Buildings of various colors line one of the famous canals of Grachtengordel in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The Dutch name translates to Canal District in English. The manmade waterways were built around the turn of the 17th century; Grachtengordel is the area around Amsterdam’s four major canals: the Singel, Herengracht, Kiezersgracht, and Prinsengracht. Click the above image to enlarge, click to view my high-resolution photo gallery, or click to read my short story “Three Crepes in Paris.”