"SUNSHINE" Stories: The Netherlands Part III

Saturday, May 25, 2013

The Netherlands Part III

Sunday, May 26, 2013 - Underway and a Truly Special Dinner!

De Hoop

Quaint village on the canal

Captain Ben arrived a little past 0930. At 1000 hours, the appointed departure time listed on the itinerary, we backed out of the slip. The first part of today's run caused us to retrace our steps for a bit. We passed many of the scenic spots that caught our eyes while pedaling yesterday. We took pictures of our beloved windmill, this time from the water. We photographed myriad picturesque spots in the villages that line the canals. We did a couple of locks, one which Captain Ben call a banana because the walls are curved.

The crew of the SS Minnow wouldn't let Anna Marie or me disembark, because we took so long on yesterday’s windmill tour. They've taken to calling us "The Millers." I expect we be razed for the rest of the trip,

Cap'n Ben gets a break

Muiderslot Kasteel

We stopped at a castle (Kasteel Muiderslot) but couldn't find a place to dock. Eventually, we found some space where the crew could depart from the IJsvogel. Joep, Ben and I stayed behind to work the boat. After a heated discourse with Capt’n Ben, one of the guys on a day charter boat tied to the wall told us we could tie up to his boat.

When the crew returned to the boat, they had to scramble across the decks of two tour boats to board the M/V IJsvogel. Once all were aboard, we continued our trip, crossing a small corner of IJsselmeer in the roughest conditions we have experienced on the trip to date. In short order we were tied up in our slip at Muiderzand Jachthaven in Muiden, where we'll stay for two nights.

Captain Ben went home for the night and will rejoin us on Tuesday when we leave this harbor.

At 1900 hours, we made a long, cold walk to a restaurant located on the marina premises. It was a long walk, because this is a really big marina with lots of boats and plenty of vacant slips too. Our hosts for this dinner were Peter and Marina, parents of Maeryl, who is Alexander's girlfriend. Alexander is Joep's and Jolanda's son. Their daughter Tessa, also joined us. Peter and Marina were delightful hosts and we thanked them profusely for unexpectedly picking up to tab. Regan made a valiant effort to allow us to contribute, but some slight of hand by Peter foiled that plan.

I found the young folk to be articulate, passionate and delightful. They are skilled conversationalists who shared a bit about their educational pursuits and activities. We exchanged several stories during a most delightful evening. Most interesting, they not only study their native language, but English and third language as well. Alexander is studying German while Maeryl studies French. Tessa was too far away for me to converse with her.

This was an extraordinary evening that we will savor for a long time.

Our dinner concluded a little after 2200 hours and even though the sun had set fifteen minutes or so earlier, there was still plenty of light in the sky. It doesn't really get dark here until after 2300 hours and dawn's civil twilight arrives well before 0500. That's my kind of sleep hours!

A few kilometers before we entered the lake (IJmeer) and just abeam the Kasteel Muidenslot, we came across the King William's sailboat, the Groene Dracek (the Green Dragon). I would have expected the King to have a much larger sailboat, but this one is magnificent. It is beautifully maintained and certainly fitting for Royalty On this day, the King was not on board, but members of the Royal family might have been enjoying a day sail. The police boat provided security and was the larger of the two vessels.