Amsterdam II

Amsterdam II

After my initial Amsterdam post, I thought of more pictures I wanted to include in my blog.  One of the things my kids like most about traveling, is when we stumble across a nice park.  Forget the Eiffel Tower, forget the Tower Bridge and give them a trampoline or some swings anytime!!!

Another unique thing about Amsterdam, is the steep, narrow, winding staircases that most of the canal houses have.  Land was at a premium (and still is) in Amsterdam, so houses were built as narrow and as tall as possible.  In our canal house, we had to scale over 50 steps to get to our room.  The steps were so narrow that only half your foot fit on the step.  It is a little hard to tell, from the picture below, just how steep these steps are (for perspective:  the brown object in the bottom left, is the umbrella stand at the entry way).  However, by Dutch standards, these aren't even that steep.  I am amazed, when I read lodging reviews for Amsterdam, that there are several complaints about the stair cases.  It is a given that canal houses have many steep and narrow stairs, that's what defines them, it's part of their charm.  I find it to be a real treat to stay in these fascinating antique homes, but if stairs are a problem, perhaps, a major hotel chain would be more accommodating.  

This picture was taken from the top of our stairs.  A long way down to fall!!!

My favorite "shot"