DORERECHT

DORDRECHT

Dordrecht, at the intersection of the rivers, Oude Mass, Noord and Merwede, all favourable trade routes, was given it’s city charter from the Count of Holland in 1220. Thus Dordrecht became the first city of Holland, and a trading centre.  It has no canals but is surrounded and inundated with small harbours and deep inlets that have become boat marinas chock full of boats both power and sail. Therefore, the city grew up around these yacht havens and because of this invasion of boats has expanded into a reasonably large community. 

a large barge

One of the many harbors

Local bridge

One of the many harbours

Marina bridge rising

Same bridge in down position

A cool double ender

 Wandering throughout Dordrecht, I found that it was a mix of very old buildings, as well as renovated and newer construction, which I found a little disconcerting.  

I got off the boat and immediately visited the Huis van Gijn Museum, a period house on the Nieuwe harbour maintained in an late 1800s style.  Generally I don’t care for period houses, but It is really the most remarkable house of it’s type, I have ever visited (Sarah you would be ‘period house’ heaven.). 

I also visited the Local Dordrecht museum, which kindly gave me free entry because it was so late in the day.  There were many bucolic and pastoral paintings. These paintings from the 1600s on included works by Albert Cuyp, a native son, the painters Julius Israel and Jan Maris both of whom I had heard of or seen their works before.  It also had a wonderful painting of a mother cat and her kits - cats are reputed to be the hardest animals to paint - these were delightfully well done.  

After the museums, I wondered the town snapping pictures of interesting buildings and stopping to have an afternoon glass of Prosecco.  I found Dordrecht an interesting city, but unlike the others we visited, a city of beer, not ice-cream.  Fortunately, I was sated with ice cream for dessert at dinner on the Ahoy.

Sun Room

Shots inside the Huis van Gijn Museum.

Leather Room

World Map

Play room

Currently we are cursing on the Moord River on our way 
to our last stop Schoonhoven.  The banks are quite industrial along the river, yet occasionally we pass greenery and then a stand of what look to be quite modern expensive houses with modest to large landscaped grounds.  

We also pass an area called Kinderdijk, where I thought I counted at least 20 windmills, although I have read there are only 19? - We had to stand on the wooden bench on the back deck and still got what I considered an unsatisfactory view. - “Kinderdijk is situated in a polder… at the confluence of the Lek and Noord rivers. To drain the polder, a system of 19 windmills was built around 1740.” (Wikipedia) To keep the area evenly drained. This group of mills is the largest concentration of old windmills in the Netherlands. The windmills of Kinderdijk are one of the best-known Dutch tourist sites and were designated a UN Heritage site in 1997. The term Children or Kinder-dike: Historically, in 1420, there was a great flood and a cradle was seen floating in the water. A cat was straddling it to keep it steady.  When rescuers reached the cat, they found a baby snug and dry lying inside the cradle.  Thus the old folktale, The Cat and the Cradle  Now two turbines do the windmills’ work. One of my companions explained that at least one of these mills were used to create wind power for mustard factory prior to the industrial revolution. 

As we travel the landscape becomes less commercial and more green countryside.  We pass a car ferry going back and forth across the river and soon we enter the Lek River on which Schoonhaven is located.  We are again surrounded by verdant, flat lowland edged with reeds and wild flowers on one side and grazing cows on the other. 

  

SCHOONHAVEN

Schoonhaven is the silver capital of the Netherlands. It has a an interesting silver museum, typically dutch buildings and very good ice cream.  It also has a lovely green park full of a multitude of different kinds of ducks.  When they saw me they all came running.  But when they realised I had no treats, they retreated with disappointment written all over their little duck faces.  There was not much else happening in Schoonhaven.  After enjoying it’s main beauties back, I went to the boat.  

This was our last port and the next day off I went from Utrecht to Rotterdam, by then with an upper respiratory infection to be kindly taken in by Betsy and Tommaso, and their cat, Tjula, all of whom helped in caring ways to nurse me back to health.  More about Rotterdam in my next post.

Just a comment about The boat trip and Holland (the Netherlands).

Regarding the boat trip; although it was nice, I think if I were riding a bike and enjoying the countryside, I would have enjoyed it more.  Having lived on a sailboat for many years, I was used to our stopping at a port and leisurely staying until we had seen all of the area that interested us.  Sometimes this was a day or two and sometimes several weeks.  On an organised cruise one can not do that.  Whatever length of time you have in port is all you have or you ‘miss the boat.’ The whole concept of a biking/sailing vacation for bike riders is a wonderful one and I would suggest it to those ‘easy riders’ and families who love bike riding with a passion.  Although the Ahoy is retiring and selling their business, there are also other boats throughout Holland that do this kind of holiday - if you are interested just look on the internet.  The other problem for me was dietary.  I am not a bread/meat eater so breakfast and lunch were challenges. Dinners, even without eating the meat portion were very good and filling.  

Relaxing on deck with the Captain

Captain's wife and first mate

Now to Holland: In the past, I had only been to Amsterdam, which is a lovely city, but I wanted to get more of a feel of the country.  What I discovered was that Holland is really a country of waterways, rivers, boats and bicycles.  Just as there are roads throughout, on each side going in the same traffic direction, there is always a companion bike path.  In what I saw, the land was mostly lower than the roads, bike paths and canals. Amsterdam is a city built below sea level.  I found the Dutch a hard working, industrious, kind people.  But why wouldn’t they be, always having to keep ahead of the encroaching sea, building great dikes, and waterway projects to constantly protect their people and their country from flooding.  I question their future with the rising tide of global warming.  Yet, after they have survived this long, I guess we wait and see what engineering magic this persevering society comes up with next.

ON TO ROTTERDAM

GOES AND OFF TO DORDRECHT

That map again

GOES

Goes is has a different kind of atmosphere than we have experienced before.  It is a boaters yacht haven, a little Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.  Traveling on the canal we pass a large bay which is on the outskirts of the town, surrounded by private houses with their personal yachts docked in their waterfront back yards.  Further on, almost in the town, to our left is a marina stuffed full of sail boats; I estimated at least 50.  Once we arrived at the town bridge, which the Ahoy is to big and wide to enter, our captain took advantage of a turning basin, adroitly turned the ship around and docked along the canal side.  

One of the many marinas

Sign about the riding event

On the other side of the lift bridge there is another U shaped harbour with charming Dutch houses (some converted into businesses) all around.  This harbour is also crammed with boats. Sailboats docks in slips on both sides and at the very end are two rows deep of forty foot power boats rafted together. This miniature marina is over-flowing with water vessels from France, Germany, England as well as local Dutch boats; there must be at least 50 or 60 more in this small harbour.  Yet the town with streets that spider out from this central little harbour offers a large gothic church many small museums such as Willie’s Little Shop, an English saddle horse jumping contest during the next few days, nearby beaches and numerous bike riding paths in and around the town.  

In the interior of the town there is a large square on which one side is completely enclosed by the enormous gothic cathedral. But because we arrived an hour later than we had planned, I did get into the Cathedral and the tourist office, but the main local museum was closed by that time.  Too sad. Yet I was able to buy a An International New York Times.  Its news was not all quite as gloom and doom as the guardian.  Also I had a nice raspberry sobert which pepped me up decidedly.  

Tourist office and Museum

A side view of the gothic cathedral 

Inside the cathedral

Another small marina in Coes

OFF TO DORDRECHT

We left Goes at 7 AM, off for Dordrecht back tracking much of our river cruising.  Eventually though we passed through,  new to us some very big locks.  Our lock mates being mainly large cargo ships caring fuel, cars and containers bound for who knows where. For the first day, the sky is totally bluish clear and the sun beams down on us.  It is a glorious day. 

Sign for Wiliemstad

Along the way

A view from the boat of Wiliemstad

 We have traveled mostly on rivers (see the maps) and stopped on our way at Williamsted to drop off our two teacher passengers(teachers are hardy souls), so they can take the ferry across the river and ride their bikes to meet us in Dordrecht.  I have been told by more than one bike rider that I am missing the ancient villages that they pass along on  the biking paths.  But I am content with my scenic water path, which gives me a taste of the Dutch environment, and also what I can revisit if/when I return.  

So we are onward to Dordrecht as I write so please excuse me while I go out and enjoy the Dutch landscape.

Questions/comments?

TO MIDDLEBURG AND ON

Trees, Nel. Vara, Riek, Wilma, Hanny getting ready to ride

Along the Coes Canal

TO MIDDLEBURG AND ON

A grey sky settled overhead as we sailed on our way to Middleburg.  Although there is no rain, a brisk wind from the sea on the Keeten Mastgat and the Schelde swirled around us like a tangled cloak.  It stung  my face and blew my hair into my eyes.  Although most of my Dutch companions were dressed in short sleeves or an added light sweater, I wore my silk undershirt, a blouse and a sweatshirt and was still not quite as toasty as I would have liked to have been.  

After going through two locks and passing numerous (mostly) sailboat marinas we finally entered a canal.  Here the wind gave way to just a general chill and we soon arrived in Middleburg.  It is a larger town than we had previously visited, situated in the middle of a peninsula that juts into the sea. There are ten states in the Netherlands and Middleburg is the capital of the state of Zeeland.  

The history is depicted not only in the local museum, but also in the great mansions built from the vast fortunes made during its speckled past, much like our own.  For the ancestors of these homeowners made their great wealth from the triangular slave trade to the Americas during the 16th to18th centuries.  

In the market

The Middleburg Museum has a presentation of the 80 Years War, with a curious display of world renowned tapestries depicting sea battles of the time.  There is also a video display of local costumes, as well as modern clothing designs,  all of which are enhanced with an additional display of local artifacts. 

In the market

street of signs

Now used for civic events - currently modern art show

Some Middleburg roof lines

I did not find Middleburg as interesting a town as the last two we visited, but I did get a copy of the English language newspaper, the guardian (The world news is certainly depressing - no matter what your situation, it’s got to be better than much of the worlds’ population).   Also in Middleburg, I ate some very spicy pumpkin soup, which tickled my tastebuds and warmed me up nicely.  

         ON TO GOES

This morning we are off to Goes (pronounced something like Cush).  We are returning through the canal we traversed yesterday, then going out into the Meer River and on into a canal not shown on the map that goes to Goes.  Although there is no wind, today the weather is cold for me.  But again we have not yet entered the Meer. Once in the Meer, there is wind but unlike yesterday, the sun has come out and we are warmed up nicely.  Some of my travel mates are even in their Bermuda shorts sun bathing on the deck. 

Goes Canal

A word about dogs: If you have not been to Europe, or have not noticed during your visits to the continent, Europeans take their dogs everywhere - There was even a dog water bowl inside the restaurant where I had my soup. - I often speak to and pet many of the dogs I see.  Young men traveling around Europe with their backpacks often travel with their dog as well.  I also met a man and his wife who were visiting Middleburg from the most eastern part of Germany traveling by car with his ginger coloured Lab.  It seems many people prefer Golden Labradors.  But these dogs, although called ‘golden’, have really lovely white coats and are just as 

Two dogs being friendly while waiting in a lock

Another happy fellow waitng in the lock

friendly as their American counterparts.   The Dutch even take their dogs on their boats both sail and power. Dog lovers know that dogs are ‘people animals’ and that their dogs don’t care where they go/are as long as they are with their humans.  I know in my area of Florida we are seeing more and more dogs out and about inside stores,etc. with their owners, but most of these are small dogs, whereas Europeans are mainly traveling around with much larger, big, fluffy dogs, A Note: If you are a reader who is unfamiliar with dealing with strange dogs, To begin, you must first ask the owner if you may pet their dog. If yes, then let the dog sniff your hand before patting and/or scratching him/her behind the ears, etc.

Scenic Ruby

Their is much interesting boat traffic today, besides the standard sailboats seen throughout the area.  There is everything from a commercial dive-work boat, to a small cruise ship named SENIC RUBY, for handicapped passengers.  The SENIC RUBY is just under 50 meters long by about 11 meters wide, and carries as many as 148 handicapped passengers.  Other than the crew, all of the staff are volunteers.  It is supported by the government national health insurance service and private donations. Wow! what a concept.  

We are again in the broad river and surrounded by all manner of sailboats, two or three are even sailing ‘wing and wing’ which means they are probably sailing down wind and have a following sea. This sailing atmosphere has made me yearn for another sailboat, but docked in the warmer climes of the Caribbean (How does that sound to you, Jane?).

wing and wing

another beauty

The sun is finally out and we have just left another lock. I am amazed at the number of boats that want to go through the lock besides us.  They are rafted to each other all across this wide and very deep lock.  Once all the boats are secured, then the Lock-master raises or lowers the water in the lock to make it level with the next body of water our boat is entering.  In this lock the water was raised at least eight to ten feet before the lock gates were opened and we moved on into the canal that will take us to Goes.

Boats rafted together behind us in a lock

More boats waiting in the lock

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Traditional Dutch boat