On the Ground: Netherlands

By Theano Dimopoulou, Third Year, Psychology in Education

The Croft Magazine // In our seventh pin drop, we go on the ground in Amsterdam with Year Abroad student Theano Dimopoulou, working and studying in a city still under some coronavirus restrictions, and where new light has been shed on the Anne Frank case.

In The Netherlands, the first anti-restriction riot was in January 2021. On 16 January 2022, around 15,000 people marked it by staging a peaceful protest through the streets of Amsterdam, finishing in the touristic centre, near the museums. For the 18+ age range, 86 per cent are fully vaccinated (for the 18-33 age range, it's 73 per cent). We're in a transitional period. Before Christmas, the only shops open were essential. Now, restaurants and museums have reopened, so our social life is getting back to normal.

I've been looking at the website for the Anne Frank House, and it seems all the data is based on testimonies, as no documents have been preserved. Of course, for a very long time betrayal was considered the reason for discovery. The findings were based on the testimonies of her father, Otto Frank, and in 2017 the FBI opened an investigation. Sadly, though, with no official documents we can never be sure, and everything is based on speculation.

Another, more light-hearted topic of conversation has been the request of Jeff Bezos to dismantle a bridge in Rotterdam so his yacht can pass through. The bridge is called De Hef... it was built in 1878 and was bombed in 1940, renovated in 2017. At the time, the city promised it wouldn't have to be dismantled again, so I think this is somewhere between seriousness and a joke!

Featured Image: Epigram / Theano Dimopoulou