Long weekend in England and a 30th birthday party to celebrate, Cath and I made our way over to sample the vices of Amsterdam. It was a fantastic weekend - nice and relaxing but we still covered the city fairly well and visited a respectable number of museums. Almost all buildings in Amsterdam have front facades with pulley bolts at the top of them. These were and are still used to hoist furniture or anything bulky or heavy into the houses as the stairs are too narrow to use. The facade also actually leans outwards quite clearly. This is again related to the pulley system, keeping whatever is being raised from damaging the front of the building.