The train to Amsterdam takes about 45 minutes and gives one a nice view of the countryside. We had decided to take a canal cruise and that seems the best way to ”see” Amsterdam and it was great.
There are many houseboats along the canals and, apparently, there are no more moorings to be had.
Some of them even have a yard.
This one is for sale and we were told the asking price is 600,000 euros and a nearby house recently sold for 2.3 mil euros.
The houses along the canals are called ”dancing houses” because the area was so swampy the houses were built on stilts.
These houses are iconic for Amsterdam. Note the rooftop shapes – more about that later.
A little hard to tell but this house is actually leaning.
One of the attractions we decided to forego was this:
To see a better picture of what they are doing, click here.
Somehow it didn’t look like fun to Bob.
Apparently, residents of Amsterdam move house on an average of every eight years.
The most efficient way to move many household items is through the upper windows.
Thus, you will find a hoist high on many buildings. Must be a sight to see a washer, sofa, or piano above your head!
We were told or read that there are more bicycles than people in Amsterdam. We believe it. The canal boat driver said the canals are 3 metres deep – 1 meter water, 1 meter something, and 1 meter bicycles.
Only a few at the station! How do they ever find their own???
Apparently, some crazy American artist fixes these and places them around town.
