, I took a canal cruise on the Prinsengracht. The Prinsengracht is one of the most famous canals in Amsterdam and is lined with historic buildings. The canal houses I saw along the way had mostly been built during the Dutch Golden Age, which gives them great historical value. Their tall, narrow shapes and decorative facades gave me a glimpse into the city's rich architectural history. Taking the cruise was a great way to see the city from different angles and learn more about its past. The gentle touch of the wind made the experience even more pleasant.

Amsterdam is home to a lot of museums, but the Van Gogh Museum was the one I was really excited to visit. The most interesting part of the museum was the way the exhibits were arranged to show how the artist's style had changed over time. The museum showed many of Vincent van Gogh's most well-known works, including my personal favorites: The Bedroom, Sunflowers, and Wheatfield with Crows. The bright colors in The Bedroom seemed to convey a sense of relaxation. The different shades of yellow in Sunflowers were just amazing. In Wheatfield with Crows, the contrast between the bright yellow wheat field and the cool blue sky was striking.

Overall, seeing the artworks in person was a very powerful experience. The museum also displayed the letters that Van Gogh wrote to his younger brother, Theo. Reading those letters, I found out how much the artist loved his brother. After I bought a few postcards with Van Gogh's art on them, I slowly cycled back to the hotel. On my way back, I couldn't help but admire the beautiful, calm, and scenic views of the city, especially people relaxing on the grass and enjoying the sun.

I highly recommend visiting the Zaanse Schans and Volendam if you want to get out of the busy city to experience traditional Dutch culture. A trip to the Netherlands wouldn't be complete without a visit to the windmills. Fortunately, you can get to the Zaanse Schans, which is famous for its windmills, in just 17 minutes by train from Amsterdam. The moment I saw the village, its beauty took my breath away. Several windmills were spinning by the river in the distance. Soon I felt like I was taken to a point in the past. I looked into one of the working windmills, and it was grinding nuts into oil with its large stone wheels.

Near the windmills, I found a cheese farm and a clog factory. I was surprised by the variety of Dutch cheeses and actually a little unsure about tasting them at first because they were mostly new to me. However, when I tried some of them, they turned out to be incredibly satisfying. I also tried on a few pairs of clogs and found them quite comfortable, which I hadn't expected. Volendam was a pretty fishing village with neat rows of brick houses with orange roofs. The harbor was dotted with boats. I rented a bike to explore Volendam, and the shop owner said, "In Volendam, do as the locals do and eat seafood." At a restaurant, I ordered one of the Netherlands' most popular dishes, kibbeling. The fried fish snack was hot, fresh, and absolutely delicious!

After being completely destroyed during World War Ⅱ, Rotterdam was restored into a beautiful port city. Experimental and artistic constructions were used to improve the appearance of the city. The Cube Houses in Rotterdam are among the most innovative buildings in the country. The bright yellow houses were something I had been looking forward to seeing, and they were as fantastic as I had expected. One of the key features of the Cube Houses is that the cubes are tilted by 45 degrees. I visited the Show Cube Museum to get a feel of what life in such a house was like. From the outside, it looked entirely twisted, but once I went inside, it was surprisingly quite comfortable. For the last few days after the trip, I haven't been able to get the charming sights of the Netherlands out of my mind. If you ever plan to visit the country, I really hope that you will find my post helpful.