Given that the OP was

> stay with them for a long weekend in Amsterdam.

I guess he got a firsthand experience of the famously steep and narrow Amsterdam staircases.

Ha OK, if it's Amsterdam-specific then I just haven't climbed that many Amsterdam staircases it seems.

You got it! :) We were staying in a third floor bedroom and the staircase to get there was wild, especially with a toddler lol