It's a Wonderful Life in Europe: Boats, Bicycles and Canals in Amsterdam

Amsterdam was our destination when Emily and Katie visited in March. It had been one of the "darkest" ie cloudiest winters on record in Europe. So we were thrilled to have one of the first sunny and warm days of the year to tour Amsterdam. The city is built on canals dammed from the Amstel River (thus the beer name) and is actually below sea level. In the 1300s, the Dutch also learned how to control the sea tides by building dikes. There are over 2500 houseboats in the city - at one time they were actually cargo vessels used to ferry essentials throughout the city and into the North Sea.

We drove to Amsterdam from Wiesbaden (about 4 hours) on a beautiful day and within minutes of arriving, hopped on a canal tour to see the city from the canal perspective. Our captain was very informative and it was obvious he truly loved his city. This is a great way to get oriented to Amsterdam and also learn about the history without visiting a boring museum.

The girls enjoying a sunny afternoon on the canals. Emily had a blonde moment when she said her headphone commentary on the tour was not working, and then realized the ear buds were not in her ears.

That's my reflection viewing one of the old houseboats that once was a sail-powered ship.

A view from the open air boat to Amsterdam's famous gables. The 2 to the left are called Bell gables.

An example of a sea-going vessel in the Amsterdam harbor leading to the North Sea.

A houseboat permanently anchored with the nice touch of a picket fence.

One of the many tunnels under bridges throughout the city.

A museum that IS well worth a visit is Anne Frank's house and museum. We all remember the movie but to visit inside the actual house, you get the sense of what it was like to be in prison in your own home. All the windows were covered and each room was claustrophobically small. The story is still riveting today and a sad reminder that Anne died in a concentration camp just weeks before liberation. Her father survived and found the diary after the war. The rest is history.

Our gang in front of the iconic and beautiful Amsterdam Centraal Train Station.

The Dutch are famous for legalizing marijuana and prostitution. In "coffeeshops" throughout the city, you can try whatever strength or strain you like. Although they have strong laws against harder drugs like heroin and cocaine, they believe that a prohibition on marijuana would create more problems than it solves. Prostitution in the famous red light district has been legal since the 1980s for the same reasons.

Apparently the first coffeeshop in town.

Bicycles !! There are so many of these that bikers are far more dangerous than cars in the city. And every imaginable violation of American standards of safety are on display. You willl never see a bike helmet in town and yet these bikers constantly navigate around mindless tourists like us with no problem.