The Netherlands Part V - Windmills!

The Netherlands and windmills, perfect together! There are some 1100 windmills in Holland. Some pump water and others grind grain. We were able to photograph a few of these complex machines. As mentioned in a previous post, we had what amounted to a private tour of Molen De Hoop given by two effervescent volunteers. One a miller and the other his apprentice, they both love their windmill and are passionate about their work. Below are photographs of the windmills we saw from the canals we traveled:

The Netherlands Part IV - Muiderslot Kasteel

Muiderslot

Muiderslot Kasteel has 48 embrasuers. It is one reason why Muiderslot is one of the best preserved medieval castles in the Netherlands. it is not only one of the oldest castles, but also the most famous of the all the castles in the Netherlands.

The Muiderslot was founded around 1285 by Count Floris V when he took charge over the area around Muiden. 

The following photographs document our tour of Muiderslot:

Muiderslot

Another view...

It has a moat!

Can you tell we've never seen a real medieval castle before?

Imagine entering the castle in medieval times.

The grounds...

The courtyard 

The summer kitchen

The Privy

... from the inside

The gardens...

Ready for the faire

More gardens...

Gardens shot...

One final garden shot

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. 

The Groene Dracek - The King's Boat

The King is not on board.

Police escort for the Groene Dracek

The Netherlands Part II

Saturday, May 25, 2013 - Ready, Set, Walk, Bike Ride, Cruise...

Uh oh, the head (toilet) is broken. The vacuum pump keeps recycling and no one can sleep because it makes such a racket when it is running. It started being disruptive in the wee hours of the morning or so it seemed. In reality, it was probably started much earlier in the day but we never heard it until the night time allowed it to be so obvious. To stop the noise, one of the crew disconnected one of the electrical leads in the engine compartment. That made the toilet unusable.  Several folks made nighttime trips to the marina head. We were two of them! In the morning, I tried to find the problem. It appears to be a gasket that isn’t seated properly. I lubricated it, hoping it trap door would seal properly. It didn’t help. We would live with the problem throughout the rest of the trip. The head in the Master Suite is unaffected.

The night time walk was fairly typical for us, but others thought it meant we were now boat camping, 

Thomi and Regan went for their planned morning constitutional constitutional at about 0510. We began ours at a more civilized 0530. They passed us or the return trip.

We rented bikes from this gentleman

Molen De Hoop

After breakfast aboard, the entire crew of the IJsvogel rented bikes from the gentleman in the picture. He has a great ‘stache! . We peddled for about 20 miles through the beautiful and picturesque country side and a few villages. Anna Marie and I were particularly interested in the Molen De Hoop, a typical Dutch windmill that has been restored and is now used for educational purposes. Volunteers work the mill, and we received a private tour from the Miller and his apprentice. We were shown all four floors of the mill, including the machinery and how it was all used to grind wheat and corn. Our tour put the group behind schedule (we didn't know there was a schedule, nor did we know that we the ride would be over twenty miles long). We would be called the Millers for the rest of the day.

Alfresco lunch in Brukelen

We enjoyed an al fresco Indonesian lunch in the charming village of Breukelen, the name sake of one of the boroughs of New Amsterdam. The food was delicious. I’m not sure if the food or the ambience was the bigger hit. We were so relaxed that we could have stayed for hours.

Kasteel Syprestryn

When lunch was concluded, we mounted our bikes and continued on our way. . Along the way, we happened upon the Kasteel Syprestryn, a 100 year old reproduction of a family castle that was located on the sit. The museum housed several (dozens) of paintings by some of the Dutch Masters, inclining a Rembrandt protege. 

We made it back to the bike livery about a half hour before it closed at 1700 hours. After an all too brief period of R&R, we set off to a restaurant located on the marina premises, for another great meal! By the time we returned to the IJsvogel, it was time to hit the sack, thus concluding a most spectacular day. 

The weather has been a bit on the cool side, which is great for bicycling, and partly sunny which is most welcomed considering the forecasts predicted lots of rain for the whole week. The rain eventually showed up overnight and was pretty steady throughout the night.

The Netherlands - Part I

Thursday, May 23, 2013     THE FLIGHT

This is exciting. Our first international flight! The plane was a Boeing 787, configured with a very nice and comfortable first class section followed by an equally nice but smaller business class. Our section was an upgrade of the economy section and had rows of three seats in the middle with an aisle on each side and two more rows of seats on the aisles and windows. There was plenty of leg room even for me. we were as comfortable as we had even been on a plane. 

M/V IJsvogel

It was windy and rainy as we took off, but in a matter of minutes, we were above the weather and enjoyed a smooth, albeit long ride across the pond. It was like being on a magic carpet. Below us, the cloud cover stretch from Newark to Amsterdam. The only breaks came as we flew over England. Unfortunately we were too excited and stayd awake during the entire flight.

Friday, May 24, 2013 Arrival in Amsterdam

Our landing at Schipol Airport was easily as smooth as the flight. After a quick breakfast snack and coffee in the terminal, we were on our way to the boat. Transportation involved a train and taxi. As we pulled up in the cab, we could see  the IJsvogel (Ice Bird aka Kingfisher) waiting patiently for us at the dock. In short order, we met Joep and Jolanda and Captain Ben, had a briefing on the boat’s systems and operation and were ready to pull away from the dock. 

Joep and Captain Ben Swets

So far the itinerary has been spot on and I’m not surprised. During the entire trip, I was constantly amazed at the planning and preparation work that had been done for this trip.  Although amazed, I wasn’t surprised. I’ver always found Regan to be planned and over prepared. Apparently Joep is too. They did an outstanding job and the evidence was obvious as we departed the Nickelson’s car right on the time on the day we headed home. 

Less than 24 hours after departing Neward International Airport, we were tied up to a dock at Wetterwille Jachthaven in Loosdrechtsepalssen. The trip through the canals   was nothing short of amazing. We started in a small canal and in

First bridge opening

short order, we had to negotiate a small draw bridge. we had to open so many bridges, I quickly lost conut. M/V IJsvogel was not equipped with a compass, GPS or VHF radio. To get the bridges to open, one had to use the signal horn. The bridge tenders always waited for foot, bicycle and automobile traffic to clear before closing the gates to prepare to open the bridge. Waiting for cars to clear is one thing, waiting for bicycles is quite another. There is an almost constant stream of bicycles traveling the roads and bike paths. They generally move at speeds close enough that as a bike clears the bridge, another starts across. It usually took five to ten minutes for the bridge to open.

Lock doors opening

We also transited a number of locks. they were very typical, except that the water was always pumped in or out. We found out that controlling water in the Netherlands is a major occupation. It’s not surprising since most of the country is below sea level!

We ended the day with a short walk through the picturesque town. Along the way, Joep and Regan planned dinner at a cute little pub. We were seated at a table in the front window where we enjoyed the view, the food, our friends, old and new and the camaraderie of folks who would share many special moments during week to come.

One of the joys of this trip was getting to know Joep and Jolanda. The captain and our other mates knew them both. We were the only ones who had never met them. They live in Flevoland, a relatively new province in The Netherlands..The Zuiderzee Works turned the dangerous Zuiderzee, a shallow inlet of the North Sea, into the tame IJsselmeer, and created 1650 km² of land. As I understand it, some of that land became the province on Flevoland. You really have to research this topic to understand how the Dutch were able to reclaim land for agriculture and business centers. Joep regaled us with stories of polders and water pumps and gardens and Dutch pride. After a week, we were just getting to know about life in the Netherlands and how Joep and Jolanda lived, raised their family and went about daily life. We wished we had more time to get to know them.

Joep and Jolanda enjoying a quiet moment

Jolanda kept things in order on the boat. She made sure there was plenty of food! We mostly ate breakfasts on board. The table would be full with crackers, breads, cheeses, several flavors of yogurt, granola, milk, and ham slices, not to mention coffee and tea. We certainly ate well.

Joep and Jolanda also stocked the onboard bar. Wine was consumed at lunch or during afternoon snack time and sometimes after dinner. It seemed to be the beverage of choice. Most of the liquor went unopened.

During our first restaurant meal in Holland, we learned that drinking water was not normally served. If you wanted water, you had to ask for it. It usually arrived at the table in a very small glass with only two small ice cubes. We quickly learned to ask for a large bottle of water or two for the table. All the beverages were served in small glasses or cups. A coffee cup seemed to be expresso sized. Soda bottles appeared to be about seven ounces, perhaps less. Gouda cheese was on every menu and it even was listed as a dessert.

Ossenwurst Sandwich

Our research suggested that the Netherlands had no distinct culinary specialities. We expected it to be relatively barren of good restaurants. That was not true at all. Every meal we had was enjoyable. We were never served anything that was terrible. Perhaps some would argue that the Ossenwurst was not edible. It was what appeared to be an uncooked sausage. While it didn’t delight the eye, it was tasty, if you could get over the fact that you were eating raw meat! According to Wikipedia, “Its name refers to oxen, from which this smoked Amsterdam sausage was originally made back in the 17th century, likely in the Jewish kosher tradition. Nowadays it’s typically beef and spices—salt, pepper, cloves, nutmeg, mace—in beef casing, very lightly smoked so that it’s nearly raw when consumed.” I don’t think any of us will be trying that delicacy again!

Preamble to a Trip to the Netherlands!

THE NEDERLANDS

How Is It That We’re Going To The Netherlands?

On April 1, 2013, I received an e-mail from Regan and Thomi Young, inviting us to join them and two other couples for their 15th Anniversary Canal boat cruise in the Netherlands. We love Thomi and Regan, but don't for a second believe they are above trying to play an April fools prank on us. As it turned out, they weren’t! It seems another couple backed out and they had space for a “substitute” couple. 

Having never left the country, except for a couple of trips to the Maritime Provinces of Canada, we were both excited and apprehensive about international travel. 

An Internet search for traveling tips did little to quell our apprehensions. The gist of the tips was that we should blend in and not look like tourists. “Don't worry, everybody gets mugged,” we were told! Apparently wearing white sneakers, white socks, jeans, and baseball caps are tells that you are a tourist. Having a camera hanging around your neck is a sure give-away! 

The prospect of two eight plus hour plane rides was another cause of apprehension. We'll need a bigger plane than the one Spirit flies out of Atlantic City. Even if we could be comfortable, could we really sit still for that long?

The information we gathered only raised more questions. We needed to talk to seasoned travelers. "Hello, Regan, how about we get together for dinner. We have a few questions," I said in an email to Mr. Young. A few e-mails later and dinner with the Young's and Nickelson's was arranged. The fourth couple Joep and Jolanda Krammer live in Holland and did much of the leg work to organize and plan the trip. We'll be meeting them when we arrive at the boat in Maremonde near Utrecht.

We had a delightful time meeting our new traveling companions, exchanging traveling stories and asking questions. By the end of dinner, we were ready to hop on the plane!

The Conclusion of Cruise 2013!

Monday, April 1 - Friday, April 5, 2013 - More Fun!

The fun never stops! The kids enjoyed multiple trips to various pools throughout the complex. They believe the one farthest form our tower is the warmest, so that's the one they use. We don't mind the walk, except in the biting wind. We've also made a few trips to the arcade at the pier next door.

We did the obligatory trip to Margaritaville, still our personal favorite one. We also did a trip to Barefoot Landing. During a cold, rainy Thursday, we went to the mall to see the Croods. Everybody else did the same. It was the most crowded theater we've ever been in. Sandi and Matt got a refund because there weren't two seats together.

The week flew by! On Friday evening, our last for this trip together, we went to Pirates Voyage, at Rose's request. We had a blast! It was very entertaining and all the kids enjoyed it. Next year, they want to try Medieval Times.

Saturday, April 6, 2013 - Goodbye!

After returning the keys and breakfast at McDonald's, we headed our separate ways. Sandi, Matt and the kids are headed home. Spring break is almost over. Our trip back to the boat included a detour to Tennessee to see a Nimble Nomad. We have been thinking about the possibility of downsizing to a trailerable trawler. Nimble makes a couple (the Nomad and the Kodiak) that interest us.

We spent the night at the Holiday Inn Express in Cumberland Gap, Kentucky.

Sunday, April 7, 2013 - The Nomad!

We spent 45 minutes looking over the boat. Being a 2005 model, it is in good shape, almost like new. Unfortunately, the bottom has a huge blister problem. It will most certainly affect the selling price of the boat. We still have to determine if the Nomad will serve our style of cruising. When we get home, we'll check out a Kodiak that's for sale. Then we'll compare the two before making a decision.

After inspecting the boat, we headed south toward FL. Today's drive was a little over  500 miles. We spent the night at a Days Inn in Valdosta, GA, only 16 miles from FL.

Monday, April 8, 2013 - Heading Home (to SUNSHINE)!

Today's trip consisted of a 300+ mile drive. We were back aboard by Noon. After a little siesta, we took a long walk to beachside where we walked some more - the board walk and the beach. We stopped at Casey's for a cold soda before walking back to the marina.

Tuesday, April 9, 2013 - Trying to Get Back to the Routine!

While on vacation in Myrtle Beach, we got out of our daily routine. Now that we're back home, so to speak, we have to get back into the routine which usually goes something like this:

         Breakfast in the cockpit;

         Play the guitar;

         Do some chores or walk or ride the bike;

         Lunch aboard;

         Ride the bike or take a walk;

         Pre-dinner chores (if any);

         Dinner;

         Watch some DVDs;

         Shower;

         Hit the sack.

Sometimes we add entertainment to the mix. We are way over budget in that department this year!

Wednesday, April 10, 2013 - Uh-Oh!

For the last year or so, we've been considering downsizing. Hurricane Sandy started the process. It was not how we envisioned the downsizing would start. Besides a lot of miscellaneous "stuff," we lost a canoe, two inflatable kayaks, a hard kayak, a Coleman Crawdad Jon Boat, and two sunfish sailboats. The Skiff "sunk" in our yard rendering the 40hp motor useless. The Peep Hen was damaged but is repairable. 

Considering the economic impact to us, and in the spirit of downsizing, we met with a yacht broker this morning. We had talked with him a few weeks ago and after much discussion, we invited him to look over SUNSHINE to give us his opinion on her value and marketability. He believes there will be a lot of interest in SUNSHINE. We signed the listing papers. SUNSHINE is officially "on the market."

If she sells, we won't be without for long as I have my eye on a trailerable trawler. If she doesn't sell, we'll be back aboard next season!

Thursday, April 11, 2013 - Remember ABBA?

I never paid much attention to ABBA when they were at the height of their popularity, although I did appreciate some of their songs. As I recall, they were lightweight, but fun! Our granddaughters loved to dance to the "Dancing Queen" when they were much younger... Three or four years ago. One of my favorites, "Thank You for the Music," expresses thoughts about the importance of music with which I wholeheartedly agree. We get a hoot out of watching Momma Mia with the " girls." and I am amazed that they wrote a story to tie what were independent songs together.

So with our new found interest in and, dare I say appreciation of ABBA, we thought it would be fun to go to an ABBA concert. No. It's not an ABBA reunion. Rather, it is a tribute band, reportedly the best one in the world! What publicist wouldn't say that about a client? 

So we're off to Fort Pierce to see the show but we'll have an added bonus in that we'll be able to see the Frank Lloyd Wright: The Designed Interior at the Bacus Museum. That in itself will be worth the trip!

WRONG! The exhibit was a total disappointment. It consisted of two chairs, some utensils and about a dozen placards. 

ABBA: The Concert was great fun. We enjoyed the performers and the music. They had the aduience dancing in the isles.

Friday, April 12, 2013 - GREASE!

Anna Marie painted the interior of some of the cabinets this morning. When finished, we walked to Casey's for lunch. In the evening, we saw a performance of Grease at the Riverside Theater. This is the first time we've been disappointed in a Riverside performance. The director changed scenes, cut some significant dialog and some of the vocals weren't up to snuff. One of two reed players in the band flubbed a few notes to boot. On top of it all, the actors seemed to be going through the motions. 

Tonight marks the end of theater/concert performances that we had planned for 2013 Cruise. We saw 11 shows or concerts in total. Les Miserables (Riverside Theater) and Mozart's Requieum (Community Church), were the two biggest highlights of the many enjoyable performances we saw.

Saturday April 13, 2013 - Last Farmers Market Visit!

Today is our last opportunity to shop at the Vero Beach Farmers Market this season. We will depart Vero Beach on Tuesday so the farmers will have to get along without us!

Exercise consisted of two walks totaling 2:40. Of note was our first after dark stroll to the boardwalk. We wanted to see it with it's rope lights lit. There were about two dozen people walking, sitting on the park benches scattered along the length of the walk while others were on the beach.

Being that Cravings was still open, we stopped in for cool beverages.

Sunday, April 14, 2013 - Thunder, Lightening, Rain and 42!

It's been hot and muggy in Florida. The temp has reached 90 several days since our return from Myrtle Beach. The last four nights have seen overnight temps in the low 80s. Today we had an electrical storm that brought a fair amount of rain.

Rather than hang out on the boat with all the hatches closed, we decide to go to a movie matinee. "42" is the story of Jackie Robinson. It was very well done. Harrison Ford plays Branch Rickey. Who knew he could act?

Anna Marie finished painting some interior fiberglass. Tomorrow we'll put the moldings back.

Monday, April 15, 2013 - Last Day in Vero Beach!

Our last full day in Vero Beach was chock full of our favorite Vero " things to do!" besides going for a walk, we had a Grouper Reuben for lunch. Between activities, we readied SUNSHINE for the trip to Stuart. 

Tuesday, April 16, 2013 - Goodbye Vero, Hello Stuart!

After a quick stop at the fuel dock to pump out the holding tank, we left the harbor, pointed the bows south, and we're on our way. With the wind and the current helping us along, we made it to the crossroads ( the intersection of the Atlantic ICW and the Okeechobee Waterway) in relatively short order. In fact, we made such good time, rather than anchoring in Manatee Pocket, we headed up the St. Lucie River, past Sunset Bay Marina, to the turn off for Stuart Yacht Harbor.

The last couple of miles were something of a jungle cruise straight out of the African Queen! The banks of the river were lush and overgrown with foliage. There were many twists and turns, some being hairpin turns with was shoaling along the banks. It's always fun heading to someplace new! In short order, the challenge was over and we were tied up to a face wall at Stuart Yacht Harbor.

Wednesday through Tuesday, April 17 - 23, 2013 - Preparing SUNSHINE!

We are not entirely sure that we're doing the right thing, but we have signed an agreement listing SUNSHINE for sale with Stuart Yacht Sales. She is performing well and looking good! We spent this week removing all of the stuff from the boat. There is so much stuff that we need to rent a U-Haul trailer to get it all home!

On the lighter side, friends invited us to a cocktail party and dinner. All of the folks have been long term seasonal customers of Marathon Marina. We shared stories of our experiences in Marathon and Key West. After the cocktail party, most of the folks headed to the Sailors Return for Prime rib night. We were going to order fish, but a mid-westerner from the group suggested that the prime rib was superb, rivaling the best prime rib in Kansas City. We decided to give it a try and we were not disappointed. It was a great meal.

We also bumped into our friends while strolling the downtown streets on Sunday morning. We joined them for breakfast at a little sidewalk cafe.

Off loading our possessions and doing little fix-up chores continued with some down time mixed in until we hitched up and left on Wednesday, April 24.

Wednesday, April 24, 2013 - Happy Birthday Anna Marie!

To celebrate, we decided to take a little drive... up I 95 and as far north as we could comfortably go. It is also a sad day in that we may not be back aboard SUNSHINE, if she sells, that is. 

It was a pleasant drive and we stopped for a birthday dinner at a nondescript restaurant. The restaurant was noisy (loud music) but the food was good and reasonably priced.

Sunday, April 25, 2013     Home!

We made it home after another long but pleasant drive. Needless to say, it was great to see the family!  

That concludes Cruise 2013!

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