Desirable Location, October 2026

Many old cities in Europe are located on or near water.  When the cities were established a few hundred years ago location on water was extremely important.  Transportation of goods and people depended on very limited resources.  Getting from place to place wasn’t easy.  If you were lucky enough to own a horse, mule or oxen you had help getting to where you wanted to go.  The roads available were few and not nearly the thoroughfares we have today.  Many times people traveled by foot, carrying their worldly belongings with them. 

Many cities were built on rivers or bodies of water.  Transport by boat was a reliable way to get from place to place.  Many cities have canals that were dug and extended the river into a greater portion of the city or town.  Buildings were built right on the edge of the canal, some with doors opening right on to the canal for easy access.  It really was quite brilliant.  Barges could be towed along the canal by animals on the shore or pushed along with poles manned by the operator of the boat.  Goods and services found their way to the people who needed them.

The Gelli print attached to this blog shows just such a canal in Europe.  No longer a method of transport but a beautiful view for visitors. 

Today, we can get from place to place much more quickly in cars, trains and airplanes.  You can be on one country in the morning and an entirely different country in the afternoon.  Waterways are still used by large ships to transport goods around the world.  Container ships always fascinate me with the amount of goods they can move from place to place.  The logistics of tracking all those things boggles my mind. 

Living close to a waterway is no longer necessary for an easy method of transportation.  It is now a desirable location to live because of the view and aesthetic appeal.