Amsterdam - Full Circle

Amsterdam     8/20/2011     19:54

We’ve come full circle after a fashion.  We’re currently moored in the southern environs of Amsterdam where the Amstel meets the Weespertrekvaart.  We first saw our boat only a kilometer or so down the Amstel in the heart of Amsterdam not quite a year ago.  The area is very modern and upscale – with the exception of our marina. 

It is very industsrial and run-down looking and there’s a sad story about that.  This business has been in the family for 80 years, but recently the municipality of Amsterdam has essentially confiscated the land to use as a park for all the high rise office buildings in the area.  All appeals have failed and the owners have to be gone by November 1.  It is the only marina we could find on the southern approaches to the city.  Anywhere else you want to stay, and there are some nice places, must be approached from much further north.  The folks here are really very nice as well, and it’s sad to see them working so hard to find a place to relocate so they can continue. 

We stayed quite a while in Weesp.  We prefer the smaller, quieter towns even if there is much less “to do” in them.  Weesp is a wonderful restful place, and again we had a lovely mooring.  We were in a grassy area, no vehicular traffic at all (well, except boats. . . .), just far enough from town to be a haven, and just near enough to be a nice walk if we wanted anything.  There were lovely terraces for a beer and a bite overlooking the water.  We loved that. 

We also learned to appreciate that, compared to some boats, we have no trouble getting through bridges and locks.

  There was one “party boat”, Moby Queen, that went by twice a day, and we rather thought they’d have to grease her up good to get her through. 

Compared to that, something our size looks easy!!

All the same, we’ve enjoyed our day-and-a-half so far in Amsterdam.  Today we went into the city for the market by the Nieuwekerk and the Lindengracht.  It was great.  This was the first really extensive market that in any way reminded us of the markets in France.  Just about everything you could want, and it went on for blocks.  Didn’t get any photos, we were too busy looking for dinner and a few other things.  It took hours and afterwards we really needed to sit and eat (yeah, FEED BILL again).  The views from the canal terrace were almost too stereotypically Dutch to be real. 

While we were dining, along comes a “Pedalsaloon.”  A cart of some sort, rigged out so there was one guy (new meaning for the term designated driver) in front steering the contraption, and room for a dozen or so others in back on either side of a bar and pedaling furiously to propel this THING down the street. 

It was great.  Only the Dutch . . . .       Jeannet had told us that there is a big concert tonight on the canals here, one that’s televised and everyone watches.  We could see the boats already arriving, and the streets in that area were already being closed off at noon.

We knew we would be too exhausted long before concert time to stay, so we walked over to the Beginhof to sit for a while.  Then back home.  Even Bill is getting into the habit of calling the boat home, I guess because it is. 

Down the Vecht

Maarssen     8/8/2011     13:20

 Today we went out for the first time and played with “the big guys.”  Took a shortcut on the Amsterdam-Rijn Kanaal. 

We spent 10.5 km, or about an hour, on a nice wide waterway with the big Rhine barges you think about more in Germany.  The canal was deep enough and wide enough that, between poor weather and waves from passing freighters, the chop and wash was more like the Chesapeake on a poor day than anything we’ve seen over here.  The beauty of it was that there were no locks, or bridges, that had to be opened, so it was a straight shot right through.  Now we’re going to take a break, have something to eat (FEED BILL) and then try to find the town center so we can replenish supplies and find out what there is to do here besides gawk.  We plan to take a bus into Utrecht at least one of the days we stay here.  We really have no idea how long that might be --- what else is new??  However, we are now on the Vecht River.  Several rivers are described as the most beautiful in the Netherlands, and all have their charms, but the Vecht is the one most associated with that title.  So, photos will follow . . . .

Maarssen     8/9/2011     5:00

Malicious mischief.  Someone took our mooring lines off the mooring posts while we’ve been asleep. 

Luckily, there is no wind or current so no damage was done and the lines were reset quickly and easily.  Hardly even any inconvenience.  It is a bit disconcerting to have it happen only 6 weeks into our first boating experience, though.  One hears about this sort of thing occasionally (usually in France), but most folks never have it happen to them.  It can be quite dangerous in the wrong circumstances.  There had been an altercation earlier in the evening between a boat trying to dock and some men fishing in the mooring space, serious enough that the police were called.  Perhaps we were just a more inviting target for retaliation.  Spoke to the authorities about it, but they could only ask for more police patrols at night.  Not good . . .

 Maarssen & Utrecht     8/10/2011     16:00

 Found the bus and took it into Utrecht today.  I was very disappointed not to find the needlework store Jeannet took us to our first visit here in 1993.  We did have lunch at one of the iconic restaurants along the canal level.

The business street level is one level up from that. 

Formerly, the warehouse entrances were at canal level, the streets were raised well above.

It would have been nice to have a good Dutch meal, but all the restaurants are ethnic!!  Lots of pizza, an Arab/Lebanese place, Argentine steak houses abound.  (Don’t get me started on the Dutch version of Tex-Mex!!!)  Wandered in the old city for most of the day.  There are some lovely examples of old buildings,

and just the age of the cobblestones, the bridges, and the building construction is mesmerizing.  And we were tickled that we were able to negotiate the transportation system like natives.  Also ran into Vickie and Max, two of the Australians from Haarlem/Gouda, after we returned to Maarssen, so Bill had someone to talk to.  I almost have him convinced to take Dutch classes at the Belgian Embassy this year.  Anyway, we head for Breukelen (Brooklyn) tomorrow. 

Breukelen     8/11/2011     13:00

Interesting day traveling today.  There were a few challenges out of the ordinary and, surprise of surprises, we handled them fairly well!  It helped that the Vecht widened a bit after we left Maarssen and we had more room to maneuver.  Breukelen is a tiny little town in an area that the Dutch come to for country walks and bike rides.  They have also converted some of the old houses built as country homes by the bankers and diamond merchants into schools and venues for conferences

and weddings.  The weddings come complete with horsedrawn carrages.  (And the horses are those lovely small black Fresian draft horses!)

Very peaceful.  We’re really starting to treasure that.

Weesp     8/13/2011     14:51

Breukelen only lets you stay 2 x 24 hours!  So, we were on the move again today to Weesp where they’re letting us stay 5 days.  However, we have ELECTRICITY!!!!!  Weesp itself is a cute little town just east of Amsterdam and just south of the Ijsselmeer (formerly the Zuiderzee).  We are moored on a quiet grassy bank,

the only noise is the ducks arguing with each other and occasionally the 12 year old Golden Retriever (Kaspar) on the boat behind us.  Today’s triumphs:  we got out of a tricky mooring in Breukelen, and into an even trickier one here.  No running into other boats, no scraping paint off the hull, no lost fenders.  The Vecht lived up to its reputation as a lovely place.

My favorite was a town called Vreeland,

unfortunately no moorings or reason to stop there other than that it was gorgeous.  We took another shortcut on the Amsterdam-Rijn Kanaal and had to deal with more of the big freighter barges this time.

Probably because it wasn’t Sunday.  All you have to do is stay out of their way, but they sure do throw off a lot of energy in their bow waves.  Doors flying open, drawers coming off their slides, the fire extinguisher banging against the wheelhouse wall like a jackhammer.  We’re also learning how to handle this boat in some fairly miserable weather.  Dutch friends have been apologizing since we got here for the poor weather, though I can’t see what control they have over it.  We’re just enjoying learning to live in a different environment. 

Weesp     8/14/2011     18:40

Walked into town today to have a late lunch.  Sat on the quai just inside the lock into the town center and watched the boats coming through.

Perhaps we’re getting to the dangerous cockey stage, but we’re beginning to notice boaters who handle their vessels much worse than we do.  You often hear the comment “Everyone in the Netherlands has a boat.”  Maybe not quite, but it certainly seems that way on weekends.  We were sitting across from the church in the center of town. 

We realized, after a few moments, that there was a docking stage just in front, evidently with blue signs reserving the area for parishioners arriving by boat!!!

Click on the photo and maybe it will enlarge enough for you to see the signs. That really makes you realize just how deeply the water is ingrained into this culture.   

Tot later.

Oudewater - City of Witches???

Oudewater     8-1/4-2011     19:34

We've spent the last 3 nights in Oudewater. 

Oudewater is an absolutely charming and tranquile town that made it's "fortune" in the rope making industry when all that was done by hand, but it's more notorious claim to fame is that it was the city where they used a scale to weigh witches.  See here the museum that houses the scales and the history of the town's notoriety: 

It seems that the town fathers decided that you had to be inordinately light weight to be able to fly on a broom.  Something about having made a bargain with the devil and the earth rejecting you and pushing you away, thus negating the effects of what would later be known as gravity.  The beauty of this is, no one was ever convicted of being a witch in Oudewater, even though they prided themselves on being at the "forefront" of the "logical" search.  More important for us, it was an early stop after an unbelievably long and draining wait at a lock from Gouda.  We must have loitered for nearly an hour with engine running, first waiting our turn in this tiny bottle-neck of a lock, then waiting for the lock to fill so we could be let out.  Not a long journey in terms of km, but in terms of hours it was immense.  So, despite no electricity, water, or any acknowleged services for boaters, we stayed.  In fact, the city was so charming and relaxing,

we stayed the allowed 3 days.  This time, the moorings were free, our first for this trip.  All along the canals and rivers there are occasional places where the moorings are absolutely gratis.  If you're a skinflint and you are careful, you can spend the whole summer without paying a cent, Euro or Dollar, for mooring fees.  Oudewater's brochure laments some of the old buildings that have been torn down, but it probably has a denser concentration of old[er] buildings than any of the more wellknown places we've been.

We were so taken that the lack of electricity, fast becoming a major concern, didn't bother us at all.  Well, not so-o much.  There were enough restaurants and cafes at every price point, we were able to indulge ourselves

and made a habit of walking into town evenings for an ice cream cone in the market square.  We even managed to find some of those services that we were told didn't exist.  We had a small calamity when one of the chairs Frank & Betty had left on the boat disintegrated.  We were able to find a couple at what amounted to a $$ store, most importantly they were light enough to carry back to the boat.  We stocked up on food, as much as we can, and have now left and are at our "spa" rest stop.  That is a commercial marina about half way between Montfoort and IJsselstein.  The only thing they don't have here is a grocery store and a town.  It is ONLY the marina, but they have laundry, electricity, WiFi (!!), a restaurant with COLD beer, repairs (we had a small one to deal with), showers, etc., etc., etc.  We're doing a couple of major loads of laundry while we're here, planning to rent a bike for Bill and go the 5 km into the nearest town just to do it (and maybe for food), and of course pig-out on internet.  We're planning on heading to the moorings in Utrecht on Monday, but that may change if they are too crowded, then back out into the Amsterdam-Rijn Kanaal (our first foray into life with the big Rhine barges) and then cutting in up the Vecht.  We will have to see.  Nothing about this venture is really plan-able.  So, till later --- tot ziens.

Out in the Middle of Nowhere 8-6-2011 13:02

Bill just told me I'm becoming an internet junkie. What's with this "becoming???" I thought I was long beyond that stage! We've been at the Marnemoende Marina for two days now

and it's amazing how you can be entertained by electricity and the internet. We spent some time sharing Jeannet's bike this morning. Bill's better than OK, I'm still rusty. Was thoroughly enjoyable though. We really are in the middle of nowhere,

at least as far as you can be in Europe's most densly populated country. Not much but water and sheep for company. We did have a boat pull in behind us yesterday to pick up water, it was only the second U.S. boat we've seen in the time we've been here. From my research, I'd expected a few more. Gives Bill someone besides me to talk to. I almost have him convinced that he needs to start Dutch lessons when we get home. As much as I enjoy the cities, I must admit that the peace here is much more why we need to do all this. I can't really remember the last time, or even IF, we've ever really relaxed much at home. Last nite there was some sort of business reception at the restaurant, but it didn't last long and soon everything here was back to it's usual quiet -- so quiet that even the insect noises, what there are of them, are an intrusion at times. The weather forecasts have taken a windy turn, and that, coupled with warnings we've received from other boaters, have led to the decision to skip moorings in Utrecht. We're planning to keep going around the city to Maarssen, just north, and take the bus into Utrecht on a couple of days if we want to visit. The only way to actually transit the city from the south, where we are, to the Vecht River, in the north, is to literally take the old, old canals through the city center. It's a lovely trip and, theoreticaly, we have enough clearance, but the bridges are steeply arched and we do not want to leave our solar panels scraped off at the notorious city hall turn. As always, plans change. The Vecht looks to be particularly sparse on electrical hookups, so we don't know next time we'll be in touch, even though we have, as always, hopes. Till then, stay safe . . . .

Home Sweet Home

Gouda

Gouda 7/25/2011

Arrived Gouda, a longer than usual day of traveling. Ian and Jill on Lena were just in front of us on the quai, so it was nice to see familiar faces. They were staying a couple of days to wait for friends from Australia, one set coming by plane, the other were actually on a barge in Leiden that cheered us out of the harbor - take that any way you need to. Nice folks.

Gouda 7/26/2011

We tried to move to a mooring with shore power this am, but a rather rude boater took up 3 spaces with one boat and refused to move forward or back, so we're still in the same place. Spent evening on Lena with our bunch of Australians, and got a bit rowdy, at least for us. Thoroughly enjoyable evening made up for frustrating am. I have to remember to FEED BILL. He doesn't do well on an empty stomach.

Gouda 7-28-2011
They reinact the the old cheese market in the central market square on Thursdays,

so we went over for a bit.

Huge market of anything cheap you'd want around the edges.

It's held in the center of the city in the market square with the city hall in the center.

It's supposed to be the most photographed building in the Netherlands, and you can understand why.

In the afternoon we went over to St Jan to do the church tour.

Wonderful place.

Just jammed with good energy. We weren't allowed to take photos of the interior, so you'll just have to be content with photos of the equally charming surrounding area.

It included a small chapel that you accessed by walking through a covered passage over a small canal.

We got times confused and missed the organ concert, but halfway through the church a gentleman began playing a violin in the choir. The accoustics were really amazing, and it was a most unexpected and wonderful experience. I have always had a sense that you can tell from the building somehow which churches are actively used as places of worship, and which are basically shells. This one is definitely vibrant on Sundays, we're planning on going back this Sunday to see.

Gouda 7-29-2011

Have been meaning to check the boat batteries and top off with distilled water if necessary, good thing we did. They were really low. I think we ended up putting well over a gallon into the four batteries. Had to hike down to the local chandelry to buy more, best for us was a 20 liter (HEAVY!!!) jug that we then took turns carrying back. Took pretty much from 9 - noon to get it done, with Bill using his yoga to turn into a contortionist, first to get to the batteries, then to service them. We have managed to find the library (where you can get free internet and, incidentally, top off batteries on your electronic devices!!!), and very nice it is.

Can you believe this is the public library???

They have a really lovely cafe in what may have been the former outbuildings of whatever place this originally was. The snacks, sweets and drinks were not too overpriced, the staff was amazingly nice, and they had magazines I could read while Bill did his thing on the computer. We did get to send a few messages that way and, from our perspective more important, we got to check the weather forecasts (and hijack electricity to recharge phones, MP3s, e-readers, etc). The rain doesn't bother us too much, but boy when the wind really blows we don't want to be fighting it in a boat that just acts like a big sail even if it does have a motor. We're setting up our plans for the next week and the rest of the summer. More later when we think we know what we're doing! Love yas