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5 Fascinating Facts About the Dutch Canals

June 13, 2019 by carla020 Leave a Comment

Blog 5 Interesting Facts about the Canals

Oh, the Amsterdam canals! They sure are picturesque, aren’t they? So much so, that if all the mood shots, selfies, and panoramas taken from the city’s bridges were printed out and piled up together they’d weigh more than some of those bridges!

But the waterways are so much more than just a pretty picture. There are tons of stories and facts about them which are just as fascinating! Today we’re going to look at some of the coolest tidbits so that at the next cocktail party you can throw out some Amsterdam based factoids without having to make anything up and ending up looking like an ass. (Yes, it’s an old one, but let’s face it, neither Amsterdam nor Fox News has changed much since then).

Okay, enough of the (not so) subtle digs and on to the good stuff!

Almost all of the Canals were dug in one lifetime

The canal work began in 1585 and was almost completely done by 1665. Okay, that’s a long life, but contrary to what you may think, some people did actually live that long back then. Statistics which say life expectancy was around 30 years back then are skewed by child mortality as 1 in 3 children died as recently as 1800. As life expectancy is calculated by adding all the years lived together and then dividing by the number of people, young deaths pulled down average life expectancy (a lot). But if you managed to survive the first five years, how long you could expect to live was much higher after that.

Okay, back to the canals. When they were originally dug, they weren’t just for transport but a few of them were for defence as well. You can still boat, bike or drive along the defensive moat, though nowadays it’s in the middle of the city. Nor is it really the prettiest of the canals today. Back then, however, it was quite something. On one side there were giant fortifications while on the other lay the wide open countryside. (Those fortifications were built to keep out the Spanish against who the Dutch fought an 80 year long independence war).

Interestingly, the city managed didn’t expand much beyond that wall for most of its history. Only in the last two hundred years did it expand beyond, with most of the growth only occurring after the second world war.

There used to be a lot more canals

For a while, like most places, the Amsteram became enamored with the car. It was so bad that they started filling in canals to create more road access. There was even a plan by a local police commissioner in 1955 to fill in each and every canal in the city so the city’s traffic problems would be solved ‘once and for all’.

The citizens of Amsterdam did not take kindly to his plan and protested loudly and often. Thankfully, the plan was shelved, which just goes to show how important it is for a city’s citizens to be heard!

Amsterdam has, by the way, found another way to deal with its traffic problem that didn’t require filling in the waterways. They’ve boosted public transport and bike access while purposefully making it harder to access the city center by car.

They’ve also created park and ride spaces outside the city where you can park affordably and take public transport into the city while making parking in the city more expensive. Now, they are even removing parking spaces to create areas for trees, bicycles and pedestrians. All to make the city more cleaner, greener and more livable. Now that’s a much better solution!

The canals are home to many people and animals alike

There are 3000 houseboats on the Dutch canals! What’s more, a lot of animals make their home in the water as well. Along with birds and other animals, you’ll find 20 different kinds of fish and shellfish in the waterways. You go nature! Of course, they’re a little bit hard to see, as the water is rather murky. So, if you’re interested to see them but don’t consider yourself much of a fisherman, you can check them out at the Artis zoo.

The reason there are so many animals in the waterways is because despite its appearance the water is quite clean. There are tons of places around the city where people go swimming regularly. There’s even a national swim event when people go swimming in the Dutch canals together to raise money.

Though, for the sake of full disclosure, it was cancelled last year because a freak weather event flooded the sewers and caused sewer water to run into the canals. As a result, e coli was found there. Yes that’s the one associated with human waste. But then, in days of yore that was something that was true every day as the canals also served as the city’s sewer and garbage dump. So, I guess that’s already a vast improvement!

The Amsterdam Archipelago

You can look at Amsterdam as if it’s one piece of land bisected by lots of canals or, if you tilt your head sideways and squint, you can look at it as a body of water dotted with lots of islands. In that case, the city has more than 90 islands within its limits connected by 1281 bridges.

Another interesting fact: most of those islands are sinking. Just like Venice, in fact (though it’s not quite as drastic). The Dutch have known for a long time that the land they’re building on isn’t really stable enough, so to make sure the buildings stay upright, they’ve driven huge posts into the ground and built on top of them. These pass through the soft layer and anchor the buildings in the layer below that. With varying success, it might be said, as quite a few of the buildings in Amsterdam lean this way and that.

Do note, the forward lean that many of the buildings have is on purpose. It’s supposed to keep the rain off the front of the building and makes them look taller, besides.

To create the modern canals the Dutch dammed a river

It’s true! The Amstel used to flow through the center of town and actually passed through dam square. The river was dammed (hence the name of the square) and forced to flow through the adjacent canals.

This was actually a very wise decision by the Dutch as this meant that the water in the canals was no longer just stagnating there and now moves. That meant the water (and everything thrown into it) didn’t hang around in the city but instead went out to sea. Must have been great both for the smell and for the city’s hygiene!

This system is further augmented by a series of locks that the city uses to redirect the water down specific canals. Don’t worry, this won’t influence your tour, though, as this is something they only really do late at night. How considerate of them!

How the Dutch won their independence in 1600

May 16, 2019 by carla020 Leave a Comment

By the time the Dutch war of independence ended those who had started it were pretty much all dead. Not because they were all brutally murdered (though, no doubt, some were; it was a war) but because it took so damn long!

How long? Eighty years. Yes, that’s long. To put that in perspective, since many people had children in their teens or early twenties, the people who’d initially shouted ‘Freedom!’ had great great grandchildren when it was all done.

To be fair, the fighting wasn’t continuous. There were plenty of truces, peaces, treaties and agreements along the way. But in all, it took 80 years before Spain finally gave up its claims to the territory.

The Dutch rebelled against Spanish rule for two reasons. The first one was similar to why a certain British colony decided to throw off their overlord’s yoke: ‘no taxation without representation’. (Though, knowing the Dutch consensus model, we probably needed a book to say the same thing).

But the biggest reason was religious. The Spanish were (rather zealous) catholics while most of the Dutch embraced calvinism during the reformation (1540s). And though today, those two groups might see eye to eye, back then they would only look at each other through the sights of a musket barrel.

The religious wars wracked Europe for about 300 years; throughout the 16th, 17th and 18th century. The Dutch rebelled as part of that in 1568 in response to rather ruthless demands made by the Spanish king, Phillip II. They tore down religious art in catholic churches in what is known as the ‘beeldenstorm’ or ‘storm of statues’ This first rebellion was crushed ruthlessly, forcing the calvinists underground. You can still see some of their hidden churches, like the ‘Lieve Heer op Zolder’ or Kind Lord in the Attic.

It could have all ended there, but Phillip was not magnanimous in victory. He demanded the Dutch pay a tax to fund his war against the Ottoman empire. That turned many formerly loyal Dutchies against him. Again, the area rose up. This time it went better. The Dutch attained naval superiority (which they managed to keep for the rest of the war) and started busting the dikes close to besieged cities to flood the land and was the enemy away. Willem of Orange ordered a huge swath of territory, between the rivers the Maas and the Oude Rijn flooded in this way to protect Holland. I guess you could call that defence by tsunami.

For a while, it got incredibly complicated with Spanish armies mutineering, the French and the British getting involved and territory going back and forth. Then fortunately for the Dutch, the Spanish took their eye off the ball, got involved in another (religious) war in the South of France and an area known as ‘Holland’ (hence the misnomer) became sort of independent from 1588.

As an extra bonus, religious persecution around Spanish controlled Flanders led non-catholic merchants to flee to Amsterdam. This caused a large trade boom and made it possible for Amsterdam to become an important trading city. The Dutch invested their windfall wisely and turned their army into an effective fighting machine with guns and cannons.

There were plenty of Dutch military innovations, but one of the coolest has to be the one regarding Jenever. This was one of the world’s first distilled alcohols (and was copied by the English who called it ‘gin’). The Dutch decided it was a great idea to give it the army before a battle. Hence the expression ‘Dutch Courage’. And before you worry about the soldier’s accuracy, don’t. As back then bullets were round, gunpowder weapons were notoriously inaccurate. The best you could do was kind of point them in the right direction and hope. Jenever didn’t really interfere with that.

Apparently, the Spanish were twiddling their thumbs as this happened. For when the Dutch moved against them, they were absolutely crushed and driven out of the modern day Netherlands. But Spain was hardly beaten. They had a global empire to call upon, after all.

For a while the two sides fought back and forth and built ever-bigger armies. The Dutch army tripled in size to 50,000 men with most of the common soldiers being English, Germans and Swiss. Makes you wonder how they ever communicated. ‘Charge!’ ‘What’s he saying?’ ‘Attack, attack, attack!’ ‘I think he’s saying it’s time for lunch’.

Eventually, They signed a truce. Here, the difference in what they were fighting for probably helped the Dutch. After all, while the Dutch were fighting for their lives the Spanish were trying to keep a colony. And so, the peace deal was very favourable to the low countries and including official recognition of their newly established Republic’s independence.

This 1609 truce lasted an 12 years. What ended it? Take a guess. Went with religion? Nailed it! Once again, the protestants and the catholics decided they couldn’t live together. In this case, it started far in the east in a country known as Bohemia (in the present day Czech Republic) with the Dutch, Spanish and others fighting a proxy war. This war lasted 30 years, enveloped most of central Europe and ended up costing eight million lives.

Eventually, Spain turned on the Dutch proper. This time, they fought a military and economic war which crushed the Dutch economy. Things got bad for a while. Then, the Spanish made the same mistake as last time, and got involved in another war (Apparently, this was a hard lesson for them to learn).

Suddenly, the ground shifted. Together with the French (who were never particularly fond of the Spanish) the Dutch went on the offensive, sunk a fleet with 20,000 soldiers, and kicked Spain out of modern day Belgium. They claimed for themselves Dutch-speaking Flanders and Luxembourg, as well as many colonies overseas.

Finally, in 1698, the Spanish and the Dutch signed the treaty of Munster. Here, Spain recognised all these territories as belonging to the Dutch republic, lifted their embargo and gave plenty of trade concessions to boot.

Historians often say that this was the moment that Dutch golden age, where the Dutch Republic was possibly the richest and most powerful country in the world, got started.

But that’s another article.

How Amsterdam protects itself against the water

April 11, 2019 by carla020 Leave a Comment

Water. It has been Amsterdam’s lifeblood ’s since the city’s inception. In truth, the canals were a truly revolutionary technology when they were built; allowing the city to move goods by water instead of horse and cart and through that become one of the world’s greatest trading cities.

And yes, the word ‘technology’ is certainly the correct one. For while it might appear the hardest question in canal building is how to build brick walls underwater (You don’t. You build the wall first and afterwards add the water) there is a lot more involved.

You see, though it might not look that way, the whole system is constantly moving. Not the canals themselves, of course. It’s not like we wake up some mornings to find that they’ve decided to start flowing down a different street. But the water within them.

And that’s a good thing, seeing as stagnant water is problem water. Especially as for the longest time Amsterdam didn’t just use the waterways to transport its goods but also its sewage. Yes, you read that correctly. Hey, at least we threw it into the canals instead of the middle of our streets! At least our system flushed!

This flushing is achieved was through an ingenious set of locks and dams, which make it possible to send water through the different canals. In this way, they can strengthen or lessen the water flow and drain out the city’s waste.

This system of locks was also one of the ways the city defends itself against water. As it allowed the city to restrict how much water flows in and out. But in truth, that’s really the last line of defense as the best way to make sure the city doesn’t flood is by making sure the water doesn’t get here in the first place.

The Dikes

You’ve probably all heard of them (and the boy who put his finger in one) and they were pretty much the first defence the Dutch built. Initially, they were private projects with towns, lords and the church all building their own dike projects to keep the water out and win land.

A lot of different systems were tried, but at their simplest, they are elongated hills of sand, much like the natural dunes which protect the Dutch coastline (which is probably where the Dutch learned the idea in the first place).

But dikes aren’t just hills of sand. Instead, you need a way to take the water from one side and deposit it on the other. One clever way the Dutch do this is through culvert. This invention uses the tides to transport water from one side to the others. Basically, the culvert allows water to only go one way. This allows water to flow out when the tide is low but prevents it flowing the other way when the tide is high. In this way, it was actually possible to keep the water on the land side below the average level of the sea.

In fact, the Afsluitdijk, which is a 32-kilometer dike that dammed an actual sea (okay a small one) works by this system to deposit water into the sea and prevent seawater from flowing the other way. As a result, the Zuiderzee is actually no longer a sea! Instead, it’s now a sweet water lake! We even changed the name to IJsselmeer Neat, right?

The Afsluitdijk is very important for Amsterdam as before it was built, storms would sometimes whip in through the Zuiderzee and batter the city. With the dike in place, that no longer happens.

The pumps

Though these culverts are clever, they only really allow water near sea level to be pumped out. If you want to go lower, you need another system: The pump. In the beginning, these were basically foot pumps, like when you try to inflate your air mattress without electricity. Though naturally not even close to as effective, as we didn’t yet have things like plastics, rubber and airtight seals.

Then the Dutch invented the wind pump – also known as the wind mill. Yes, that’s right. Many of those famous windmills that you see the pictures were meant to win back land from the water! Only later did we start to use them to cut wood and such.

Later we started using steam and electric pumps. But they’re not quite as picturesque as the windmills so you don’t hear as much about them. Did you know many of our pumps have to work continuously to suck up the water? If they’d ever stop, the water level would start rising immediately, in which case it’s a good reason the Dutch are so tall. There is even a (not very serious) theory that that is why the Dutch are the tallest people in the world.

The Rivers

Of course, it isn’t just the sea that delivers water to our country. The rivers do so as well. And, in a sense they’re more difficult to control. After all, while you only need to keep the sea out, that’s not possible with the rivers. They have to be allowed to go through and deliver their load to the sea.

Despite this difference, for the longest time, the Dutch used the same system to fight the rivers. They built high, strong dikes that would keep the water in the rivers and away from the land.

But about 20 years ago, the Dutch realised there was a problem with this strategy. Sometimes, a lot of water comes down the river and it has to go somewhere. Don’t give it the space to do so, and it will create it itself! This could lead to disastrous flooding, with dams breaking and whole cities being inundated with water.

As a result, the government has in recent years been following a new strategy called ‘room for the river’. Basically, this means that they create space for the water to go. For example, they’ve moved the dikes back from the river’s edge, so that the river can overflow some land. If that’s not enough, they’ve created natural weak points where the water can flow into certain regions so it won’t flow into others.

And then there are the ‘green canals’, which are basically areas which are normally dry but can be turned into waterways if the need arises. In this way, water can be safely diverted away from cities and into these safe areas. into these areas so that it doesn’t even reach major cities like Amsterdam. In effect, it’s a grand strategy of prevention instead of treatment.

It takes a whole country

The final strategy the Dutch use is to consider flooding not at a regional level but at a country wide level. That’s vital, because water has to go somewhere and it doesn’t much care about lines people draw on maps.

Of course, it wasn’t always like this. For the longest time, the Dutch tried to deal with problems on the communal level. But this often created more problems than it solved. For example, when one community built a higher dike, this could lead to flooding further up river.

Eventually, (and this took centuries) the Dutch started to work together; seeing the protection of Amsterdam as part and parcel of protecting the whole country. And it seems to have worked. The Netherlands hasn’t had a major flood since 1953. That’s quite something for a country where large parts are under water, wouldn’t you say?

The Dutch have even turned flood protection into a business! Exporting what they’ve learned to help other countries deal with their water problems. Now if that isn’t making lemonade, I don’t know what is!

Bikes!

March 14, 2019 by carla020 Leave a Comment

There are more bikes in Amsterdam than people. No joke. We have no idea what all those extra bikes are for. Are people riding them two at a time? Is it the Dutch version of the mid-life crisis sports car in the garage? Or are those extra bikes mainly for tourists to risk their lives on?

It’s not exactly clear. Perhaps it’s a combination of all these things, along with all the bikes which live out their last days rusting away forlornly chained to bridges or gates by the side of the road.

Whatever the case, bicycles are as integral to the city’s scene as it’s canals. In many ways, more so. After all, far more people travel by bicycle daily than take to Amsterdam’s waterways. Nearly sixty percent of the city’s inhabitants get on the saddle every day! And that’s saying something in a city where it rains on average 15 days a month.

Was that always so?

Picture of Leidseplein back in the day. Source: Amsterdam City Archive

No. Bicycles weren’t always a party of the city’s scene. In fact, there was a time when the car reigned supreme. There was even a plan in the 60s to pave over one of the iconic canals to make more space for the wheeled metal cans. Thankfully, that plan got bogged down in committees and local government and ultimately ended up going nowhere. So, two cheers for bureaucracy! (Do you think that’s the first time anybody ever wrote that?)

As other cities are now showing, to make the bicycle a mainstay of a city’s transportation scene take government and city planning. To be fair, it helps that Amsterdam is both densely populated and flat, as that means you can get where you’re going without having the physique of a marathon runner.

Bridge 2002 in Amsterdam. Source: Wikimedia Commons

But that doesn’t change the basics. If it wasn’t for the more than 500 kilometers of bicycle paths throughout the city, the bicycle wouldn’t be quite as popular. For though this machine is great for the environment, your condition and convenient besides, nobody wants to run the risk of dying every time they go to the corner shop! So, having the right infrastructure is hugely important.

Fortunately, the city has invested heavily in this regard. Even going so far as to make it hard for cars to even enter the city center!

Accidents on the rise

Parked bicycles in front of Central station. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Nor is it a matter of building it and they will come. It requires the government to constantly rethink matters. For example, currently the city (and country) is going through a bit of a crisis. Deadly bicycle accidents surpassed deadly car deaths for the first time last year. The main reason? Technology. More specifically, the e-bike.

Yes, that does make it sound like a virtual bicycle. And yes, we agree it would be awesome if you could upload and download bicycles. But we’re not there yet. Instead, the ‘e’ stands for the more mundane ‘electric’. As in, it’s no longer muscle power alone which pushes you forward. That means these bikes can go faster and – more importantly – people who formerly couldn’t use the bicycle anymore, like the elderly, can get on them again.

And that’s great, of course. Anything to give people back their mobility. But it does mean this demographic rides a lot more kilometers which increases the risk of accidents (though the accident rate per kilometer traveled is still dropping, so it’s not all bad).

Something that might also be contributing to accidents is the rules. Or rather, the way dutch cyclists feel they’re beneath them.

Organized chaos

Cycling on Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal. Source: Pixabay.com -> StockSnap

That’s something to consider if you’re coming here as a tourist and you’re planning to rent a bike. You might want to practice a bit at home. You see, though there are numerous laws concerning bicycles – like don’t run a red light and such – if you actually obey them, you’re likely to get yelled at by other bicyclists for being so reckless.

In their stead, we have a bunch of unwritten rules. And you don’t really want to be learning those even as you’re trying to figure out which way those damned pedals are supposed to spin!

The first time you get on a bike in Amsterdam will probably be pretty stressful as people wiz by close enough they can pat you on the shoulder and blatantly ignore rules, traffic signs and your obvious discomfort. Madly ringing their bell and tutting as they do so.

Funny Video about cycling in Amsterdam. Source: I amsterdam

The good news? Though it might seem like utter chaos, there is some logic to it. Mainly, it consists of eye contact, keeping track of each other, reading body language to know where people are going, and realizing when another road user won’t be able to see you. You’ll figure all that out soon enough. But be aware that it will require some work.

And then there’s the biggest danger of them all! Is it the cars? The canals? The coffeeshops? No, it’s the tram tracks. They’ve cut more than one bicycle’s journey short rather abruptly (and led to a cyclist doing an unexpected imitation of superman). We suspect that there isn’t one Amsterdam who has not had a first-hand encounter with those tracks and end up meeting pavement because of it. So be careful to not get your wheel stuck in one of those silver deathtraps! The trick is to hit them at an angle. That’s the way you’ll best avoid your wheel slipping inside the track.

Bicycle graveyard

The Bicycles that were dumped into the water, are removed by a special garbage boat.

“But you’re a boat company”, some of you mutter, “Why are you writing about bicycles? How often do two wheelers and the canals really intersect?” More often than you may think. Here’s an interesting statistic for you. Every year, the Dutch authorities take out between 12 and 15 thousand bicycles from the canals. Yes, you read that correctly, ‘every year’ and ‘thousand’.

For them to take out that many, people have to be throwing bikes into the water at a rate of about 33 a day! We have no idea when they do it, these bike throwers. Or who they are, for that matter. We don’t actually see it happen despite our constant presence on the canals. The authorities suspect the main culprit is theft or vandalism. Though why you’d first go through the trouble of stealing a bike to then throw it into the water is a bit of a mystery to us as well.

Whatever the reason and whoever the culprit, it’s quite a chore to fish all those bikes out of the water. They have to take big barges up and down the canals and fish for these former vehicles. But if they don’t, then they risk the safety of the city’s inhabitants. After all, plenty of people fall in the canals as well. And when that happens, the last thing you want is for a pile of bicycles to break your fall.

There is a bright side to all these bicycle rescues. It leads to a lot of recycled metal, with vessels full of algae-covered bicycles regularly dropping off what they’ve collected at the scrap metal yard.

Of course, that does beg the question: How much of the metal has been fished out of the canals several times? After all, some of that metal ends up being recycled into new bikes. So it’s entirely possible some has been collected and then thrown in repeatedly. Oh, what stories some of these cast of bikes could tell!

Though perhaps it might not get much beyond ‘blub, blub’.

What is it like to live on a houseboat in Amsterdam?

January 15, 2019 by carla020 Leave a Comment

In Amsterdam, you can’t miss the houseboats. They’re everywhere; including nearly every picturesque photo you’ll ever take in Amsterdam! Picture of sunset over a canal? Houseboat. Selfie on the skinny bridge? Houseboat. Anne Frank museum? Houseboat.

Yes, that’s right. Her book is set on one! Bet you didn’t know that! Okay, largely because it isn’t true. But that you even entertained the thought shows how ubiquitous the houseboats here are.

But having them block your view of one of the many water-based festivals is entirely different from actually living on one. So, what’s that like?

They’re quite spacious

Our own skipper Paap on houseboat living

They look a little cramped from the outside. But you’d be surprised how much space there is on board. That’s because many houseboats continue under the waterline; giving you more space than you might expect. No, you’re not going to be able to house three generations of a family inside, but many have enough space for the nuclear family. More than most apartments here offer, that’s for sure.

Carla and Paap’s living room – Yes, we live on a houseboat

Some even have two floors. Though that’s not really all that common in the city center, as there the government has ruled that houseboats shouldn’t block the view.

What is allowed, is for people with houseboats to use their houseboats as docks. And that’s awesome, as what’s cooler than being able to step out of your living room window right onto your boat? It’s where we’ve got our own boats and it means that we often float into town instead of getting on a bicycle or a car. It might not be as fast, but it means every journey is a pleasure cruise!

But they’re not as free as you’d think

When people first hear of houseboats, they often think that people who live on them are moving around from street to street and even city to city. Just turn on the engine and float on down to another part of town! Who needs a car when you can take your whole house over to your auntie for a coffee?

Yep, they’re great workplaces too 🙂

Unfortunately, that’s no longer how it works. Though the boats are physically free, the government has done its best to tie them down with rules and regulations. Now, each boat has a designated space and the government isn’t adding any more. In fact, they’re looking to reduce them.

That means that to move a houseboat you need:

A free berth which you can only really get, by getting somebody else’s spot.
The right paperwork sorted out and the right government departments informed.
Power, water, gas and sewer contracts for the new location.
As most houseboats aren’t so much boats as rafts and don’t have motors, somebody to push or drag you to your new location.
Either a route with high enough bridges that your houseboat fits under them or a way to lower your boat.

In other words, you’re not going to your auntie for coffee. Not with your whole house anyway. Better to grab a skiff or bike. Or just invite her around to your place. As you’ve actually got an address, she’ll at least know where to go.

Power, water, gas and sewer lines

And at least we get to be plugged into the grid! This means we have power, water and gas. We’ve even got internet! Isn’t that very 21^st century?

Another advantage is that we can get rid of our waste. To be clear, we always could. But for the longest time that meant that after we ‘used the facilities’, tourists could see the results bobbing down the canal.

Not exactly a pleasant thought – or sight. And so, the government passed a law stating that no raw sewage could be dumped into the canal. When did that happen? All the way back in… 2005. To make matters worse, initially house boats were exempt! Fortunately, the project is close to being finished now. So yes, now the color of the water is brown for other reasons.

In some ways they’re very private. In others they’re not at all.

As you may have noticed, in Amsterdam you don’t have a lot of privacy if you’re living on the ground floor. That’s because we don’t use curtains as much – something that has to do with our protestant roots, where if you had your curtains closed you obviously had something to hide.

Now, that problem can be even worse on the water. I mean, imagine if you live on one of the main tour boat routes? You’d have a mass of people gawking in your window every ten minutes or so. Some houseboat dwellers do get a bit frustrated by that.

On the other hand, you don’t have any neighbors. Nobody stomping around upstairs at three o’clock in the morning on a Tuesday and nobody to complain when it’s you, doing the stomping. In many ways, it feels like you’re living on your own little island even while you’re situated in the middle of the city. And that’s awesome.

Cat’s like living on a houseboat too 🙂

Think a houseboat is cheaper than an apartment? Think again

Originally, houseboats were a way to deal with the housing shortage after World War II. If you’d moved onto one back then, you’d be golden (and also quite old). That’s because since then they’ve moved from an emergency housing solution to very desirable places to live.

I mean, it really does feel like you’re in a different world! The lap of the water. The boats full of happy sailors floating by. The ducks and swans begging for breakfast scraps.

But as a result of the desirability and the way the government isn’t allowing anymore houseboats to be put out, means that the spaces there are, are quite dear.

Add to that, that boats require a lot of maintenance and it’s not exactly a financial picnic.

So, is it worth it?

Without a doubt! Living on a houseboat has its drawbacks, but there is no other way we could imagine living. There is this sense of peace that you get on the water you’ll never get in the city. It’s as if that gangplank leads to another world. One that you share with other houseboat dwellers, boat captains and water fowl.

And that makes all the problems (like the way the water of the canals leech away heat and peel away paint) worth it. The good news? You can actually rent houseboats to try out for a while. There are places all over Amsterdam that offer houseboat rentals. And they’re in plenty of other cities too.

Then you can try the magic of this style of living for yourself! If you love the water or even like it just a little bit, we’re convinced you won’t regret it.

What to do in wintery Amsterdam

December 17, 2018 by carla020 Leave a Comment

There is a good reason people say you shouldn’t visit Amsterdam in winter. That’s because, though people might imagine it’s a wintery wonderland, it’s nothing of the kind. Instead, for most of the time, the temperature stubbornly hovers just above zero while wind, rain and sleet make life miserable. (And no, we very rarely get to skate to work). Add to that short days and grumpy Dutch people and you see why many suggest you avoid it.

At the same time, it isn’t all bad news! If you have booked your trip, there is still plenty to do. Here we’ll discuss a few of them. Just remember, bring warm clothing. Also, wind and umbrellas don’t mix. So, unless you want to entertain bystanders with your umbrella chasing antics, raincoats are a better bet.

The Museums

Photo by Marcus Koppen, Nemo museum in the background

There are 75 museums in Amsterdam. From the Van Gogh, to the Handbag museum and even NEMO for kids and those young at heart! If museums are your thing, there are advantages to visiting during winter, as there are a lot less tourists in town.

Some things to note: Dutch museums charge quite a lot, particularly at the entrance. Therefore, consider buying your ticket online. Particularly, as often these tickets allow you to skip whatever line is still there. Alternatively, if you’re going to visit a few museums, consider getting a city card. Though you’ll have to plonk down some money up front, you’ll get to visit as many museums as you like and also get to take public transport for free.

Boat tours

Photo by Marcus Koppen

Dutch boating companies are fully aware that winter keeps coming back, every year. For that reason, a lot of them have internal heating, roofs and other knick knacks to keep you warm and protect you from the elements.

It’s well worth it, as the waterways of Amsterdam are one huge UNESCO heritage site! What’s more, the early sunsets mean it’s easy to see the city at the night time, when it’s all pretty and lit up.

There are a lot of boating companies out there to choose from, from the large bus-like things to smaller private affairs. We’re on the smaller end of that range and we offer private tours for up to 10 people and shared tours. So, come on board whether you’re many or few.

The light festival

Photo by Carla Paping

From November 29th till January 20th there is a big and world renown public art exhibition in the streets of Amsterdam called the Amsterdam light festival.

Artists from all over the world showcase a wide range of art pieces which all involve having some sort of light theme to them. As of this writing, there are 200(!) pieces on display!

Many of the artists are famous and you’ll normally have to pay a lot to see their art. So, it’s a great opportunity for the art lovers.

You can see the artworks on foot, bike or – yes – again boat. It’s modern art, by the way, so it’s worth reading what the artist was trying to convey as that knowledge adds to the experience.

Cafes, bars and restaurants

Photo by The Creative Exchange on Unsplash

It’s true, in the past Dutch food wasn’t all that exciting. It basically amounted to a collection of cabbage dishes. Fortunately, our international roots have allowed us to sample a wide range of other country’s cuisines and learn from them. Now, there are a huge number of restaurants for you to try out, with foods from all over the world.

So, are you in the mood for French, Thai or Mexican? You’ll find it! Make sure you do some searching online before you go out, and you’re likely to be well impressed. Trip Advisor is a good place to take a look.

Do make sure you do that, though. As otherwise chances are you’re going to end up sitting in a tourist trap. Yes, we’ve got a lot of those as well.

Then there are our brown bars. These are like the English pubs, but then – well – Dutch. They have a wide range of beers to choose from, often have fireplaces and are a great way to spend an evening.

Another thing you should definitely check out is the coffee culture. Amsterdam has a lot of cafes which serve great coffee as well as cakes, pies and other sugary snacks. These are great places to hang out in when the weather decides to take a nasty turn.

Coffee shops

And yes, no guide to what to do in Amsterdam in Winter would be complete without an entry on coffee shops. They are still something that pique the interest of tourists and can be an interesting stopover in the cold months of winter. After all, they were one of the first places you could buy weed and hash without running the risk of getting arrested in the world! (No, they are not legal, just decriminalised).

Some things to note:

- You do not actually have to smoke weed inside a coffee shop. If you just want to go in, drink a cup of coffee and take in the vibe, that’s okay.

- If you don’t want to smoke but want to try an edible instead, listen to what the person behind the counter says! If they say ‘only eat one’ then don’t think after 45 minutes ‘oh, it’s not working, I’ll have another one’. They take a long time to take effect and the only way to un-eat is both messy and unpleasant.

- You’re okay smoking in designated places. Your hotel room rarely qualifies as such.

Biking in Amsterdam is organised chaos. If you don’t know how it works, it can be dangerous even when sober. So, don’t smoke a joint first!

Winter can still be fun, as long as you bundle up!

The winters here are cold, rainy and windy. Fortunately, they have been for a long time. And so, the Dutch have found many ways to get through the long nights. If you’re going to be down here, you might as well join in! Eat some great food, see the sites without long touristy lines and take in some of the city’s unique winter atmosphere.

Just make sure you take warm clothes! Because nobody is quite as miserable as a tourist who has come to realise a summer jacket doesn’t suffice in the Dutch cutting wind. So, bring sweaters, a winter coat, gloves, hats and scarfs. Armed with those, they city is wonderful, while without them, it can seem like one of the circles of hell. You’ve been warned!

What Would You Do If You Dropped Your Keys In The Canal?

October 28, 2018 by carla020 Leave a Comment

The canals are a great addition to our city. They’re beautiful, serve as a free skating rink (about once every ten years) and give the city real character. At the same time, there are a few downsides. The bridges turn from picturesque photo opportunities into death traps when it snows. (Though admittedly, that also creates some good photo opportunities.)

https://youtu.be/ftNSYmuilLM?t=73

They also create a bit of a rodent problem (hence all the cats). But the biggest problem of all is when things fall in.

What falls in the canal?

A lot of things do. About 35 cars go in per year, for example. The city has a special diving unit specifically to deal with them. They also pull out about 12,000(!) bicycles a year. And let’s not forget about the drunks! A lot of them end up in the canals as well. Most often, just after they thought it was a good idea to pee off the sides (apparently if you pee standing up while inebriated you can get dizzy and tip forward).

And then there are the keys. We blame the lock makers. They make their locks finicky and put them exactly there where the risk of an accident is greatest. And so, most of us long-term residents have been there. You go to your bike on the bridge, try to unlock your bike have a moment of butter fingers and whoops! Keys in the canal.

This happens so often that when Paap was out on his boat a little while ago and he saw a lady dangling a piece of string into the water with a desperate look on her face, he immediately knew she wasn’t trying to catch fish.

He was right. Her keys were at the bottom and her bait was a magnet she’d bought in a nearby shop. It was not proving to be up to the task.

A series of crazy events

Crazy thing one: because Paap had seen this happen so often he actually had a powerful magnet for just such an occasion on board.

Crazy thing two: Within a minute of using his magnet she found keys!

Crazy thing three: They weren’t hers! Somebody else had gotten unlucky and dropped their keys at exactly the same spot.

Fortunately, the story has a happy ending. A few minutes later, she’d found her own keys and got to keep going with her day. As for Paap, he got to walk away with the warm glow of being somebody’s hero and he got a good story to boot! Not bad considering all it took was a string and a magnet, right?

So what should you do if you drop anything in?

In case you ever lose something in the water and a magnet doesn’t work (only iron, nickel and cobalt are magnetic) then there is another option. You can call the fire brigade. This is what one of our skippers did when he lost his wedding ring. They immediately got down there with their diving team and found it back for him.

Apparently, they don’t mind doing this, either! They see this as valuable exercise which helps them train for those times when they’re working against the clock. So, if you lose something valuable don’t be afraid to give them a call! Just make sure you remember exactly where it went in. Otherwise, with the water being as murky as it is, your chance for a happy ending will be much reduced.

5 alternative attractions in Amsterdam where you’ll avoid the tourists

September 30, 2018 by carla020 Leave a Comment

Have you noticed how few Amsterdammers you find sitting in the cafes and bars on Dam square? There aren’t many of us in the Red Light District either. The reason? There are so many other places for us to go!

The city is a warren of back streets filled with hidden gems. And so, when the tourists move in en masse we simply move on. That’s what’s happened in many places, like the Dam the Red light district and much of the Leidse Plein.

It’s not only true for the bars, cafes or restaurants either. Once you know Amsterdam a little better, you realize there are plenty of more affordable alternatives to the regular tourist traps.

Here we’ll discuss some of our personal favorites. Are these the best the city has to offer? That’s a bit like choosing the best Dutch candy shop. There are so many options and it depends on what you like! Do you prefer stroopwafels or liquorish? Art or architecture? At the same time, if you’re even a little bit like us then we’re sure you’ll like these!

Hortus Botanical Gardens

Sure, we’re prejudiced. We got married here, so we’ve got a special connection. All the same, there’s a reason why we chose to get married in the Hortus. With its greenery, design and luxurious warmth (even in winter) It’s such an easy place to connect to.

Established in what is now the heart of the city in 1638 to supply apothecaries with necessary herbs, the Hortus is one of the oldest botanical gardens in the world. Of course, medicine has moved on a bit since then, so it doesn’t supply quite as many herbs. Now it’s main focus is to collect, protect and display different plants, flowers and trees from around the world.

Nor is it just the greenery which is beautiful. The buildings, layout and greenhouses are gorgeous as well. Even better, though we heartily advise you to go in, you don’t have to. On days with decent weathers, the surrounding parks and waterways are some of the nicest areas to sit and watch the world go by. It an oasis in an already green city.

You’ll have to pay to get in. You can find the prices here.

The Nine streets

Yes, the nine streets. You’ve got nine streets in your country? That’s nice, but they don’t hold a 9straatjes candle to our nine streets. Okay, humility might not be the Dutch people’s strong suit. Still, they’re pretty cool streets that make up a big chunk of the center and offer some unique shopping experiences. Like a shop dedicated to toothbrushes (and only toothbrushes) and another one which sells rubber ducks (and – you guessed it – only rubber ducks).

In a way, this area is a perfect example of gentrification. This used to be one of the ugliest and filthiest parts of the city. For example, the tanneries which cured animal skins were located here a few hundred years ago. And as there was both rotting meat and human urine involved in the tanning process, that obviously didn’t make this a very good area to live. That’s all changed now.

Hofjes

Tucked away in the heart of Amsterdam are ‘the little courts’. When you walk into either of those, it feels like you’ve left the city entirely as the noise and hubbub of the city falls away. There are two publicly accessible hofjes. The Begijnhof off the Spui and the Deutzenhof just off the Prinsengracht. Both were founded to offer refuge from the city’s hustle and bustle without you having to go to the actual countryside.

To keep them from being absolutely overrun by tourists, neither of them is advertised. As a result, if you don’t know where they are you’ll probably walk straight on by. It’s a clever strategy. It lets the whole city enjoy them without so many people going that the area becomes unliveable. Entrance is free.

Plan Zuid

Are you an architecture buff? Then Amsterdam has plenty to offer. From the ancient to the more recent. In that latter category you’ll find Plan Zuid. This area was designed by the expressionist architect Hendrik Berlage (Yup, the same guy who designed the Beurs van Berlage) back in 1915.

The reason it’s so interesting is because it fundamentally changed urban planning. The insights that he had have been instrumental in understanding the space we live in. This includes housing as well as public spaces.

As an extra bonus, it’s just a really cool and friendly area! And though it might now be 100 years old, like fine wine it has aged well. Perhaps that’s why it’s one of the most expensive areas to live outside of the city center! (Though it’s free to visit).

Cobra museum in Amstelveen

There are a bunch of famous art museums in Amsterdam. I mean, you’ve probably already gone to museums like Van Gogh, Rijks and Rembrandt. And, of course, they’re nice. But they’re hardly the only ones you’ve got to visit!

Our favorite little-known museum is the Cobra Museum. It’ showcases a mid-20th century expressionist painting style which was incredibly popular in the Netherlands as well as Scandinavia (no, the Netherlands is not part of Scandinavia. Yes, that is a common mistake).

The reason it’s not all that popular is probably because it’s a little bit out of the way (Though their crappy website doesn’t help). It is, in fact, a little further south of Plan Zuid. Of course, that does have its advantages. It means it won’t be as busy or as expensive (12 euro instead of 17,50 for the Rijks). Of course, if you’re serious about seeing a number of museums you should really get a Museum card (there are different ones for residents and tourists).

What animals live in the Dutch canals?

September 2, 2018 by carla020 Leave a Comment

Sure, the Dutch waterways are artificial and look as appetising as the trashcan at a diaper-changing station, but a surprisingly large range of animals live in there. That’s for two reasons:

One, though they are entirely manmade (person made?) they’ve been around long enough that many animals have adapted to living there. It’s comparable to animals – like doves, mice, cats, rats, dogs, foxes and starlings – who’ve adapted to city living in general.

Two, the city has worked hard to keep the trash from said diaper changing stations specifically and sewer lines in general out of the water ways. Of course, that wasn’t always true. For the longest time the canals weren’t just the city’s roads but her sewers as well. But the city has been cleaning up its act for a while now.

As a result, you’re going to find a lot of different animals who claim the waterways as their homes – both above and below.

Those who dwell above – birds

For a while there, the humble pigeon also tried to join our list, by building their nests on unused boats and the nooks and crannies of bridges. The government put a stop to that plan, though. They did so by blocking off those nooks and crannies with plastic strips. So now you’ll just find water birds here.

Those are:

Gulls: We’re on the water and near the sea. So of course, you’ll see gulls! There are a bunch of different species, including the common gull, the black-headed gull, the lesser black-backed gull and the herring gull. They live on the outskirts of the city and come in to scavenge french-fries when the waters don’t provide.

Ducks: There are two different kinds of ducks in Amsterdam: pretty ones and ugly ones. More traditionally, they’re referred to as the Mallard and the Muscovy ducks. I wonder how people from Moscow feel about having the ugly duck named after them? What you’ll also see is people feeding them bread. Really, they should give them seeds instead, as that’s their actual diet. But feeding them bread is what everybody used to do with grandma. So, bread it is!

Coots: These little dark birds with their white foreheads, though smaller than ducks, scare the bejesus out of them most days. That’s in part because they’re feisty and in part down to the nasty looking claws they hide just below the water’s surface. Coots serve as unofficial garbage collects – using plastic bags and other debris to build their nests.

Swans: They look so majestic, those white birds with their long necks, don’t they? And boy, do they use it! Most days, we’ve got a few swans who come by our houseboat, tap on our window and expect to get fed. Imagine if human beggars did that?

Geese: These incredibly territorial birds have staked out spots in parks and grassy areas, pooped all over them, and now feel the need to protect aggressively. Got woken last night by some loud honking? Then chances are some Geese were having a territorial dispute (though it could have been a Turkish football team victory).

Herons: The long-legged heron can also be found standing patiently along the waterways. They’re not much interested in our handouts, though. They prefer fish. Did you know these birds almost disappeared entirely from the Dutch landscape? Aggressive measure by the government and special nesting sites are why they’re still here.

That which dwells below – fish

You’ll also find a surprisingly large amount fish in the canals. Or perhaps you won’t, what with the water being so murky and all. But after reading this article you’ll at least know what’s out there just inches below the waterway waiting for you never to find them!

If you are curious to actually see some of the animals living in the water, you can go to Artis. They now have a display of the wild life in a Dutch canal. Alternatively, if you’d like to try fishing in the Dutch canals, that’s possible too. You can pick up a permit at the post office.

Do note, if you do go this route, its’ best to throw whatever you catch back into the water as it’s not advisable to eat them.

Fresh water Bream: As Fresh Water Breams are bottom feeders, of our list, these are probably the least likely fish you’ll see. I wonder what life is like down there, with the assorted rusting bikes and sets of lost house keys you’re liable to find down there.

Pike: the carnivorous pike is also around in most canals. Did you know they often grow up to half a meter in Length? Yeah, that’s pretty big! Admittedly, the water conditions in Amsterdam aren’t exactly optimal as they prefer clear water, but they’re still around.

Eel: Yup, paling isn’t just available at the fish stand! Course, they’re a little easier to catch in the fish shops. Probably a bit tastier as well. Still they’re down there, slipping and sliding away and plotting their revenge for our cannibalistic crimes.

Carp: The Carp are well known for having exceptionally good hearing. That’s probably a good thing if you can’t see your fin in front of you nose. It also means that you’ve got to be vewwwwwy quiet if you’re hunting carp.

Small Roach: It’s not really that surprising to find the Small Roach in our canals. This fish is very versatile and is better equipped to deal with organic pollution (isn’t that a nice euphemism?) than most. For that reason, they’re plentiful.

Rudd: Very similar to the Roach, the Rudd is so adaptive that when it enters foreign waters it often displaces (another good euphemism) the local fish. That’s why it’s banned in much of the US. Could you say that’s part of their anti-immigrant stance? As the fish is native to Europe it’s plentiful in the Dutch waterways.

Zander: Looking to go fishing in Amsterdam? Then you’ll probably be fishing for the Zander. As it does well in murky water, this carnivore is well suited to the canal environments. It’s also very tasty (though if you want to fish for the kitchen table, you’re better off going a little outside of the city).

Perch: Another common angling fish is the Perch. This small carnivore will eat almost anything so you don’t have to be too picky about what bait you use. They’re small but feisty.

Mullet: Yes, it would be cool if Mullets had Mullets. But as most fish are follically challenged, that’s unlikely to happen. On the plus side, you can actually see Mullets! That’s because they like to jump out of the water every so often – though it’s still not to show off their hairdos.

Is that it?

Hardly. There are more animals lurking down there, trying to make a living in the city’s shadows. But we’ll leave finding them up to you. There are bird watching and fish catching tours all around the city. So, it’s not at all hard to go to see what’s out there. We advise it! Particularly, if you can find a group who stick part of their money back into maintaining the Dutch wildlife – city-bound or otherwise!

It is entirely possible for us to live in harmony with nature – even in a city like Amsterdam. All we have to do is be motivated to find out how and make the spaces available for them to dwell. And doing so will make our cities more agreeable, our parks more tenable and our outings more enjoyable. Who can argue against that?

6 Unusual Canal Tours for When Normal Doesn’t Cut It

July 29, 2018 by carla020 Leave a Comment

Amsterdam’s waterways are pretty extraordinary. At the same time, sometimes extraordinary isn’t enough. Once in a while, you don’t only want chocolate sprinkles and whipped cream on your 12 scoops of tropical flavoured ice cream. You also need a cherry on top.

To help you with that, we drew up a list of a few of the coolest and unusual cruises we’ve found over the years. Check them out! You might find something especially romantic, environmentally responsible or just plain different for those occasions when a normal tour won’t do.

Tour with immigrants

Lampedusa The city of Amsterdam was shaped by immigrants. To celebrate that and to help new arrivals integrate more easily, Rederij Lampedusa offers tours with immigrant tour guides. These guides will give you a unique perspective of the city by giving you their perspective and telling you their own stories as well. The volunteers who work there come from Egypt, Eritrea, Syria and Sudan.

Another cool fact, each of their ships was originally used to transport immigrants from North Africa to Europe. After they were seized by the South European coast guard, they were given to Lampedusa. They now use them for their mission to, “use the traditional Dutch love of sailing as a way to meet others, teach them about how important immigration has been in Amsterdam’s past, and integrate ourselves in Dutch culture.”

Now, I don’t know about you – but to us that sounds like an incredibly cool thing to be a part of.

Go up the Amstel to Ouderkerk a/d Amstel

For a country so densely populated it’s surprisingly easy to get from Amsterdam’s city center into nature. Just go up the Amstel and before you know it, all you’ll see are fields, windmills, farms and picturesque villages. If you squeeze your eyes shut, tilt your head a little and jump up and down on one leg, you could almost imagine that the river you’re traveling isn’t the Amstel but the one called Time! (Okay, the jumping up and down on one leg was only for our entertainment).

This is a great tour if you want to escape it all. Do note, it is a long one. Just one way is already two hours. So, before you inquire with a boating company about it, make sure that everybody has that much time to spend. Yes, we can be convinced to do the tour. If you’d like to ask, you can do so here.

The help the environment tour

You don’t just want to take a tour but save the environment while you’re at it?

Then you’ll want to check out Plastic Whale.These guys have special tours where instead of sitting back, you lean forward – both in body and mind. On all their tours they go around collecting plastic from the waterways in order to recycle and reuse it.

What do they use it for? To build furniture and boats. Yes, that does include the boat you’ll be touring on!

This is one of the few companies where overfishing is actively encouraged – with a good day being when they can’t find a single piece of plastic to take home. Of course, their ambition isn’t just plastic free-canals in Amsterdam but plastic free water everywhere. Do you want to be a part of that? Then book a tour and help them realize their dream!

Venetian Gondola tour

Oh, those gondolas of Venice! They’re so romantic! Like a rose petal trail for your lover to follow or swearing in French. Such a shame you have to go half a continent away just to take one, right?

Well you don’t! Gondel.nl offers you the chance to ride on the Dutch water ways. You can use them for anything – be it weddings, impressing clients or to make the Dutch stop and stare (which admittedly can be a bit of a challenge).

Their website is in Dutch (and not that well designed anyway) so you’re better off just giving them a call at: +316 47464545

Free tours by the GVB

Did you know Amsterdam offers free tours about every fifteen minutes? They’re wildly popular, with most of the boats transporting 30 people or so. And though most only last about 10 minutes, there’s even one that take about 30!

To be fair, they’re not really marketed as ‘tours’ but as public transportations. For that reason, you’re more likely to find impatient dutchies clutching their bicycles than relaxed vacation goers. Nonetheless, the ferries that transport people between Amsterdam Noord and central station are a great way to see open water.

Your best bet? Rent a bicycle, take one of the ferries and go discover the Rustic Amsterdam Noord. The IamAmsterdam even has a bike route planned out for you (download the pdf here). It will be cheaper than most normal tours and as an extra bonus, if you haven’t biked a lot the quieter routes in the north mean you can take the time to practice.

Romantic tours

Romantic Tour And finally, something new that we’re doing right here, in our own boats! What’s that? Well, the wonderfully fabulously hugely appreciated romantic tours with our tour guide Rocco! Rocco recently started this wonderful opportunity and it’s been incredibly well received. It is, for example, top rated on trip advisor.

Note, he offers both tours on boats and on sole leather, so make sure you book the right one. Don’t get us wrong, both are equally fun. All the same, if you’re expecting to go out on the water and you’re walking over cobles instead that might reduce your enjoyment ever so slightly.