Postcard from Dordrecht

So we continued along the canal south of Amsterdam with Susie and John as extra crew members.

Listening to the cricket

That's how close the canal is to Schiphol airport!

Susie hasn't forgotten how to steer

Greenhouses for ever

Vain attempt to sail!

Lunch

Amazing bridge

A night on a large lake - less interesting than we had hoped - and then a visit to Gouda where we moored with our mast among the trees alongside the canal.  It is an extremely historic city with a beautiful Radhuis and other treasured historic buildings but less cheese than you would expect!

Gouda Radhuis

Lego version in the toy shop!

Just in case you thought there wasn't anything cheesy about Gouda - these men are weighing cheeses

John and Chris interacting with street art!

Locking out into salt water we went along to join the River Maas near Rotterdam.  We punched the tide up towards Dordrecht to arrive just in time for the two-hourly opening of the huge railway bridge.

Great way to cool off in the heat!

Dordrecht is a city that has truly combined old and new.  We berthed in the old harbour - on a river, not a canal for a change - beside a cute Dutch bridge, with lovely old merchants' houses all around. The city felt vibrant with lots of locals out and about enjoying a music festival - as we explored we found a number of stages with performers - we were glad they were civilised enough to finish at 10.30!

This statue had obviously been involved in the festival!

The following day was more cycling -

Making friends with a pig at the City Farm

Hooray - some thriving bees

Playing with solar power at a Sustainability Centre

Trying on clogs - two steps was far enough for us!

We couldn't ignore this bridge

Cycling through the beautiful Biesbosch

These children were loving the mud slide at the swimming area!

We finished the visit to Dordrecht with a rubber dinghy trip through the  city - the 1973 outboard motor almost made it to the end!

Early the next morning we took Susie and John to the station - we were back to the two of us for a couple of days.

Post Card from Amsterdam

Apologies to anyone who has been wondering whether we are still afloat - visitors make computer work seem a bit antisocial!  Andrew and Rachel came aboard at Enkhuizen and after a quick look around the town helped us enjoy two superb days sailing.  Firstly down to Edam - where we visited the Cheese Museum and borrowed bikes to cycle to Volendam for the biggest pancakes ever!

Rachel's appropriately decorated nails were much commented upon!

This was Rachel's first ever sunny sail!

Traditional Edam cheese-making

Try as he might, Chris couldn't get any sailing tips from this old chap

And then on to the little harbour at Durgerdam, just outside Amsterdam.  Amazingly rural for the edge of a major city - and a fun place to row a rubber dinghy around!

On to Amsterdam where we stayed in the Sixhaven marina - this amazing place crams boats into spaces that you don't believe they will fit which is why we stayed close the night before and arrived before midday.  It is so well placed to visit the city that we always come back for more!  A short, free ferry ride takes you to Centraal Station and most of the city centre is within comfortable walking distance. Andrew and Rachel walked off to get their bearings while Chris and I cycled to check the details for our night trip through the canals.

Susie and John arrived that afternoon and the six of us had some catching-up chat before heading out for a delicious Rijsttafel - a Dutch Indonesian spread of various dishes which we polished off with great gusto!

The following day we moved the boat ready for the night trip ...

Always Susie's favourite spot!

While Andrew gives Dad advice!

and then went off cycling through the city.

Back to the boat for a small snack!

Houseboat decoration!!!

And then we gathered back on board for a meal and the wait before the trip through the canals - the only time that a boat with a mast up can pass through to the canals south of Amsterdam is overnight - going from north to south this means waiting for a huge railway bridge to open at 2.30am and then gently making your way - with a dozen or so other boats - through another 11 bridges and finally (at 4.30ish) through a lock at the southern end, close to Schiphol airport.

 Proximity to the airport was useful as Andrew and Rachel had an early flight home - we put them on a 7am bus in Nieuwe Meer and somehow they stayed awake enough to get safely home!