Footbridge:

At the beginning of the

FOOTBRIDGE is the starting point for an excellent canal boat tour, called "Schuitje Vaart." At the end of the bridge you see the WEIGH HOUSE (1655), with the former hotel called The Mermaid in the 16th century, across the alley to the right. Farther along the river to the right are the buildings of the Aalmarkt area which are threatened with demolition to make space for modern stores, a disco, and a parking garage. The the brick building with tall tiled roof seen at the far end of a vacant lot to the right of the old hotel is one of several visible remains of the large quadrangle that made up the St. Catharine’s hospital, as is the house with the large white gable next to a long school building. Myles Standish is mentioned in a list of soldiers who were taken care of in this hospital in 1601, although his name was misspelled as "Myls Stansen." Continue in the direction of the bridge into the Mandenmakerssteeg, an alley that passes along the side of the Weigh House and the Butter Hall behind it. Above the entrance to the Butter Hall is an interesting sculpture by Rombout Verhulst, depicting people buying and selling butter inside the building (ca. 1660). The Mandenmakersteeg ends at the Breestraat.

To the right, is the bell tower of