The first time I went to the Anne Frank house was on a school trip when I was very little. I remember the bookcase being opened for us, revealing the entrance to the annex. The house was still for a large part in its original state. A few years ago me and M. went again, as she was a fresh arrival to this wet little country. The house next to the original building had been annexed and “modernized” to 80’s standards, with a lot of brown and ugliness. The original house is still in a pretty good state, but the new building is just so ugly, it’s unfortunate. Same with the information bits that they’ve put up, though if they’re attempting to give you a claustrophobic trapped feeling in the darkness they’ve certainly succeeded.

Photography is strictly forbidden also. I got a few shots in before someone yelled at me. I played dumb tourist, of course. The international sign of “no cameras” is completely alien to me.