Across the street (or should I say canal?) from the Anne Frank Haus is the Westerkerk, an old 16th-century church. We got lucky and found tickets for a half-hour tour. They only offer guided tours for only groups of five or less-we would soon find out why.
If you are claustrophobic or scared of heights, this church tower tour is not for you. Forgetting about being politically correct, it is also not for you if you are too young, too old, too fat, or too tall. We climbed the narrowest, steepest, tiniest stairs I have seen in my life-they were more like a series of rickety ladders. What makes the already narrow tower so much more constricting is the massive and bulky wooden scaffolding built inside to absorb the vibrations from a 7.5-ton bell so that the tower is not damaged.
But a bird’s eye view of Amsterdam, 80m above the ground, with all the churches, canals, and museums was well worth it. There were many old bells of different sizes and materials on the way up and a very unique piano-like organ, which is played by keying different bells to create music.