On a cloudy day we left Maarsen and headed south towards the Rhine River (though it’s not called that in Holland as it breaks into 3 smaller rivers). We crossed over the Rhine (Lek River) and took the Merwede Canal to Gorinchem which is one of those very hard to pronounce Dutch words (try Horrkum, and stand get everyone to stand well back if they don’t want to get wet).
The weather gradually improved and by the next day and up until day it has been lovely. 30C today in Dinant and a real day out of the box. From Gorichem we crossed over another Rhine river and entered the Zuid Willamavaart Canal that would take us South to the very bottom of the Netherlands. We were putting the foot down as we wanted to get to the Maas River (Meuse in Belgium and France) as quickly as possible and then slow down and relax. A couple of days later we reached Masstricht, the southernmost city in the Netherlands. We had heard stories of exorbitant marina fees in the town basin and knew of a free mooring in the middle of the river. When we got there we were luck to find the last mooring albeit near the rubbish bins and decided to stay there two days as it was such a good position. The next day we wandered through the town and wondered why the shops weren’t open and there were huge crowds of people. Then we saw a sign that the shops would open at 12 noon as it was Ascension Day, which is a public holiday. There was a huge flea market in the main square.
Just as well we had stopped over as the locks were on a minimal service. There was a bunker boat in Masstricht so we filled up with diesel (was 1 euro per litre = NZD2.25) and bought some gas, oil and stern grease and headed south on the beautiful River Meuse into Belgium. No fuss - we hardly knew we had crossed the border if we hadn’t spotted the tell tale French signs, as were in Wallonia which is only French speaking.
Onwards through the city of Liege where we didn’t stop as it is fairly industrial (third biggest port in Europe!!) and after a long day arrived at the quaint town of Huy and moored opposite a nuclear power station.
We biked into the town and wandered round the cobbled streets. It was good to be back in Belgium. We bought a fabulous apple tart from a patisserie, and fresh asparagus from a beautifully presented small shop. In Holland it is mainly supermarket shopping but in Belgium and France the small shop still abounds in the town centres.
Next day we cruised through some of the most beautiful scenery in Belgium with cliffs towering up from the banks of the Meuse.
We spotted numerous rock climbers on the near vertical cliffs as we motored towards Namur a major town in the area. Dominated by its citadel we stopped right below it and wandered around the town which was having its weekly market and then climbed up to the Citadel from where we could see for miles. After that on a very hot afternoon I attacked the leaking raw water intake system which the boat yard were supposed to have fixed but which they didn’t but still charged us for. I stripped it down and rebuilt it and to my surprise it seems 99% better. Still I will wait a few more days before claiming a prize. Wendy emptied the bilge which has been accumulating water from the drip and from a improperly connected shower tray. We went to bed very tired after a great meal of home made scotch eggs and salad washed down with a bottle of Burgundy or taken al fresco in the warm evening air.
Today we left early and cruised through more spectacular scenery.
There are lovely houses all along the river’s edge and we even saw a swimming pool made from an old barge.
6 locks and 20 kms took us 4.5 hours and we arrived in the gorgeous town of Dinant and tied up under its citadel. We wandered around the streets to choose a restaurant for the evening and took a cable car up to the citadel where we took part in a French/Flemish guided tour of the castle which didn’t mean a lot to us but was the only way to get access to most parts.
It really is a pretty place with its onion shaped tower on its cathedral and the imposing citadel behind. When we got back I opened up the stern greaser and filled that up as it was almost empty. Then in the 30C heat it was time for a cold beer on deck before a meal out at one of the myriad of bars and restaurants all along the waterfront.
Tomorrow we arrive in France.
