Every city has its own best places for people-watching: the sidewalk cafes of Paris, Washington Square in New York, Trafalgar Square in London come to mind. In Amsterdam, it may well be the bank of a canal, watching all the boats go by.
And not just the sleek tour boats that make circuits of the canal belt; on a warm Saturday afternoon in May, it seems as if everyone was afloat in one way or another, in some craft or another.
Some are small but sturdy…
For some it’s clearly party time, with funny hats, wigs and drinks…
There were several ‘plastic whales,’ boats built of reclaimed plastic dredged from the canals, and equipped to net more of it.
Little boats with lots of people…
And some that could have used some more people…
Some sleek, and some stubby…
A few miniatures of larger ships…
And others of various sorts…all passing by one spot in a single hour!
Some, like this one, appeared to be circling, appearing more than once. Perhaps looking for a parking space?
And even, in the mix of diesel and electric boats, a one-human-power model.
