Early morning in the Dam Square and War memorial. Damrak walk to Amstel passing the Mint Tower and the Blauwbrug/Magere Brug. The Plantage district outside the Amsterdam Botanic Gardens. Walking tour of the canal along Herengracht and the Museum Willet Holthuysen and finishing off at Radhuuisstraat.

After 2 days of rain, it happened to be sunny on our last day. Making the most of the good weather, we embarked on a walking tour around Amsterdam. After checking out, we headed for the Dam Square where we would attempt to retrace some of our steps we took on the canal cruise yesterday, but in the opposite direction down Damrak to Amstel River.

Along our way we passed the statue of Queen Beatrix on horseback and the Mint Tower where the canal heading towards the Amstel River starts. We could easily spot the modern curves of the Stadhuis-Muziektheatre (Town Hall/ Opera House). This was the site of much controversy as the building involved the destruction of the last remaining medieval houses in the area. Further down the road was the bridge of Blauwbrug. The Blauwbrug was designed to mimic the elegance and grandness of the Alexander III bridge in Paris, thus giving a french feel to the canal. The crowns on top of the lamp poles and the railings were some of the similarities shared with the famous parisian bridge. However, the similarities end with the addition of maritime and seafarer themes that were carved into the bridge's structure.

We were also fortunate enough to witness the opening and closing of the Magere Brug at least a couple of times before we were able to cross the bridge. After opening to let a barge through, both cars and pedestrains had to wait about 10 minutes before the bridge was available for us to use. After crossing the Magere Burg, it was only a matter of minutes for us to walk to the Botanic gardens - the start of the Plantage district. Although the park looked small, it did contain a large modern glasshouse, which was one of the first buildings one would encounter before reaching the entrance. But, due to the limited time we had and also the rather costly entrance fee of 5 euros, we decided to head back over to the Eastern Canal ring.

Back at the Eastern Canal Ring, we started from Herengracht which would lead us back to Raadhuisstraat. Along the way we passed the familiar sight of the bridges of Ruglierstraat and the Museum Willet Holthuysen. Once the house of coal magnate Pieter Holthuysen, the museum provides a glimpse of the merchant class during the 17th and 18th centuries, including collections of paintings and furniture that were collected by the coal magnate and his family. Again, due to time constraints we did not enter the museum, but instead walked to the opposite end of the canal and took photos of the building.

We finished our walking tour of the canals after about half an hour when we left Herengracht and headed back to the hotel in Radhuuisstraat. With only half a day available to enjoy the good weather, there was not much of an opportunity to go through everything, but nevertheless it has provided an insight of the canals of Amsterdam and the attractions should we go there next time, hopefully in good weather.