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Post by Boop on Nov 18, 2014 18:00:57 GMT
I'm seeking advice on the Anne Frank house. Particularly, is it recommended to pre-purchase tickets? Is there a special lineup that you go to if you do pre-purchase?
Any information would be appreciated. Travel there would be the end of May, 2015.
Thanks in advance!!
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Post by tiffany on Nov 18, 2014 19:25:28 GMT
Hi Boop, I went to Anne Frank’s house as an optional tour while on the Best of Holland tour, and I remember the line-up for the general public being very long. We skipped the line though and got in in 5 mins. I’m not sure if the line-up was for people to buy tickets, or to just get into the place, and I don’t remember seeing two separate line-ups. You may want to check out their website or call them for more info.
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Post by Boop on Nov 18, 2014 19:45:05 GMT
Hi Boop, I went to Anne Frank’s house as an optional tour while on the Best of Holland tour, and I remember the line-up for the general public being very long. We skipped the line though and got in in 5 mins. I’m not sure if the line-up was for people to buy tickets, or to just get into the place, and I don’t remember seeing two separate line-ups. You may want to check out their website or call them for more info. Thanks tiffany! My daughter won't be on a tour so she needs to sort this out beforehand. I think Oz-T might have more information on solo visits to the Frank house........ In the meantime, do you feel the visit was worthwhile? I've heard pros and cons...
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Post by tiffany on Nov 18, 2014 20:09:33 GMT
I enjoyed the visit and thought it was very informative, however, it was very packed inside. There’s also a lot of stairs to get to the top, and once you start going up, you can’t turn around to go back down until you reach the top, as there’s a separate stairwell for going down. I’m glad I went though, and once you get to the top, they have a room set up like a small museum with pictures and a short video about the house and family.
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Post by Boop on Nov 18, 2014 20:29:37 GMT
I enjoyed the visit and thought it was very informative, however, it was very packed inside. There’s also a lot of stairs to get to the top, and once you start going up, you can’t turn around to go back down until you reach the top, as there’s a separate stairwell for going down. I’m glad I went though, and once you get to the top, they have a room set up like a small museum with pictures and a short video about the house and family. Thanks again. Sounds like it's worth a visit and my daughter has been doing some book research on Anne Frank so it is sounding like a definite plan!
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Post by Tulips on Nov 18, 2014 21:24:24 GMT
Boop, the Anne Frank House is an absolute must do in Amsterdam. I would also prepurchase tickets.
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Post by Oz-T on Nov 18, 2014 22:06:19 GMT
I agree it's a 'must do' in Amsterdam. I visited there last June and the queue was already long despite arriving early. It opens at 9:00am and the queue was already about 150 people long half an hour earlier. I'd recommend arriving at 8:00am because the queues just get worse and worse as the day goes on. The queue starts at the building on Prinsengracht (alongside the canal) and does a right-angle bend down a side street (Westermarkt) beside the church.
There's also nowhere to sit while you're in the queue until you're almost near the entry. That's hard on the legs and back. One offset is that the building emits a free WiFi signal so you can surf the internet if you have a tablet or smartphone. This helps alleviate the boredom.
I didn't see any separate queue or tour group entry while I was there, but the website does allow you to prepay tickets and beat the queue. I strongly recommend this because that long queue was the absolute pits.
Another thing I'd recommend is that you do some basic reading about the Anne Frank story before arriving. Inside, there are many displays which explain what happened but I was able to skip over some of the detail because I knew a fair bit of it already. This allowed us to keep moving instead of dwelling at each exhibit. They have some TV screens that show loops of archive film. These were fairly brief videos but you had to wait until the English language version played. For the most part, you can overtake anyone who is taking a long time looking at something.
Of course, the main feature is the annexe itself and this is where things get a bit squishy. You file in through the secret door (there's a replica bookcase partially obscuring it) and up the steep stairs to where the Frank family hid for two years. Photography is strictly forbidden here and they have attendants who police this. The rooms are fairly small and you sort of get herded through to get a general idea of the living conditions. Unfortunately, with so many other people gawking around you really don't get much of a chance to stay and reflect on it all.
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Post by Boop on Nov 18, 2014 23:24:46 GMT
Thank you so much Oz! I hope you don't mind if I copy this over to my daughter to read? You've provided a wealth of valuable information and I very much appreciate you going into such detail. I think it's pretty clear that Skye will definitely be pre-purchasing tickets!
As I mentioned she has done some research already, the library has a huge photo book that she devoured, also the dvd and we have the story of Anne Frank on order at the library
Once again, thanks!
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Post by Oz-T on Nov 19, 2014 2:06:04 GMT
Happy to assist, Ms Boop; copy all you need. Your daughter will probably know more about the story than she will read on the displays, so that will save time.
I assume she can walk straight up to the main entrance and bypass the queue - hopefully the pre-purchased tickets explain this.
One thing I found interesting was how concealed the annexe is. Because the building sits between others, you cannot see how deep it extends from the main street. Accordingly, nobody would ever know that it falls a few metres short of the others and the only way to have known would be to pace it out or use a measuring tape. It was an ideal place to hide, although it did need support from helpers to bring in food etc.
Some of Anne's newspaper/magazine photos of movie stars are still on the wall where she pinned them (now covered by perspex to safeguard them). I was absorbed by how ordinary and normal everything looked, despite an extraordinary situation. It makes you think.
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Post by bet on Nov 19, 2014 4:52:09 GMT
I totally agree Anne Frank's House is a must. Reading her diary and visiting where she lived in hiding was moving. I went in summer late afternoon/early evening and there was no queue but that was some years ago. I would love to go back and pay another visit one day. Incase you don't know, there is the BBC Adaptation dvd, its very good and I prefer it to the original George Stevens one.
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Post by Boop on Nov 19, 2014 6:25:04 GMT
I totally agree Anne Frank's House is a must. Reading her diary and visiting where she lived in hiding was moving. I went in summer late afternoon/early evening and there was no queue but that was some years ago. I would love to go back and pay another visit one day. Incase you don't know, there is the BBC Adaptation dvd, its very good and I prefer it to the original George Stevens one. Thanks bet....I'll have to look for that dvd from the BBC!
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Post by californian on Nov 19, 2014 18:22:45 GMT
I read that the tree (oak?) that was visible from Anne's window and I think she wrote about it, fell sometime ago, wonder if they replaced it or plan to do it?
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Post by Oz-T on Nov 19, 2014 20:52:58 GMT
It was a chestnut tree, Californian. It was diseased for many years before it rotted and was eventually blown over in a storm a couple of years ago. I think they were able to cultivate some saplings from it, some of which are now in the USA.
Reading Anne's diary, this tree and the sky behind it became her main outlook on the outside world.
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Post by californian on Nov 20, 2014 2:23:29 GMT
Thank you OZ, I read the book a few times, I think I still have it, will re-read it again, I think she could also see a tower and its clock? Did you see it from the window?
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Post by Oz-T on Nov 20, 2014 3:32:45 GMT
I don't remember seeing those, Californian. I recall that the back windows were blackened out and remain so to this day. At one point I did find a small area to peer out, but not at anything in particular.
Anne used to go up to the attic to look out, but you can't walk up there - there's a perspex cover to prevent anyone climbing the ladder. However, they've installed a large mirror so you can look up and see the attic space.
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