A 12 km Stroll

We set a record today as we wandered through the streets and along the canals of Amsterdam, another great European city. Again, there are so many tourists here, especially in the central area of the city. I had planned to get an apartment for our 4 night stay here but they were very expensive and the 3 and 4 storey buildings don’t have elevators, a deal-breaker with all our baggage. Our hotel is a 10 minute walk to the train station and the city centre. No big breakfast buffet included here so we picked up bagels across the street at a small bagel cafe. It was sunny and 10 degrees so we took full advantage of the nice weather, walking over 15,000 steps or 12 km. At 5 o’clock we hopped on a one hour canal cruise to end our very active day.

This is what I learned about the canals. The houseboats dump their sewage directly into the canal so the city opens the canal gates 3 times a week to allow fresh water to flush the canals. Every year 15,000 - 20,000 bikes are fished out of the canals. And there are an average of 15 drownings a year....men found with their pant zipper down. Guys, this is not your personal toilet! After learning this, the canals seemed less romantic.Read more