This is our final port before we return to Dover.
We arrived in Amsterdam at approximately 8:00 am on a dreary rainy morning.
About half of the area of the Netherlands lies below sea level and is protected by from tidal flooding and salt water by dikes, dams and levees. There are countless canals throughout Amsterdam. Canals provide cheap, clean transportation. Water levels are constantly monitored and the water level is gracefully controlled. Canal houses tend to be tall, rather than broad which allows for only the narrowest winding stairways inside. Because it is out of the question to move furniture up these stairs most houses have a strong iron hook at the peak of the roof to allow large furniture to be hoisted up and then pulled through the windows. Some homes are built on an angle so as not to damage the facade of the house when the furniture is pulled up or they may have large circular staircases on the outside. Because the soil is wet many neighbourhoods are build on tall wooden piles, driven into the clay. The Royal Palace has 13,700 of them. Not all of the wooden piles last forever and this in turn causes some houses to tilt. New construction of course is on concrete bases.
The weather cleared around 11:00 am, the sun came out and we had an absolutely wonderful tour of the city , tour of a cheese and wooden shoe factory as well as a canal cruise.
We leave at 5:00pm for Dover.
A wooden shoe and cheese factory we toured
Leaning houses
Leaning houses
Bicycle parking for the millions of bicycles in this city!
Look at the top of the building - it is useful for pulling up furniture.
Houseboats on the canal
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