Theo, Seagull Obsessed, Rides the Canal

 A morning canal tour. We arrive in Amsterdam and that is number one on our agenda.

"What is a canal?" Theo wants to know. Should he be excited or not?

"You're going to love it," I tell him, although truthfully I've been in Amsterdam before (to see the Anne Frank house) and have been on these canal tours. I remember being crammed in with a bunch of other tourists on a long, narrow canal boat. 

But how can you not ride on the canal? It is the unique aspect of being in Amsterdam. To see the house boats. To feel the water lapping around you. To see the world a bit different than what you would see in an American city.

As we're arriving, I'm telling Theo all about the canals. And all about the bicycles that fall into the water by accident (or carelessness because the rider has partaken in a little too much . . . well, pot.) Marijuana is legal here. As you walk along, you can smell that distinct odor wafting out of cafes onto the street. 

Dan and I commandeer one row and put Theo near the window. He's busy sniffing, sniffing, totally enthralled by all the Amsterdam smells. Then he looks up. 

Theo has excellent far vision. He can see the magnificent old buildings on land from the water, and then all hell breaks loose. 

Seagulls are flying in the near distance. (His favorite memory of Amsterdam, as it turns out). He jumps up and begins to paw the glass. 

"No, Theo, you're not getting those seagulls."

"I have to do it," he meows, like a true gangster.

I'm half afraid he'll jump out of his seat, run down the aisle, and throw himself into the canal in a vain attempt to get closer so I grab onto him. 

"Can't this canal boat go any faster," I complain.

It meanders along at a snail's pace. Only finally are the seagulls behind us and Theo settles down.

We try to tell him all about the houseboats on the water--how different they are from each other. How plentiful they are on the canal.

I try to tell him about my first visit to Amsterdam--waiting for over an hour in line to go into Anne Frank's house where she lived in hiding for two years. I never knew until then that her house was on the edge of the canal--similar to the ones I see now or that she could see the canal from her window.

We pass other interesting buildings, a bridge, and even other canal boats. But is Theo even looking?

That's the thing about cats. Their priorities are a bit different than ours. It's all about food, birds and squirrels. About sleeping in the sun. About watching the nature channel on TV. 

Canals in Amsterdam? Way down on Theo's list of how he'd like to spend a morning. 

"Wait," I remind, what about the seagulls?"

Theo gives me as much of a smile as he can muster. "The seagulls."

Now his eyes are gleaming with the memory. Perhaps, canals are not so bad after all.