Last fall, Brent and I made our first trip to Amsterdam.

But it was November, and it turned out to be much colder, wetter, windier, and — despite the cold, rain, and wind — even much more crowded than we expected.

Still, there was one thing we absolutely loved: Amsterdam at night, which is when the city literally glows.

To be fair, most cities look better at night, when the warm shine of windows can make any building seem inviting.

Or when it’s been raining, and the street lamps and neon signs cast reflections on the slick streets like something out of a movie.

But when it comes to lights at night, Amsterdam has something most other cities don’t — something that reflects those lights in ways that are truly magical.

Of course, I mean the canals.

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You’d think the canals would all look the same. They’re channels of water lined with buildings, right?

But somehow they all seem completely different.

Of course, Amsterdam’s nighttime beauty isn’t only about the canals.