Prinsengracht 841 is a four-story canal house with the rental apartment situated on the top two floors. The house seems to be a bit wider than is typical -- about 15 feet from one-side of the house to the other. As with all houses of this style, it is two to three times deeper than it is wide. However, this still puts space at a premium, meaning homeowners try to give as little space to stairways as possible. At the same time, ceilings are of a generous height. The result is an approach to staircase design that would have presented a climbing challenge to Sir Edmund Hilliary.
There are actually three different staircases between the street entry and the bedroom level; each that rises at a vertical angle in the low 80's and two with severe twists and turns. Fortunately, we only had a few hundred pounds of oversized luggage with us. The expedition also inclueds a dutiful (if woefully underpaid) sherpa (me).