Night Cruise on the Canals and another exploration day

Have been busy just doing normal stuff and nothing much blog worthy.  It's raining today, so thought I would catch up on the travels of Terry and Sharon.  

We did an evening cruise on the canals with a few pictures of sunset and night lights.  The cruise started at 9:00pm when still full light.  Cheese and wine  provided.

Sunset

These are called the dancing buildings because of their different heights 

and some sit forward and others back.  They are actually right down the street from where we are living.   We hadn't noticed them until the boat Captain pointed them out.  When we walking down the street the next day, I looked down a canal and there they were. 

At night the bridges over the canals are lit and there are places where you can look through and see several of them at one time.

The canal boats go through the larger of the arches

Picture of a bridge gone awry.  I moved the camera just as I clicked the shutter.  Kind of a comet looking effect.

AMSTERDAM CANALS

I copied the below description from an online map explanation, because it explains the canals so well.

"The first image one conjures up when thinking of Amsterdam is its tranquil canals. Three rings of canals, lined by elaborately decorated merchants' residences and warehouses built in the 17th century, the Dutch "Golden Age", give the city its iconic and easygoing image. In fact, 90 islands were created when the canals were built, and they’re all connected by hundreds of charming bridges.

The best-known canals form the central Grachtengordel (Canal Belt). To the wandering visitor, they’re like lifelines because the subtle turns in the center can throw your inner compass out of whack. The semicircular canals form a huge ring, cut by canals radiating from the middle like spokes on a wheel. Starting from the core, the major semicircular canals are the Singel, Herengracht, Keizersgracht, and Prinsengracht. From east to west, the major radial canals are Brouwersgracht, Leidsegracht, and Reguliersgracht."

Canals (Gracht in Dutch)- The canal we live beside is Prinsengracht. The one our address is on is Brouwersgracht.  Thus we live at the intersection of Prinsen and Brouwers Canals.  If there is no canal it is Princenstraat (street) or Brouwersstraat, etc. Well as you can see canals everywhere.  We walked down Herengracht the other day and came across this huge flower market called the "Floating Market" as it sits in the canal.  It might as well have been posted for tourists only.  It was full of people buying flower bulbs to take or be sent home.  All were marked for US and Canada export.  Still it was interesting to see that the Dutch still have a thriving market in flowers.

It was really warm this day, (even Terry was in short sleeves), 

so walking is thirsty work.  Stopped at a little canal side cafe and had a cold beer.  This one is called Witte Trappist (White Trappist)

The waiter just called it white beer and it was very light and refreshing.  Almost everytime you order a beer here it comes in a glass with the name of the beer on it.  There are a ton of different beers in the Netherlands.  Many more to try. Ha.

Will post this now and move on to Weert.