Exploring the canals of Amsterdam can feel like a dream sometimes.
You go at it on your own, on a boat. This is the way Amsterdammers enjoy the views from the canals. You follow your own schedule and as you’re amongst family or friends, it’s easier to relax and embrace the adventure. Laughter, sun worshipping, and a cold beer or two are the order of the day.
When the sun is out, many cafés and restaurants set tables and chairs outside for diners to enjoy the good weather. Beyond the iconic (and ubiquitous) stroopwafels and Vlaamse Frites, you decide instead to hop into a Dutch pancake shop. Lines will be less intimidating than for the stroopwafel vendors or the frites kiosks.
You feel like you’re dining like a local when tucking into a pannenkoek. This Dutch cousin to the French crêpe is immediately both more rustic and welcoming. It’s quite substantial, often filled with slices of apple, bacon and cheese.
Time to walk off those calories.
The call of seagulls ring out, a cacophony ever present throughout the canals. You look out for seagulls soaring overhead. You stop at a bridge to take in the view of moored houseboats. Colourful and cosy, charming and carefree: these are scenes from a Beatrix Potter or Enid Blyton book come to life.
Don’t you wish you lived in one of these houseboats too? It looks so peaceful and idyllic… and you never know what the future might bring. Each time you return to Amsterdam, to these winding canals so full of life, you feel drawn closer and closer to this dream come true.