Bridge of Fifteen Bridges
Amsterdam is the city of gabled buildings, tranquil canals and arched bridges. Canals and waterways criss-cross the historic centre. Working barges sail past. Houseboats festooned with flower boxes bob at their moorings. A couple reclining in a dinghy, their noses buried in books have no indentation of sailing today.
Amsterdam is a city of water and bridges. A maze of canals divides the centre into islands. Amsterdam has more canals than Venice and more bridges than London. I did not count them but, but read in a tourist brochure that 1,281 bridges span the canals.
Stand in the middle of any bridge for the best sight-seeing spot. A tree-lined canal stretches in front of you. Red-shuttered warehouses, gabled mansions and bicycles provide a scenic background for photos. Every corner you turn, you will find another bridge.
Reguliersgracht is a strong competitor for Amsterdam’s most photo friendly canal; humpback bridges cross the water every hundred metres or so. A jumble of gabled houses lines the street. Stand on the bridge that spans Reguliersgracht with Herengracht for a spectacular view of fifteen bridges. Six arched bridges in a row stretch in front of you. On your left, you will see six more bridges across Herengracht. On your right there are another two.
Super Sunny Retro LivingHave you done a quick count and did you arrive at the disappointing total of only fourteen bridges? The fifteenth bridge is the one on which you are standing.
photo credit: personal collection
