Amsterdam's Canals

Amsterdam Getaway (cont'd)
Canals

By Kelly Monaghan

There must be hundreds of canals in Amsterdam, so the visitor with just a few days can only hope to sample a few of them. I highly recommend what I'll call the Big Three -- Prinsengracht, Keizersgracht, and Herrengracht, parallel canals that loop around the city center from the Amstel River (and you thought it was just a brand of beer!) to the lovely Brouwersgracht, not too far from the Central Station. "Gracht," as you may have guessed, is Dutch for "canal."

Each canal is flanked by the narrowest of streets making for leisurely walking, although you need to stay alert for drivers who have more urgent matters than sightseeing on their minds. You could easily do each canal four times, once in each direction and once on each side, a make new discoveries. New shops, new vistas, new picture-perfect postcard shots just waiting for your digital.

There are little museums in this district, most famously the Anne Frank House, and you can find annotated walking tours in various guidebooks, but I suspect just strolling with eyes wide open will do quite nicely for most visitors. One of the first things you'll notice is that most of the buildings tilt outwards, sometimes alarmingly so. It's not subsidence or Amsterdam sinking like Venice, it's simply style. The wealthy burghers who built these places wanted to show off the facades to the passing gentry. There was a more practical reason as well. Furniture couldn't make it up the narrow staircases of these homes, so it was hoisted to the upper floors. Most buildings still have the hoist in place at the top of the gable and many are still in use today.

Although there are a few shops to be seen, these streets are not heavily commercial, so when you get hungry pop into one of the larger streets that cross the canals at regular intervals and go in search of a coffee shop or restaurant. A short stroll will likely uncover a real find.

We were lucky enough to happen on the Backstage Café (or Twins, I was never sure which) on tiny Utrechsedwarsstraat. (The street name, as far as I can make out, means "side street off Utrechtstraat," which is a larger and more easily located thoroughfare.)

Greg and Gary Christmas were African-American cabaret performers who were headliners on the European nightclub circuit. Eventually, they settled down in Amsterdam and opened this little café cum boutique, selling racy dresses, designed by Greg and knitted by Gary, along with light refreshments.

Greg died several years ago, but Gary, now in his seventies, carries on, catering to a largely young and obviously loving clientele, including many expats. We chatted with Gary and sampled the house specialty, a toasted tuna and salami sandwich, which tastes a lot better than it sounds. To us, the place seemed to epitomize Amsterdam's special appeal.

After much more aimless but enchanting wandering, we capped the day with rijstafel, the blow-out Indonesian specialty that is one of the city's major culinary draws, but neglected to get a recommendation from a trusted source first. Puri Mas, in the heart of tourist Amsterdam and our ultimate choice, proved to be a major disappointment. We'll know better next time.

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Amsterdam Getaway (cont'd) Canals

By Kelly Monaghan

Amsterdam Getaway (cont'd)
Canals