Thursday, April 17th, 2008...11:30 am
Anne and her Diary
I have been to Anne Frank’s house before and it certainly was a memorable experience however today’s visit was something else.
For those who do not know the story of this young girl who for two years hid behind a bookcase that led to a hidden area. She lived there with her family for two years before being betrayed by the owner of the building and sent to the concentration camp.
During the time she was in hiding from the Nazis this young girl wrote a diary and wrote in a style way beyond her years.
This diary is on display as are the actual rooms where she and her loved ones hid from the onslaught of the persecution of the Jews during World War II.
Anne died in the concentration camp and I am sure she did so having no idea that her simple diary would be translated into 55 languages and become one of the most famous books in the world.
Anne’s’ family died at Auschwitz while Anne was separated from them and passed away at the Bergen Belsen camp.
Having been to the camp in Berlin three days ago visiting the Anne Frank house this time has left me with a deep feeling of sadness and sorrow.
I bought her book today………she deserves that I read it………you should too
John
22 Comments
April 17th, 2008 at 11:36 am
Thank you, John. Excellent.
If you’re like me you find it impossible to believe that there are some people in this world who are convinced that the Holocaust never occurred.
GregB
April 17th, 2008 at 11:58 am
I have read this book many times and it never fails to make you look at your life in a different way. Thanks, John
April 17th, 2008 at 12:21 pm
John,
Thank heavens my education required this reading… and as a youth reading this, it was amazing to hear her words and discuss the story of a peer forced into this…
The world must learn and must know!!!
Lambie
April 17th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
Well said, we should all read it, lest we forget…
April 17th, 2008 at 1:03 pm
It is a sad thought that some people in the world think that some of the atrocities that are history and indeed did happen were “fiction”.
I have been to the Holocaust musuem in DC and it is a very sad place to go, but it is something that must be remembered so that it does not happen again.
Deanna
April 17th, 2008 at 1:05 pm
I have heard about the story but have yet to read this book. I have to check out our library this weekend.
John, I would like to send you a photo of me, Chris & Capt. Fazzio, but cannot find Stephanie’s e-mail address to do so. Can you post it again? Thank you!
April 17th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
There are only 2 things to be said about Anne’s story, and by extension the story of millions of others:
NEVER FORGET
and
QUESTION AUTHORITY
April 17th, 2008 at 1:55 pm
Hi Ivanna,
You can send me an email at socialnetworking@carnival.com.
Thanks,
Stephanie
April 17th, 2008 at 2:03 pm
Stephanie: you are so on your game! Thank you for all your hard work!
John thanks again for the blogs. I think because of it I am still in cruise mode!
Heidi: thank you for putting up with John and keeping him somewhat in line.
April 17th, 2008 at 2:23 pm
John,
You are so right…I must read it again…and one of my kids have never read it, so I will be out this weekend buying a copy of the book.
Princess Susan
April 17th, 2008 at 2:26 pm
Hi John: Every teenage girl in America had to read the story of Anne Frank in High School. I have read it over and over again. Didn’t her father live thru the holocaust? Or am I dreaming? In any event you are right it is a MUST read book. 3 more days till we leave on the Liberty! WOO HOO! Linda & Mike
April 17th, 2008 at 2:29 pm
I first read the book in eighth grade. That was 6 years ago and I still remember the effect it had on me.
April 17th, 2008 at 2:32 pm
Being able to visit the Anne Frank House is one of the reasons we are going on the Splendor in July. Our daughter has read the diary many times and said that is one place she really wants to visit.
So because of the beautiful new ship we are taking her to the house.
April 17th, 2008 at 2:38 pm
Hi John/Heidi:
Once again, NEVER FORGET.
Thank you for helping keep her memory alive.
Words cannot express what this means to me.
Thank you again,
David
April 17th, 2008 at 6:38 pm
The Diary of Anne Frank is something everyone must read. It is our duty to make sure she is remembered forever.
Thank you for sharing your experiences.
April 17th, 2008 at 8:39 pm
I’ve been off line today so now I’m having to play catch up. When we were in Amsterdam we toyed with the idea of carving our initials in the bottom of one of those rolls they serve for breakfast and seeing just how many days it would take to reappear.
Your words about Anne Frank are very poignant. For all who have never read her book DO SO NOW.
Off to read the next raspberry.
April 17th, 2008 at 8:40 pm
John–I remember reading her book in school. So haunting. And, in another time and place, it well could have been me. So very scary. But again, a tour I would love to see and should be offered. In college I took a summer course with a friend, Literature of the Holocaust. We thought it would be an easy A, which it was, but the stuff we had to go through reading was pretty bad–Anne Frank was like “Alice in Wonderland” compare to some of it. Like someone here said, Never Forget.
April 17th, 2008 at 9:32 pm
Oh John….. Anne’s diary, by far it is the book that left the most lasting impression on me. Also required for my high school reading, and once I started it no one had to push me.
On my one visit to Amsterdam, Anne’s house was the top of my list of must do’s, along with every place related to Vincent.
No one must ever forget!! It is touching to know that Carnival will make it possible for many more visitors to see for themselves, honor her, and all those she stands for.
April 17th, 2008 at 9:57 pm
I finally read The Diary of Anne Frank a couple of years ago at the age of 25…somehow I am one of the few that never read it in high school. It is truly amazing how her story still impacts people today. We have already planned to take that excursion on our Splendor trip. As we learned on our Freedom trip last summer, it’s one thing to read about history, but it’s another to truly experience it.
April 18th, 2008 at 12:36 am
Hi John & Heidi.
I read the Diary of Anne Frank in Junior High. I think I will
readit again. I was geting tears in my eyes, just reading how haunting
it was and how sad it made you feel. I get teary eyed also when I think about
that gorgeous, sunny morning of September 11, 2001, and how all of our lives changed
forever.
Sue
April 18th, 2008 at 10:17 am
Hi John:
I wish I could have been there with you. As I stated before the Ann Frank house is #1 on my list of things to see …
Sue K
April 19th, 2008 at 11:43 am
l visited her house last May and it was amazing actually to be there where she wrote her book. l first read her diary when l was a teenager myself, when it was first published after the war. To hear the church bells that she heard while in hiding and to see the canal, seemingly unchanged from those days
.
What touched me so much was seeing the pin ups on her bedroom wall, especially the pictures of the Queen as Princess Elizabeth.
Also last year l also nearly wandered into a coffee shop, was looking for an internet cafe, fortunately my son who was with me stopped me.
He rented a bicycle for the day and one of his highlights was visiting the Heineken brewery.
We went by train to Nijmegen and then by bus into Germany to Kleve where my father is buried in The Reichswald Forest War Cemetery. It is a beautiful and very peaceful and sacred place.
Heidi, I loved Holland
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