Cruising Amsterdam’s Canals

Amsterdam is of course well known for its canals (there are 165 of them throughout the city) and we thought it would be nice to go on of those touristy cruises—but then I discovered we could rent our own solar powered boat for about $20/hr!  It was pretty straightforward, no license necessary. Rafe and Theo were co-captains and we had a blast going down all the little canals, under bridges, and up the Amstel River. It was a great way to see the city, appreciate its history (most of the canals were built in the 17th century) and get a peek into all the lovely houseboats. We even docked the boat for lunch. You can just pull up to a canalside cafe, “park” your boat and hop on out.