Sailing along the Amsterdam Canals

Posted on August 27, 2019 by susancarey

Dear readers, I promised you a blog about Amsterdam and here it is! You might remember that Frank and I are OOPOEHs. Omas en Opas Passen Op Een Huisdier, which translates into the rather unflattering; Grandpas and Grandmas look after a pet. Oopoeh is an award-winning social initiative to bring people over 55 together with dog owners who require dog-sitting services. Oopoeh is an exchange model which hopefully leads to canine and human companionship, enhancing both the dog’s, the owner’s and the Oopoeh’s lives. It’s nice if a friendship can blossom and that certainly has been the case with Rakker and his owner, Joanna. But sadly for us, they both have been away the last six months in Peru. Good news though, Rakker and his mummy and daddy are back in town. So to celebrate we organised a boat trip together!

There are loads of canal boat companies vying for the tourist euro in Amsterdam so instead of being bored listening to a dull commentary squashed next to a stranger on one of the bigger boats, I suggest you fork out a little extra cash and take some friends/family out with this smaller company which enables you to sail independently through the city; Boats4rent

Boats4rent B.V.
floating dock next to
Polonceaukade 2
1014 DA Amsterdam
+31 6 263 264 20

It costs a reasonable 79 euros for 3 hours on the canals. Maximum 6 passengers and room for a well-behaved dog too! No previous experience required. Tips for the best routes and a map are given by Boats4rent employees before you set sail.

Some useful tips (in English) to make your trip go well from the Boats4rent website. Have fun and maybe see you on the water!

I’m getting tired now. Time to go home.
That water was too tempting
Look out, Skipper!
Cheers.
What is that duck doing?
Do I look handsome?
Always something to see.
The Westertoren which Anne Frank looked out onto.
Skipper
Aye, aye, Captain
Frank looking happy
Frank looking happy
Joanna and Rakker
I’m off to the aft!
Stop taking photos and stroke me.
Selfie.

About susancarey

Angela writes using pseudonym, Susan Carey. She has dual nationality, GB/NL and lives in Nijmegen. Susan has had short fiction published on multiple platforms and was a runner-up in the 2018 and 2017 Casket of Fictional Delights Flash Competitions. Her writing has also been published and performed by amongst others: Mslexia, Liars’ League, Reflex Fiction, the Casket and of course the wonderful Writers Abroad. In 2020 she published her short story collection, Healer. Tweets at @su_carey
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7 Responses to Sailing along the Amsterdam Canals

  1. Joanna says:
    August 27, 2019 at 11:30 am

    What a good day it was, it’s a perfect way to spend a sunny morning in Amsterdam! You’ve picked out some nice pictures Angela. Thanks for the invite

    Liked by 1 person

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  3. Sally Robinson says:
    August 27, 2019 at 1:09 pm

    Thanks so much! Have long wanted an alternative to the usual run of the mill boat tour. And you make avery pretty picture together.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  4. dchubbard2012 says:
    August 27, 2019 at 2:28 pm

    Looks like a great trip out! I have been on the Amsterdam canals in a regular tourist boat which fortunately wasn’t crowded, so our party of four could sit where we liked. I remember enjoying it so much. Am sure the “self-drive” option is better, as long as you know your way around a boat. It’s probably just as well that we had an expert at the helm!

    Liked by 1 person

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    • susancarey says:
      August 27, 2019 at 2:43 pm

      Thanks, Debbie. That is nice that you weren’t too bunched up on the boat. Nowadays the centre of Amsterdam is awash with crowds, as bad as Prague and Venice…

      We actually went the wrong way down a one-way canal but fortunately we were alerted to the fact by a by-stander and avoided a 400 euros fine..

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