We push off from the quay by Amsterdam’s Westerkerk, leaving the tourist bustle and long, fidgety queue for the Anne Frank House behind us. Our little electric boat heads quietly south down the Keizersgracht canal for a tour of the city. Our guide, Erik, points out the sights: a famous hotel, a secret church, the seven bridges view but we are distracted, focused on the plastic debris that bobs by our boat. As with more than 15,000 people before us, we have jumped on board one of Amsterdam’s most unusual boat trips: a plastic fishing tour of the canals – and we are eager to see what we can find.
Unlike the slippery perch who flit deep beneath us, the docile plastic is an easy catch. From our open-topped boat, nets in hand, we haul in the flotsam. If we had orange jumpsuits on, jokes Erik, we’d look like we were doing community service. In fact, I’m travelling with seven tourists who have paid to collect rubbish as part of their holiday.
Source : theguardian
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