Welcome to the city that lives on water.
Not Venice – Amsterdam, the Dutch capital, which has 165 canals with their own community of 2,500 houseboats. Visitors are used to oohing and aahing at the lifestyles of their inhabitants, but instead of admiring from the shoreline, they could be on board. About 50 canal boats offer accommodations to tourists, inviting us to explore the city with the credentials of an honorary local. And because houseboat living is so much less expensive than hotels and restaurants, you may want to stay longer.
We bite, and split our stay between two houseboats. This is smart politik: Tell Amsterdammers you're living on a canal boat and acceptance is instant. After all, what could be more Amsterdam than waking up to breakfast on the water, on your own private deck, surrounded by high-gabled 17th-century canal houses?
The floating terrace on the Blue Wave Houseboat is precisely such an idyll (and it's just fine for martinis at dusk too). Our canal, the Dacostagracht, is one of the quieter addresses in town, but within easy walking distance of the city's major attractions. Good walking shoes and the therapy's under way.
The Blue Wave, instantly recognizable by its blue trim and wavy roof, is the family home of Hans and Elizabeth Schlager. Live-aboards for 23 years, they found extra space when their daughter grew up and moved out. Now, they play host to travellers from all over the world.
The boat's amenities include a bedroom for up to four guests, a fully equipped kitchen, the aforementioned terrace with dining table and garden furniture, Internet access, DVD player, fresh flowers and, not least, breakfast. Some breakfast: The refrigerator comes loaded with mango juice, five varieties of fresh fruit, eggs, prosciutto, Dutch and French cheeses, bread and butter. Better still, there's an espresso maker and full complement of coffee pods.
Our second houseboat is the Captain's Place in the Eastern Docklands, a residential area reclaimed from a warehouse district on the Amsterdam waterfront. The Captain's Place is one reason foreigners actually come this way. The boat is perpetually sold out, with guests arriving from as far afield as China and Pakistan and staying for as long as two weeks. Only Liverpool hooligans need not apply, says Captain Eugène Reijmers, bemoaning earlier experience.
The former freight barge boasts a 103-year past on the tumultuous waters of the North Sea. It's also a new turn for an old sea dog: When veteran sailor Reijmers acquired it in 2002, he turned innkeeper.
The skipper, who resembles actor Brian Dennehy, maintains high standards and high spirits. He has two suites with bedrooms and private bathrooms. His beds are comfy, his kitchen immaculate. Guests dine in a sky-lit garden room festooned with model ships and souvenirs of Reijmers's years in Greece and Turkey.
The Captain's House doesn't include breakfast. But one aspect we love about renting is shopping in local markets for excellent local ingredients – admittedly, a joy only for people who like to cook. It's one of those things most tourists don't get to do.
We forage. The Schlagers direct us to the nearby Ten Katemarkt, not the largest of the city's street markets, but possibly the best because it's all about food. Two blocks of awnings shade a gauntlet of delights: pungent tapas from garlic-stuffed anchovies to sun-dried tomato tapenade, plump focaccia sandwiches, fresh seafood and ethnic treats from Vietnamese spring rolls to Turkish pizzas that reflect the city's burgeoning immigrant population. For us, the market is an attraction on a par with the Rijksmuseum of Art and History.
