A small group of us were guided by a Amsterdam University student down the Herengracht Canal, once the location of the warehouses for the Dutch East India Company. These warehouses have now been converted into mansions that start at 20 million. ( Rolling Stone Magazine has their headquarters here ) In the 70’s the water was so polluted that free permits were given to people to park their boats along the canal to keep the area safe and prevent further dumping of trash. A few of the original “hippie” boats remain but since those same permits now sell for an average of 600K – the boats have gotten a lot swankier. The water is also so clean now, you can drink it.
