What better way to celebrate Amsterdam, the city of tulips and Rembrandt, than with a set of adorable canal house salt and pepper shakers? Better yet if the price tag is under €5!

Pass the salt.

The canal house has long been an icon of Amsterdam’s unique architecture. On our last trip to the canalled city, while wandering from Plantagebuurt to Jordaan, we noticed many shops and boutiques selling little ceramic depictions of the skinny, stout buildings -  and for very reasonable prices.

Variations on the salt and pepper theme were pretty much the same wherever we went; most shops offering cutesy duos with square, blue windows. For a higher price tag, detailing gets more intricate and the paint jobs more delicate.

But for between €4-7, we found many half pint-sized pairs that would lend any home an air of authenticity.  (You can check out our final purchase, from a souvenir shop in Jordaan, above.)

Shake it up!

If you’re really into the ceramic canal house schtick, there are lots of other fun souvenirs to be had around town.

Or, wait until you get to the airport. On the flight home via KLM Royal Dutch airlines, another Cheapo snagged a freebie from a first-class passenger, a 4-inch canal house statue filled with liqueur. Yum.

If you can’t finagle a freebie, try this rendition.

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