Private Boat Tour

At last, a beautiful sunny day.  We had booked a private small boat tour of Amsterdam’s canals with our host, Paul, for today at 12:30.  That gave me time to finish The Locust, on my Kindle.  We opened windows on each end of our apartment to let the breeze flow through.  The morning sun comes in the front room which could be opened widely.  Linda enjoyed the view and kept watch for our 18ft boat owned by our host, Paul.

The boat arrived right on time and was all ready for us with snacks and drinks.

We headed down our canal behind one of the larger boats hauling building materials. We quickly turned off into a much narrower canal and viewed a number of house boats that are fully hooked up to electrical, water and sewer services and cost about the same as apartments on land.

Most of the canals are lined with trees, some of which lean out over the water.  We learned a bit about what the different styles mean. For example, this gray house with red shutters means it was at one time a warehouse that is being repurposed into dwelling units.  The Portapotty is  temporary while construction is going on.

I figured it was time to try one of local dark beers Paul had picked out for me. It was delicious.  Some of the houseboats have bizarre designs.  Amazing it was allowed.

As we approached the main central area, decorations for the May 5th Liberation Day celebrations were in evidence.  Paul said this canal would be closed to boats like his next week. The botanical gardens are being renovated, but there still is a nice park outside the building.

As we cruised along we saw one of the boats named after our friend Marianne Langin! We collect this  photo for her.

Most of the houseboats must not have more than one level, but there are some exceptions if the surrounding houses are also one story.  This is an example but not very imaginative. Now the replica of a 16th C galleon is another matter.  It is part of the Maritime Museum.

Amsterdam sports many juxtapositions of new and old architecture. I wondered if the foundations of a newer one were faulty, but is a climbing gym. The tower is called Montelbaan Toren from which women folk could wave goodbye to their men leaving for sea voyages, knowing many likely would not return.

This tilting little house by one of the bridges into the city from what was open sea was a toll house.

These other five houses are reputed to be the oldest still in existance in Amsterdam.  They date from around 1630 and tilt a bit because as the water levels have fluctuated over the centuries the wooden pilings became exposed to oxygen and started to rot.  They sometimes can be replaced with special concrete pilings apparently.

We were surprised to see mounted police in Amsterdam.  These women wearing pony  tails riding ponies are used for crowd control apparently.  Must have been practicing for May 5th.  As we started our return trip we passed many scenic places and even this circular parking building has become shelter for an outdoor restaurant underneath the spiral layers.

Our tour lasted 2 1/2 hours and was a very pleasant way to get an overview of this city,  We have booked  times for the van Gogh museum on Friday and the Rijksmuseum tomorrow morning.  The weather forecast is for some rain so that is good timing for us and we feel fortunate to have been able to experience this very personal and comfortable tour with Paul.  For those of you who have not had the pleasure to visit Amsterdam, I hope these scenes will encourage you to consider coming.

Jeff