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Published: June 12th 2016
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The First Lock of the Season
with a large barge coming in behind It was a dry and clear day to start the beginning of the 2016 sailing season. It turned out to be a beautiful first day on the water, even though we only had our sail up for a short time. It was warm enough to be wearing shorts and t-shirts (as long as you weren’t in the shade). It got a little “hazy” for a period of time, but the visibility was still very reasonable. After being at the dock for so long in Lelystad we were ready to be moving again.
We had decided not to go too far as we had a bridge with very specific times of opening to deal with. The bridge was scheduled to open at 3PM. We timed it to arrive about 2:30 figuring we’d have plenty of time. It was important to make as the next opening was not to be until 8PM. As we got in sight of the bridge we saw it opening and we didn’t know if we could make it. We pushed to try to make it, but…unfortunately as we were getting close the bridge closed – needless to say we were very bummed. We called the bridge keeper
and were told that there was another opening in 20 minutes. We were so surprised as we had just checked online for the updated schedule a couple of days ago. In hindsight we know we should have called the bridge when we saw it open, but we were so surprised by the opening we were just intent on trying to make it! The bridge had been repaired and was now on a normal opening schedule. Just a little bit of adrenaline to start our journey! From now on will check the bridge schedule the day before – there is a problem with being too early with checking for updated information.
We had called ahead to reserve a place at the Amsterdam Marina and arrived there at 3:45PM. We had been at this marina before so we knew the routine. It is located close to a free ferry that will transport you directly to the central Amsterdam station leaving every 30 minutes. After checking in and getting settled we hopped on the ferry to walk around Amsterdam. As you are aware this is not the first time we have been here, but no matter how many times we return, there
is plenty to do and see. Fortunately for us we didn’t have anything specific to do giving us time to just wander and take in the sights of the City. It is a very easy City to walk around in (as long as you keep watch not only for the cars and trams, but also those in the bicycle lanes!)
Our original plan was to stay one night here and then continue on through what is called the Staande Mastroute (stand mast route) and head toward Haarlem. In taking a closer look we saw that the next bridge we would encounter also had very specific times and we’d have to get going early in the morning to make that bridge. That wasn’t a real problem, but it was a Sunday and a very sunny day with lots of pleasure boats on the water. Even though we know we must keep moving, we figured it would be better to wait until Monday to continue our trek toward the Channel Islands by the end of the month. Our other option was always to go directly out to sea, but the weather predictions for wind direction were not favorable so by continuing
in the Stand Mast canal we could keep moving baby steps closer to our goal and a more southerly port to leave the Netherlands. With this change of plan we had another free day in the Amsterdam area. Of course we had to take the ferry back into the City.
One thing that we have had time to notice is that in many other countries we have traveled in, the Church is usually surrounded by either gardens or near a cemetery providing an open space around the Church. Here we have been surprised to see that many of the churches have actual buildings built into the side of the Church and are now used as art studios, shops for souvenirs or even an ice cream stand. The depth of the shop is quite small and hopefully you can get an idea of that from one of the photos in this blog. Each time you come back to a place, you notice other details such as this. Would have liked to find out more about this and when this practice started to occur. If anyone knows any more about this practice, please let us know!
Unfortunately the past week
we learned that Bob’s older sister passed away on Wednesday and they were planning a celebration of her life on Sunday. It was very difficult on us as Bob of course wanted to go back to the US, but with the timing being so quick and our need to legally be out of the EU no later than the end of the month this was a dilemma. Bob was able to write a tribute to his sister for the celebration on Sunday and this was very helpful for him to be able to write down his feelings. One thing that you knew if you went out to dinner with his sister Sue is that her preference would be Chinese. In fact that was the rule for her birthday celebration – going out for Chinese. We decided that as it was Sunday, the day of the gathering for Sue, we of course had to go out for Chinese. We figured she would be happy with our choice. Fortunately Amsterdam is very international and they have a wide range of cuisine to tempt you. The cruising life is a difficult one when situations like this arise. The cruising life is a difficult
one when situations like this arise. At times things can be re-arranged to be able to return to “home” to be with family while other times it is not so the understanding of the family was important to us both. Bob ended his tribute with these words from an Irish headstone “Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal.”
Amsterdam is a City where you can learn much in the way of history, view plenty of Art to inspire you, meander along canals and streets or just sit and have a coffee. It has something for everyone and it can absorb as much time as you can give it. We have truly enjoyed our numerous times to this City, but we must take our leave and move on to other areas of the Netherlands.
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Lynn Waller
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I am a little late, but great pictures! The lighthouse ship, the mine sweeper and Bob and Jan, nice picture of you two!