Lesson 3 Journey into Another Culture
A Trip to the Netherlands
Before my trip to the Netherlands, all I knew of the country was that it is famous ____ windmills and tulips.
But as I ____ from place to place, I experienced many things that I hadn’t expected, and I wanted to share some of them with you.
____ Anne Frank House and the Prinsengracht in Amsterdam
My first stop was the Anne Frank House, ____ of the old buildings lined up along the Prinsengracht, a canal in Amsterdam.
Since ____ was close to the hotel I was staying at, I decided to rent a bike to go there.
I enjoyed riding ____ the canal.
The Anne Frank House is one of the most ____ museums in the Netherlands.
It housed the secret hiding place ____ Anne Frank.
There ____ an old bookcase on the second floor.
It looked ordinary, but behind it was a secret space where Anne and her family hid ____ over two years during World War II.
The steep stairs and narrow passages ____ me a better understanding of what life must have been like for them back then.
After visiting the Anne Frank House, I took a ____ cruise on the Prinsengracht.
The canal houses I ____ along the way had mostly been built during the Dutch Golden Age, which gives them great historical value.
Taking the cruise ____ a great way to see the city from different angles.
The gentle touch of the wind made the ____ even more pleasant.
The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam
Amsterdam ____ 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 ____ exhibits were arranged to show how the artist’s style had changed over time.
The museum showed many of ____ 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 ____ convey a sense of relaxation.
The ____ 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 ____ striking.
Overall, seeing the artworks in person was a ____ powerful experience.
The museum also displayed the letters that ____ Gogh wrote to his younger brother, Theo.
Reading those letters, I found ____ 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 ____
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 ____
Windmills in the Zaanse Schans and Seafood in Volendam
I highly recommend ____ 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 ____ 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 ____ train from Amsterdam.
The ____ I saw the village, its beauty took my breath away.
____ windmills were spinning by the river in the distance.
Soon I felt like I was taken to a point ____ the past.
I looked into one of the working windmills, and it was grinding nuts into oil with its large ____ wheels.
Near the ____ I found a cheese farm and a clog factory.
I was surprised by the variety of Dutch cheeses and actually a little ____ about tasting them at first because they were mostly new to me.
However, when I tried some ____ them, they turned out to be incredibly satisfying.
I also tried on a few pairs of clogs and ____ them quite comfortable, which I hadn’t expected.
Volendam was a pretty fishing village with ____ rows of brick houses with orange roofs.
____ harbor was dotted with boats.
I ____ a bike to explore Volendam, and the shop owner said,
“In Volendam, do as the locals do and eat ____
At a ____ I ordered one of the Netherlands’ most popular dishes, kibbeling.
The fried fish ____ was hot, fresh, and absolutely delicious!
The Cube Houses in Rotterdam
After being completely destroyed during World War ____ Rotterdam was restored into a beautiful port city.
Experimental and artistic ____ were used to improve the appearance of the city.
The Cube Houses ____ 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 ____ fantastic as I had expected.
One of the key features of the Cube Houses ____ that the cubes are tilted by 45 degrees.
I visited the Show Cube Museum to get a ____ of what life in such a house was like.
From the outside, it looked entirely twisted, but once I went inside, it was ____ quite comfortable.
For the last few days after the trip, I haven’t been able to get the charming sights of ____ Netherlands out of my mind.
If you ever plan to visit the country, ____ really hope that you will find my post helpful.