Amsterdam, The Netherlands (04)

This night view of Amsterdam shows the Skinny Bridge...

The famous skinny bridge across the river Amstel and opposite of the Carré Theatre is an Old Dutch design wooden bridge known as a double-swipe (balanced) bridge. Tradition relates that the bridge was named after the sisters Mager, who were supposed to live on opposite sides of the river. They are said to have had the wooden bridge built to make it easier to visit one another. However it appears more likely, that the original bridge acquired the name from being so narrow (mager means skinny in Dutch), that it was hard for two pedestrians to pass one along another.
As traffic along the river Amstel increased, a wider bridge replaced the narrow one in 1871. Skinny Bridge is far not skinny anymore, but one of the most beautiful bridges of Amsterdam. At night many lights illuminate the bridge, then it becomes a very romantic place, popular with lovers and photographers.