Canal Cruise

We are bus no. 1. They were supposed to have 3 buses but only have 2 now.

Our first excursion was a canal cruise.


After about 2 turns we were hopelessly lost. Good thing our captain knew his way around the water ways.
He only hit one of the bridges once.



I must say that all the canals looked the same – some wider, some narrower. Debbie for your information, our guide told us Amsterdam has 250 canals and 1200 foot bridges.


They dig the canals to keep the water level down. There are locks on certain canals. Every night at 11pm they let fresh water in from river that comes out of Germany to keep the canals fresh. The water then empties out toward England.



The traditional Dutch house is tall and narrow because the government taxes the frontage. So only wealthy people had a wide house.



There are levers protruding from the roof. Some houses have hooks, some have chains. They are used to haul large items up to the upper stories.


Can you see the gal in the open window?
Our tour guide said most Dutch rent the top stories to students.