Exploring the Old City Center's Canal Ring on foot

Although I had travelled over 3,500 miles to take a vacation from my work, I found a bright and bold reminder of my company's omnipotence directly across the street from my hotel, in view from my balcony. Hmm, I wonder if I could get a transfer to this retail store.
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Each morning, we woke up before dawn and got all of our sightseeing done for the day before 5:00 pm. Our "early to bed and early to rise schedule" seemed to be a necessity in Amsterdam, because at this time of year, the sun rises at around 8:00 am and sets a little after 5:00 pm, and most shops and offices and even many of the cafes are closed by then.

However, my brother and I did decide to go walking around to see what we could see, starting at around 3:30 am one day, and it turned out to be a great way of seeing the layout of the city: without obstructions, and without the usual looming and justified fear of being hit by a bicycle, motorcycle, car, bus or tram, all of which swarm the streets during business hours, with an uncanny disregard for pedestrians' right of way.

Spot the Tourist!

Looking from our balcony eastward down Raadhuisstraat, toward the center of the city, we could see the spires of the Koninklijk Paleis (Royal Palace) and the Nieuwe Kerk (New Church). The street is alive throughout the weekdays with cyclists, trams, buses and cars.
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Wandering around the inner city on foot during business hours, you must constantly be looking both ways, as well as behind you and around corners whether you are crossing a street or alley or standing still on the sidewalk, to avoid becoming a casualty of something faster than you on tires or rails. This bit of pedestrian paranoia became so ingrained in my head that I kept looking over my shoulder at random times while walking through the airports on the way back home!