"I Left My Heart...." a Amsterdam Travel Page by Callavetta

Since I live in San Francisco, I think Tony Bennett will certainly forgive me for changing the lyrics just a little. My first trip to Amsterdam was a business trip. I spent three days in a recruitment booth in a temporary addition to the RAI (Amsterdam's well used Convention and Trade Show Center). The weather was ghastly, and the wind blew so hard I was sure the fiberglass "tent" was going to come down around me.

But I did get away enough to start scratching the surface of an Amsterdam I have come to love. I discovered a couple of my favorite restaurants (and restaurant managers!). I took my first canal boat tour. I learned to use Amsterdam's user friendly trams. And as a bicycle enthusiast, I found what has to be the most bike friendly place on earth!

It seems everyone I know who goes to Amsterdam, gets a shot of this series of (7) bridges. You'll pass it on a Canal Boat tour.

It's amazing how many people live on houseboats, right on the canals. And their sewage, sadly, flushes out right into the canal. But the canals are completely flushed out several times a week. I love seeing the little gardens on the boat rooftops and peeking in windows to see how people live.