Egelantiersgracht (Eglantine Canal)

Egelantiersgracht (Eglantine Canal) Review

Named for the flowering "eglantine" (the floral names for canals in the district are certainly at odds with the fragrance emanating from them in their early days), this is one of the loveliest canals in the area. Many of the houses along this canal and the streets around it were first occupied by Golden Age painters and artisans, including the legendary mapmaking Blaeu family. Hidden here is the St. Andrieshofje, famous for its Delftware entryway. Certainly not hidden (it is usually jammed with people) is the famed Café 't Smalle, (on the corner of the Prinsengracht). This ivy-covered proeflokaal (tasting house), complete with waterside terrace, was where Pieter Hoppe began his jenever distillery in 1780, an event of such global significance that 't Smalle is recreated in Japan's Holland Village in Nagasaki.