Check out this slideshow of Amsterdam's Canals from BBC news . I'll summarize the captions on the pictures here if you don't feel like looking at pretty things. But seriously, click on the link and check out the pictures. >>Amsterdam is the most watery city in the world (must be one ahead of Venice then....). 1/4 of it's surface is covered in canals and harbours. Touring the canals has now become a prime tourist attraction with over 200 canal tour companies now operating carrying over 3 million passengers a year. With the growing canal tour industry, locals fear the larger boats and higher number of boats will cause issues with locals and their smaller boats. There are rules about how loud and what you can do on the canals with police patrol boats always call. Houseboats, once the inexpensive way to live in Amsterdam, are now rising in cost and rivals that of small apartments. It is illegal to swim in the canals except for special occasions (...