During your holiday in Amsterdam you can't miss a visit to the Singel Canal area where the sixth century houses reflect its fronts made of brick stones on the trembling water. At the civic number 19, you can read a panel on which is written: "Vita hominis similis navigante" (Men's life is like sea journey). At the civic number 74, there's another panel whit a drawing of a chair with horses that used to indicate a post station along the way towards the city of Aia. At the civic number 140, there's a house with a decoration that represents a dolphin: it is a homage to H.L. Spiegel, the writer of the first Dutch grammar who wrote here a book on dolphins' life. Keeping on walking on the Singel Canal you'll meet, at number 166, Amsterdam's smallest house and, at number 182, a house whose front is inclined: these architectonical peculiarities are due to the need to gain space while hauling heavy loads up to the houses higher levels without having troubles with their façades.
