Eighty years ago, a Jewish teenager hiding in an Amsterdam attic, listened to the quarter chimes of the nearby Westerkerk and hoped the war would soon be over.
Through the posthumous publication of her diary, Anne Frank has become a potent emblem of the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust.
Today, the secret annexe behind a bookcase on Prinsengracht is a fascinating museum and a major tourist draw in a city blessed with world class museums.
The audio-tour through the empty rooms of Otto Frank's former business is hugely poignant; Anne's laughing passport photos; a quote from the diary; faded wallpaper pinned with magazine clippings; a map with pins following the Allied advance through France.
There is also the diary itself, smaller than you imagine, an autograph book given by father Otto for Anne's 13th birthday - the same age as my daughter.
Perhaps most heart breaking is Anne's obvious stifled potential, and the detail that the eight people who hid in the attic for two years, were on the last transport out of Westerbork transit camp to Auschwitz. Only Otto survived.
As a modern city Amsterdam has much else to offer - from art galleries to intriguing independent boutiques, to buzzing bars and cafes.
Travelling with my young teen, we found the impressive public transport network an efficient way to navigate the city's sights. Its network of brick-lined canals and 16th century houses is a World UNESCO heritage site, and so car unfriendly that bikes now rules the roost.
It's refreshing to move around a city that privileges two-wheelers, but although bike hire is inexpensive, you may be daunted by the assertive Dutch cyclists who jangle their bells if you don't keep pace, or heaven forbid, wander into their dedicated lanes.
The trams are also fun, we caught one to the 'museum quarter' for a stroll through the grounds of the Vondelplark, and a visit to the Van Gogh Museum - a highly accessible introduction to art for young visitors.
Not only can you see the artist's multiple self-portraits and learn about his touching bond with his beloved brother, and battles with mental health, but there are wonderful examples of the contemporaries who influenced him including Monet, Manet, Degas and Gaugin.
It was following a heated argument with the latter that Van Gogh severed his own ear and handed it to a cleaner at a brothel in Arles.
The canals themselves are best seen on one of the many boat tours. Along with bell jangling cyclists, we caught one of the free ferries across the Ij river for the start of ours.
The flaps lower and the bikes flood out past one of the city's newest attractions - the A'DAM Lookout, with a rooftop bar where you can get a bird's eye view of Amsterdam going back and forth on a costly giant swing.
Instead we got great views of life along the river from the double height windows of our apartment at Eric Vökel Riverfront Suites.
A short bus ride from the centre, those only in town for a couple of nights could also book Eric Vökel's more centrally located boutique apartments.
Our 52 hours in the city were a whirlwind, we customised our own chocolate bar at Tony's Chocolonely megastore, watched a traditional bakeries make crumbly caramel Stroopwafel biscuits, enjoyed Dutch pancakes in a canalside eatery, discovered a children's playground in three lashed-together barges, visited Rembrandt's grave in the Westerkerk, and drank in an historic hostelry down a narrow side street, which boasted an eight page beer menu.
This historic yet vibrant city felt safe yet relaxed. The cannabis coffee shops seem less prevalent in the centre (or more discreet) than on previous visits, and the infamous red light district are an easily avoidable curio - although the Sex Museum is reportedly fascinating.
Between our footsore ramblings, we were delighted to return to the crisp white sheets and comfy beds of the Erik Vökel Riverfront Suites in the riverside Pontsteiger Building, looking out at the hive of activity on the endlessly fascinating waterway.
Amsterdam is well connected with direct flights and train services from London. Eric Vökel has two places to stay in the city, the https://www.ericvokel.com/en/hotel/eric-vokel-riverfront-suites/ and the more central Eric Vökel Amsterdam Suites: https://www.ericvokel.com/en/hotel/eric-vokel-amsterdam-suites/
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