Regular readers of this blog will know of my love for John Green’s ‘The Fault in Our Stars‘ and just how giddy I was at the thought of going to Amsterdam, not just for the bicycles and clogs but also to try to retrace the footsteps of Hazel and Gus - the two main characters in TFIOS. With only two days here we tried to cram a lot of things in so I couldn’t do a full TFIOS tour for fear of coming home single especially as he hasn’t read the book.
Most of the novel is set in America but there is a small section when they come to visit Amsterdam, the author John Green actually lived here for a few months and spent his days researching the city and scribbling away in the Central library. I didn’t have time to find the library as it wasn’t very clear on the map we had but apparently it has a coffee shop (not that type of coffee shop) with amazing views of the city so I was a bit disappointed we couldn’t pin point it.
Some of the places mentioned in the book are fictional such as the Orangee restaurant and Peter Van Houten’s house. But just walking around the winding lanes and seeing all the tall and thin houses you can get a good idea of what inspired John Green.
Vondelpark is real and is this large lush park where cyclists, joggers and dog walkers can be found meandering round the sprawling paths and clear lakes. I would have loved to had longer here riding around with the breeze through my hair and a content fluffy dog in my bike basket but that is on the bucket list for when I come and live here. After learning to speak Dutch of course.
The teenagers did visit the Anne Frank museum which was both a physical and emotional challenge for Hazel to overcome. We got there as soon as it had opened in the morning as I had heard that there are usually queues snaking round the block to get in. Unfortunately they don’t allow photography inside but I sneaked a quick shot on my phone of the bookcase that hid the family in the annexe so excuse the grainy quality. Just climbing the incredibly steep staircase up to the hidden space was tough going as the stairs were so narrow and high, in the book Hazel managed this with all her equipment so no wonder she felt like a different person as she reached the highest point. The museum itself was very moving and emotional especially the personal artifacts left by the family after they were found and sent to concentration camps. I would urge you to visit this place if you go to Amsterdam as it doesn’t take long to get round but is a powerful reminder of the past.
I had hoped to sit by the canal enjoying a drink as petals fall and boats ambled past but as it was a fairly chilly February weekend it was more about finding a warm pub after walking for miles. However to get my flower fix there was plenty of flower markets and lots of places to find Hollands famous flower - the tulip. Maybe I should have bought a bunch, pulled the petals off and sprinkled them over us to get the same effect?
So it was a short TFIOS tour and I would have liked to have fitted more in (and stayed at Hotel de Filosoof as that exists!) but I can promise you I will be going back to this amazing city and not just because this great book was set there. I promise.
Have you read the book yet?
