Sneeking Around - or around Sneek

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So back to Sneek to where Isabela will spend her real summer without us, a little tiny marina attached to a boat building company called Brandsma – they build Vlets like ours but unlike Smelne have been building all through the recession. We knew that a fellow sister ship who had lived at Brandsma for about 6 years so we thought it was a good place to find out about and Isabela was warmly received so we hope it will be good.

Our friends arrived, this time by car which poses its own challenges – where to leave a car and the necessity of retuning to pick it up. Luckily Brandsma were very happy to oblige. We had concluded that further escape was necessary from the crowds around the Sneekermeer so we had planned a little circular route again on rivers we have not been on. The three challenges of the day were the wind which was to stay with us for the next 3 days, the windy and narrow river with lots of lifting brigades and the meeting of what turned out to be the boating and canoeing equivalent of the 11 towns skating race – there must have been at least 50 motor boats of all sorts and shapes and sizes and the same number of canoes. The combination of these 3 factors made boating far from restful for captain and crew but stimulating for guests whose last time on Isabela was 5 years ago going through the little West coast towns of Harlem, Leiden etc.

We arrived at Workum, another lovely little town. We had left it a bit late so moorings were at a premium but in true Dutch fashion we were found a spot very near to a crane on the main thoroughfare on a bend so watching the boats go past including enormous traditional boats negotiating the space between us and the bank caused a few breaths in to make Isabela smaller. Without us knowing because we have barely been following the news, today was the day of mourning for the Ukraine air crash. We innocently go into town to see “the most visited museum in Friesland”, (an art gallery featuring works of a local artist depicting the reality of the basic life of the housewife and workman!!). We only have 50 minutes to find the museum and see it so ask a man who is standing doing nothing, having to shout against the very loud church bells which won’t stop ringing. We attempt to follow his direction but need to ask another lady who is likewise standing idly – she tells us but informs us that this is the 2 min silence for the victims – the bell rang for at least 15 minutes and we felt very bad but made up for it by standing there for at least 5 minutes. The museum was fortunately very little but fascinating, the pictures were vivid recreations of everyday life but his people were what grabbed us all the most. And then of course to the market square, thronging with people and sunshine, for a drink. Before this was achieved Paul however found a boat bit market stall selling everything a boat owner could want – but he was enticed away with a beer.

The next day bloomed sunny and windy again as we continued down little rivers and across shallow but vast meers to a tiny, i.e. one street, town called Stolen going through another pretty village called Woudsend. Stolen itself has not changed since the 17^th century although in fact there are modern houses round the outside and it felt like a real alive town rather than a museum piece. We visited the church, very Calvinistic with pictures of the French invasion and the escape of the ale boat, the ice cream shop, and the beer seller but NOT the magic lantern museum – Paul put his foot down to the relief of the visitors.

The last day of our and our friend’s holiday was wet and even a bit chilly. We made our way back to Bandsman and the men went off to pick up our car in Naarden – that feels like a long time ago since we were there but is it only 2 weeks – while the women of course did the cleaning.



Home tomorrow!!



DON'T FORGET THE MAP WHICH IS PART OF BLOG 1 IS KEPT UP TO DATE TO SHOW ALL OUR ROUTE

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Photos

Dual Carriageway Bridge
We created 1/2 mile tailbacks