Canal Trip in Amsterdam and first day on water Day 3 - September 22, 2024

 


We started the day off by taking a canal boat ride on a tour of the canals of Amsterdam.

Steve and Nan, Jim and Bertie, Denny and Becky


We left the boat and traveled on the IJ Canal to the Prinsengracht (Prince Ditch).  Our guide told us the canals in Amsterdam were developed to perform  three main functions.  1) they carry off the excess water from the city  2) they were used as defense to protect the city 3) they move people and merchandise around the city




As we entered the city he told us about the Bubble Barrier.  It was developed to prevent all the garbage from the city from following into the sea.  The bubbles act as a barrier for the floating trash to be stopped and then funneled to the side where it is deposited and collected to be thrown away.    He told us that the Amsterdam canals together are 62 miles long and have 5200 bridges spanning them.  The average canal is only eight feet deep.  Every year they fish approximately 10,000 bikes out of the water.  There are 750 houseboats on the canals that are used as residences along with vacation rentals. Many of the house boats we passed had large arrays of plants growing on them.



We passed the Ann Franke house that housed a young Jewish girl that was hidden by a Dutch family during WWII.  Although the young girl was found and later removed to a concentration camp, her diary was discovered and made public.  Her heart wrenching story has been read by many which made the girl and the home she was hidden in famous.

Anne Franke House


The guide told us all about the leaning houses in Amsterdam.  The entire city is built on logs to raise it out of the water.  Many of the houses will tilt as the logs deteriorate and you will see them leaning against neighboring houses. 

Look close to see the houses slanting and leaning against each other



Several of the 5200 bridges on the canals





The pagoda type structure on the right is a floating Chinese restaurant the will seat 600! 


We eventually made it to the Amstel River  and returned to our cruise ship.  Around 12:45 we pulled away from the dock.  The Captain circled the ship so that we could go the opposite direction and headed west out of Amsterdam on the IJ Canal.

Good bye to Amsterdam

 We saw many freighters headed both ways on the canal. Trees and small roads lined both sides of the canal.  Since it was Sunday, we saw many people picnicking and riding bikes along the trails.





 

At close to 5pm we entered the first of twelve locks that we will go through on this trip.  It was amazing to see how we fit beside another cruise ship before the lock door was lowered. None of us thought there would be room, but we fit tightly will a small space between the two large ships.  It took about 10 minutes for the water to level and another five minutes for the lock door to open so that we could continue down the canal. 

Entering lock

Another cruise ship was already docked - it really didn't look like we would fit


Here we are fitting snugly against the wall and the other ship

The lock is open and ready for us to proceed


Sometime during dinner we left the IJ Canal and entered the Waal River.  Shortly after 8:30pm we left the Waal River and finally entered the Rhine River.  At this point we were in Germany.



Another beautiful moonlit evening



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