Utrecht: Miffy & Summer Darkness - All Of Life Is Here!

We hadn't originally planned to go to Utrecht, but had a bit of a re-plan a week or two ago and decided to go across country rather than further north, then back south again.

Also, the fact I'd seen a poster advertising the "Dick Bruna Huis" (Dick Bruna House) was also a factor in my mind - Stephen was totally mystified, as he had never heard of Miffy (philistine!).

The route into Utrecht is beautiful; lovely countryside, nice houses and gardens to look at and lots of houseboats (my current favourite type of house - I think I'd revise my view in winter, though). We moored up in the centre of the town, right at the top of the canal ring which runs around the town. We had hoped that we'd be able to go through the town by canal, but our boat was about 5cm to high to go through the town-centre bridges.

First stop - launderette! Found one fairly close and within an hour and a half we had 21 kilos of washing was clean and dry. Always a relief to know you have plenty of clean underwear!

Next morning we set off into town by bike. The town is busy but easy to navigate by bike and is well signposted. There wasn't much car traffic, but we did have to watch for for buses and trams.

We set off to see the flower market and the fabric market. Both were fabulous and it's probably just as well I got to the fabric market just as it was starting to pack up - stall after stall after stall of every type of fabric, trimming and general haberdashery stuff. Being a crafty/sewing/making person I could have filled the boat, but settled for a couple of bags of material; some for projects I have planned and some which was just too beautiful to not buy - how could I not get some Chinese silk-type fabric when it was only E2 per metre? It would have been rude not to!

My new fabric hoard - what to do in the evening is now sorted for the foreseeable future!

We stopped for lunch at a cafe and couldn't help but notice a larger than usual (even for a university town) population of Goths/Steam Punks. At first we put it down to a fetish/alternative clothes shop across the road, but would just one shop, however good, really attract people in these numbers?

My favourite outfit of the day

Obviously, in The Netherlands Goths travel by bike - black bikes, of course

We didn't think much more of it and got back on the bikes to explore some more and, by chance, headed straight into "Summer Darkness 2012" which bills itself as an "interdisciplinary underground festival".

The square in front of the Dom (bell tower) was filled with market stall,s a music-stage and food and drink stands, all catering to the Goth/Steam Punk sub-culture. At first sight the (mainly) black-clad crowds and stall selling some very odd stuff could appear a little threatening, but actually, nothing could have been further from the truth.

The participants were incredibly friendly, all seemed delighted to have their outfits admired and photographed. It seem very inclusive too, with people taking part ageing from about 5 to well over retirement age; all shapes and sizes; able bodied and disabled. We had a great time walking around the stalls, listening to the bands and admiring the hair, outfits and outrageous shoes.

Given this unexpected discovery, we didn't make it to the Dick Bruna Huis until Sunday morning. It is part of the Centraal Museum and you ticket gives you access to both. Stephen decided to go to the "proper" museum and Emma and I headed off to see Miffy.

A whole wall of Dick Bruna books

What can I say, other than WONDERFUL! Beautifully designed using the same small palette of colours used in the books with stories to listen to (in English, Dutch and Japanese), games to play, Miffy's house and clothes to explore and dress up in, art-desk plus an area for adults about Dick Bruna, his life and work. Emma had to practically dragged out when it was finally time to leave - another Miffy convert!

Emma listening to a story

Emma in Miffy's House

Amsterdam - A Bit of Culture & A Lot of Paddling

We rather dragged out leaving Haarlem; we enjoyed it so much we were looking for excuses to stay on, but the time had come to move on. So, on to Amsterdam for a couple of days.


Amsterdam docks are big and busy; I hasn't realised it was also a cruise ship terminal - below is Stephen looking a bit worried as we passed a huge liner which was right outside the marina we went into.

The marina was in north Amsterdam, which is on the opposite side of the canal to the main part of the city. Getting into the city is really easy as there are fast, free ferry services laid on which take foot passengers, bikes (obviously - this is The Netherlands!), mopeds and even tiny two-seater electric cars. I imagine they are provided free to discourage people driving into the city. They reminded me a lot of the Star Ferries in Hong Kong.


Cycling around Amsterdam wasn't so much fun, as the city is, understandably, much busier than anywhere else we have been. It was the first time we were really cycling with delivery vans and a lot of cars - the roads alongside the canals simply aren't wide enough in a lot of places for separate cycle lanes, which other places have.


That said, vehicle drivers are very respectful of cyclists and don't automatically expect to just zoom through, as seems to be the norm in the UK, so it was actually all very safe and well organised - Emma actually fell asleep on the back of my bike at one point, so the journey must have felt fairly pleasant from her point of view!


Our main outing was to the Rijksmuseum, to tick off another Vermeer. The museum is undergoing a major renovation, so not everything was on show, but what was there was fantastic and I saw "The Little Street" which is one of my favourites

We didn't take Emma into the museum, having found in the past that if we do we don't actually get to look at much, as too much time is spent trying to keep hold of her and stop her from getting in other people's way. So, we went in shifts, which worked much better for all three of us.

Just outside the museum is a huge paddling pool. It's about 30 - 40 cm deep and absolutely massive. I sat with my feet in it, cooling down and Emma spent over an hour splashing around with other toddlers.

She was very worried about her clothes getting wet and was not happy that I had only taken her trousers off, leaving her top on knickers on. She got increasing vocal on the point, then paddled over to the other side of the pool, took off her remaining clothes, dumped them on the side and jumped up and down, waving at me, much to the amusment of the others around the pool. She then paddled back towards me, refusing to bring the clothes with her.

Emma  in the pool - before the clothes showdown

I did finally manage to get the clothes back, by which time she had totally charmed the Indonesian girls we were sitting beside, and was helping herself to their "Hot and Spicy" Pringles. I guess I should just be glad she's willing to eat a lot of different foods!

A Full Boat In Haarlem

I think that Haarlem is my favourite place we have visited so far. It helped that the weather finally changed and we had glorious sunshine for the whole stay.

As the canal goes right through the centre of Haarlem, a large and busy town, you have to go through in a convoy, so that the disruption to road traffic is kept to a minimum. We were part of a convoy of 17, mainly made up of yachts, so that in itself was sometiming great to see.


Part of a convoy, going through Haarlem



I had my birthday in Haarlem and my parents, my sister Helen and my niece Lily all came to visit. None of them had visited Haarlem before either, so it was great to be able to explore it together.

The town market was in full swing in the main square and we were able to stock up with some fabulous bread and dips for lunch. Lily and Emma tried every food sample available from the stalls and then tucked into a cornet of chips and still had room for lunch back on the boat.

In the afternoon we left Haarlem and sailed to a nearby lake so our visitors could see a bit of the surrounding area. We dropped anchor in the lake, which we hadn't tried before and were all pleased to find the anchor held and we were in exactly the same place in the morning as we were last thing at night.

Lily acted as Stephen's lookout, shouting instructions about the lights on bridges (there is a red - red/green - green system to tell you when the bridge is opening and you can pass) and my Dad getting a chance to handle the boat

Next day we sailed back to Haarlem and with the weather still great were able to go back into town.

Helen, Lily, Dad & Mum on board



Leiden - Getting Lost & Yarn Bombing

Leiden – what a beautiful place! Twinned with Oxford, on account of both being the home the their respective countries oldest universities, and full of stunning buildings

We were able to moor at a marina pretty much in the centre of the town, which is flat and compact, so great for cycling around.

View down over Leiden

View of Leiden, from the Marketplace

The only unpleasant moment was entirely of our own making. We were cycling back from the station, when we realised we were heading in the wrong direction, but weren’t entirely sure what the right direct was. So, Stephen decided to cycle on to the next big road junction (which was within view) have a look each way, then come back for Emma and me (she travels on the back of my bike). Sounded like a good plan.

Since we were only going to be waiting a couple of minutes, I didn’t actually get off my bike, just stood straddling it, exactly where we had parted, by the side of the road. I was facing away from where Stephen went, so didn’t see him cycle off.

Ten minutes passed – no sign of him. OK, he must have gone down a side road to find his bearings. Twenty minutes – still nothing.  Slightly concerned both for his whereabouts and the fact I’m still in the cycle lane on the side of the road (it was pretty quiet - rush hour was over), so Emma and I move to the pavement. Forty minutes – nowhere to be seen. Emma is asking for Stephen and I’m telling her he’s gone for “a little look around” and will be back in a moment.

I decide to give him and hour before I make my own way home (I can see a “Stadplan” – a town plan poster a little way away). An hour comes, and goes. I look at the Stadplan, realise it’s pretty easy to get back to the boat and cycle off, getting there about ten minutes later.

Relief! I can see Stephen’s bike on the boat – he hasn’t gone under a bus. He sees me and stops writing a note which reads “Have gone for the Police – back shortly”.

Turns out, he cycled to the next junction, worked out where to go and cycled back to where he left Emma and me, but he couldn’t see us, so cycled back to the boat and had a cup of tea before getting worried and deciding to go to the police.

Why didn’t we just ring each other? Because Stephen’s phone had fallen in the water at Termeuzen and we hadn’t got round to replacing it (we have now; please email or text me if you need the new number).

Panic over! Emma to bed (it was 8:30pm now; way past her bedtime) and a large glass of wine for us!

So, a bit more exploring the next day, which, as luck would have it, was market day. I love markets, and this was a great one. A bit like a Farmers Market mixed with a regular market mixed with a Cheese-O-Rama event. Fabulous! We came home with the best lunch we had had in ages!

Emma shopping at then market

Also, for crafty types, there is a fair bit of yarn-bombing/guerrilla-knitting going on Leiden and The Hague; here are a couple of my favourites; these are mooring posts that have been given knitted and crocheted jackets.

Willemstad & Rotterdam

We totally fell in love with our next stop - Willemstad. A beautiful town centre harbour where the moorings, electricity and water are all free, as the town considers that moor income is made for the local businesses by encouraging boaters in and by the non-boater visitors who like to walk around the harbour and watch the boats from the (numerous) waterside cafes and restaurants.

We'd heard that some towns have adopted this approach, but this was the first we'd found. I must say that the strategy seems to work. The harbour was chockablock with boats all rafted together and the nearby shops and eateries were very, very busy too.

The view behind our boat 

The view in front of our boat, when the harbour was pretty empty

From Willemstad it was onto IJsselmonde, just outside Rotterdam for a couple of days, to get caught up with laundry & boring stuff, then on to Rotterdam itself.

More rain as we arrived in Rotterdam but we did get to pass under the rather impressive Erasmus Bridge

Sorry for the poor light in the picture, but that's a pretty accurate representation of the day!

The marina was stayed in the the Defthaven area of Rotterdam was very friendly and the Delfthaven area is beautiful, full of old houses and churches. We moored just up from the Pilgrim Fathers church.

 

Making the most of a break in the rain, we headed out to explore and found a great "Brown Cafe" called Oude Sluis. A Brown Cafe is probably best described as being similar to a "proper" pub in the UK; one that hasn't been tarted up and Weatherspoon-ed.

They did great food and the barman recommended a beer called Op n Top. It sounded a bit like a novelty lager but the barman assured us it was good, so we went with the recommendation. It was fabulous! Unfortunately, it's brewed by a small brewery called De Molen and isn't widely available yet. But do keep a look out, it's really wonderful.

Emma in Oude Sluis

 View of Delfthaven

Once again, the weather curtailed what we could do in Rotterdam; Stephen made a mad-dash to the Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum to see a Rembrandt, Emma and I went for a walk (and got soaked) and then it was on to Delft!



Finally! Some Wi-Fi!

Free wi-fi has been very lacking since we crossed in the Netherlands (very few McDonalds!) and when I tried to buy a Dutch SIM card for my wi-fi dongle I got told a load of old rubbish by the salesman, so declined to purchase!

So, a bit of an update on where we've been and what we've been doing. It feels like we've mostly been getting rained on!

I'd do a couple of postings with the most interesting bits and hopefully get the blog up to date!

We crossed the Schelde from Termeuzen to Vlissingen back on 5 July. Stephen did a really great job of plotting the route and getting us across without incident or seasickness! The Schelde is a really major shipping route and there are some massive ships on it, like the Maerske Singapore, below.

Picture courtesey of shipspotting.com

Copyright:Manuel Henandez Lafuente

Stephen, crossing the Schelde with a big ship behind him

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Oh yeah, dealing with ships like those were a bit hairy! Anyway; we made is safely into Vlissingen and from there sailed on to Middleburg.

Middleburg is a really beautiful town, when it's not raining. I had been there before, many, many years ago as a member of the Ocean Youth Club. I think I was about 17 and we sailed a yacht from Ipswich to Middleburg and back. That was when I discovered just who seasick it is possible to be!

 Lovely Middleburg - not raining





Not-so-lovely Middleburg, in the rain

The rain wasn't letting up and the mooring was pretty expensive, so we moved onto the Veersemere and had a lovely (and free!) night moored up on an island in the Veersemere. Just  us, two other boats and an awful lot of geese.

The rain stopped for a while and Emma finally got to fly the kite.

Emma and Stephen flying the kite 



Pershilla, moored on the Veersemere

After the busy harbours at Middleburg and Vlissingen and crossing the Schelde, it was really rather wonderful to have a night in such a remote spot.

Beautiful Brugge

Brugge is about 4-5 hours from Gent by boat. We arrived in the late afternoon in sweltering sunshine and moored at the Flandria Jachthaven which is really well equipped (it has a washing machine and a tumble drier!!) and only about 15 minutes walk from the city centre. The walk is via the Minniewaterpark, a beautiful park with swans, ducks (important features of a park, if you, like Emma, are three years old) and some strikings buildings.

If you have never been to Brugge before, the amount of fantastic buildings is rather overwhelming at first, you could take picture after picture and still keep seeing something beautiful round every corner and in every square.

We decided to take the walk suggested by the Tourist Office which took us past some wonderful buildings, through the fine squares and alongside the canal.

Emma was very taken with this door knocker - although don't

think it would really suit our door at home 

I passed this street-organ player on a side street 

Later in the day we took a canal trip, which sounds like it would have been a bit of a busman's holiday for us, but since the bridges in Brugge are far to low for our boat, was a wonderful way of seeing more of the city than you can on foot.

The following morning I took a trip, on my own, to the lace museum. I make bobbin lace, so I was really excited to see this. Also, to be honest, I was pretty excited about being out on my own for a couple of hours - Stephen and Emma aren't really interested in bobbin lace!

The lace museum is housed in a row of old lacemakers cottages and is pretty small but has some wonderful exhibits. You aren't really supposed to take pictures, but I snuck a flash-free picture of a modern piece, above, on my iphone.

I arrived just after opening time and discovered that the demonstrations only take place in the afternoon, which was a bit disappointing until I realised that it meant I would have the whole museum to myself, which was a real luxury! I also met a lovely American lady, Virginia, who is planning to take up lace, so it was great to have a bit of lace-chat with a fellow enthusiast!

In the afternoon there was a free festival on in Minniewaterpark, "Feest in 't Park" with music, dancing, events for children, craft stand from all around the world (far higher standard than the usual festival crafts) and some great food.

Emma was particularly taken with the African Drumming Workshop 

And she's always ready for an ice-cream, even is she does seem

to end up wearing as much as she eats!