The Houseboat Life

One of the things that has really intrigued me since moving here - houseboats.  There are a lot of them, scattered all over Amsterdam.

How cool would that be?  Just imagine living on a canal in a beautiful city.  With all the conveniences you're used to (they even have gas lines coming into them for heating and cooking)  

What a view from this one!

They come in all shapes and sizes.  

Boxy or svelte.  New and old.  

There are even apartments in houseboats.  I think I'd want the front unit, in the bow.

 And you can even have a chicken coop to go with your houseboat.

And this one, which really fascinates me, is built of brick!!!  Doesn't that seem odd?

So imagine how excited I was when our friends Beth and Michael invited us to a party at their houseboat.  They live in Amsterdam North, on a quiet canal.

It has its own little front yard

And the houseboat is fantastic!   Like most boats, it has a name, Hexenketel.  It has a dual meaning in Dutch - both Witches Cauldron and Pandemonium.  Which Beth says is a fitting name for their lifestyle  :-)

Don't you love the view through the windows?

And while it's not big (how could it be?), it has a great living space and amazing views.  What a peaceful environment to live in.

Design print out - taped to refrigerator

When we visited, they had just planned their kitchen renovation.  This was the picture they had taped to the refrigerator.  She just sent me this 'after' photo - doesn't it look great?

Kitchen After

The bedrooms are on the lower level, which explains why the windows are up so high.  This is on the renovation list for someday in the future.  But I thought it was very nice!

And the cats clearly love houseboat life!  Do you think you could live on a houseboat?

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