Thursday morning those of the group who had elected the Brussels extension met in the lobby and we went by vans to Bruges/Brugge and the Hotel Navarra on Sint Jakobsstraat. Rooms were not yet ready, so our luggage was stored, and June, Alice, and I walked down to the Markt to get lunch. June was always at the mercy of her Rick Steves guide, which recommended Cafe Craenenburg, so we ate there for what turned out to be decent lunch. After lunch we split up, and I went in search of Chocolatier Van Oost on Wollestraat that I had located on the web with good recommendations. It turned out to be easy to find, but alas a sign on the door said it was closed until Friday. Failing this, I went back to the Markt and the Belfort (bell tower) and its associated building the Hallen. Decided not to climb the tower, and then walked to one of the old city gates, the Gentpoort. On returning I made a stop at Heilige Magdalenakerk, then back to the hotel to claim my room and luggage. After resting up a bit, I went to supper at De Vlaamsepot on Helmstraat for a good dinner. Then, with a stop for gelato, back to the hotel.
Friday dawned rainy. This was the day of our walking tour, which put a damper on it, but fortunately the rain was intermitent during the tour, so umbrellas were opened and closed as we proceeded. A fairly informative tour with descriptions of Brugge history and commerce. Starting with the commercial, we then went throught the Markt into the Burg, where the basilica and government offices were, and along a canal past the Groeninge Museum, the cathedral and church hospital, the last brewery in town, to the Begijnhof, a residence for women, and ending at the Minnewater, a pretty waterway and park. Working my way back, I stopped at the Onze Lieve Vrouwekerk that had the Michaelangelo Madonna and Child sculpture and at the neighboring medieval Sint Janshospitaal with six Hans Memling paintings. From there I toured the Groeningemuseum, which had a fine collection of art, out of proportion to its size. A sausage lunch back at the Markt from a vendor, then backtracked slightly to finally make it to Van Oost chocolates whose saleslady was the lovely Sophie where I picked up a bunch for gifts and for myself. The weather was again beginning to turn wet, and called for a retreat to the hotel. Relaxed the remainder of the afternoon in the hotel, then went to Pieter Pourbus restaurant for dinner. Another fine meal. Returned to the hotel and relaxed.
On Saturday the morning was free, so I went back to Van Oost for some additional chocolate, and after dropping it off at the hotel, went a little furher up Sint Jakobsstraat to Sint Jakobskerk to check out the ornamentation. The stained glass was again worthwhile. At 1230 we were met at the hotel by Merel, one of our guides, who always had a smile on her face. As we were eventually to learn, she was something of a polymath: guide, professional cyclist, published cook, tango dancer, linguist, cellist, and had not her other activities monopolized her time, could have been a fashion model. She walked us through Bruges dropping bits of information along the way, and we eventually reached our destination on Kanaaleiland, the barge Sailing Home where we met the crew: Willy, the captain; Rientje and Karima (Frisian, and English of Moroccan descent, respectively,) who were combination hostesses and mates; Elina, Willy’s wife and our superb chef; and our head guide Caroline. Caroline was a delightful combination of qualities. She could be girlish and mature, tomboyish and feminine, funny and serious, and she was always intelligent and capable. Oh yes, and pretty, too. Once on board we settled in and the barge left along a canal. There were refreshments and a brief orientation, followed by our first ride from Keersluis Beernem to Aalterbrug. We encountered our first detour here, as a road was closed for construction, but Caroline soon had us around the problem, and it was an uneventful ride the rest of the way. We got to the barge, cleaned up, and had dinner and our meet and greet.
The next day Sunday the barge continued on to Ghent where we began with a boat tour on the river and canals. On disembarking the boat we toured the city. My first stop was an ATM, then walked through the town square and on down Limburgstraat to Sint Baafskathedraal. The Adoration of the Lamb inside was not viewable, as there was a service in progress, but I did meet up with Bonnie and Jack, and we wandered back to the town square and had lunch. After that we walked down to the large flower market where on a whim I bought a rose bouquet for Caroline and Merel. We then walked back to the waterfront where we met the vans that were to take us to the edge of town to start our bike ride to Dendermonde. On the way Merel, our linguist, informed us that the word “Yankee” was derived from two Dutch words. The ride was pleasant with one detour that Merel got us through, then a stop part way at farm with an ice cream stand. Continuing on we came to a Schelde ferry at Appels. I left the ice cream stand early, but the ferry only traveled on the half hour, so although I reached it first, by the time it was at the dock, the others had caught up. and we all crossed together. From there we continued along the right bank of the Schelde to a lock on the river where we recrossed and headed back up the left bank about a kilometer and a half to where the Sailing Home was docked. There was an option to go a little further and ride into Dendermonde, which a few of us did. After crossing a very busy road (which became a nemesis for me the next day, q.v.), we were on local streets, and I went as far as its scenic town square where a town band was about to play. There was also a motorcycle contingent in the square, and the revving of their engines pretty much drowned out everything, but fortunately they left before the town band started, or maybe the town band waited until they were gone. The rest of Dendermonde didn’t look especially compeling, so I returned to the barge. After cleaning up, Caroline and Merel conducted a beer clinic. As in the past, it all tasted the same to me, but those with more sensitive palates found a difference. Then dinner and to bed.
The following day was windy, and as most of the group hadn’t done the Dendermonde tour the day before, Caroline offered to ride with the group into the town. I didn’t care to cross that road again, so I waited on the dike for the others to return. As they came out of the town, Caroline led them along the other side of the road instead of crossing back to the dike. I tried to follow them riding parallel on the dike, but eventurally had to cross that d___ road further on. Oh, well, I finally was able to rejoin the group, and we continued on over a Schelde bridge, first generally following the left bank of the river, then cutting cross country to where we picked up the river again and continued on to a ferry crossing, bringing us to the right bank following the bike path to the Schelde bridge at Temse. After crossing the bridge—very wide river at this point—we met the barge and Merel with the van. She had stopped in a deli and bought us the sandwiches we had earlier ordered. Some of the group had had enough of the wind and got on the barge, and some of us continued to ride. I was with Dave and Ree Foltz for most of this leg, and after Caroline had rescued us because of misleading directions, ending up at a farm, where I had my sandwich. I decided to end the ride here as I was tired, the next leg was long, and it meant riding into Antwerp, city riding not being a favorite of mine. So I got on the van with Alice and June, and Merel drove us into Antwerp, dropping us off in the middle of the city so we might explore, as the barge was not expected for some time yet. The drop-off spot was near the Museum Plantin-Moretus, but despite a sign outside saying the are open Mondays, it was closed. I then walked up to the magnificent Onze Lieve Vrouwekathedraal, another Gothic masterpiece containing several Rubens paintings, and spent a fair amount of time there exploring and taking pictures. A call of Nature was answered at a local restaurant for a couple euros, and from there it was a short walk to the Grote Markt, the old town square. I was getting tired by this point, and decided to wander back to Willemdok to wait for the barge. On the way I was met by the riders who had ridden all the way into Antwerp, now on their way to explore the city. They said they had come through the red light district but hadn’t seen anything there. My route back also took me through the same area with the same absence of the relevant commercial activity, not a disappointment. Passing the MAS museum, I crossed a footbridge, then another and found a bench to wait for the barge to arrive. While siting there Merel came by and we chatted until the rain, which had been threatening all day, finally arrived. Merel and I retired to a nearby café to get out of the rain and for refreshment, and then repaired to the barge when it arrived a little later. After showering and changing in my cabin, I came up to the saloon. Caroline was in the pilot house doing some administrative work, when, to my great surprise and extreme pleasure, she asked me if I’d like to go to dinner with her. How could I refuse such an invitation! After she finished her work and changed, she came back to the saloon beautifully attired—wow!—and we had a lovely dinner at a local restaurant just off Willemdok. On the way back I suggested we might do it again if there was another free night later in the tour. To my delight she said yes, we could in Dordrecht. Thus ended Monday on an especially happy note.
Tuesday was a non-riding day with mixed sun and rain. We began with a jitney/tram ride from Willemdok to a spot along the Schelde where Merel gave us a brief tour of that part of Antwerp. After that we were on our own, though, depending on how we wandered, we either had to meet Merel and the jitney at the Grote Markt or the barge back at Willemdok later. A group of us decided to see the Rubens house. A lot of fine artwork by Rubens and others. When I finished there I found an ATM across the plaza, then had lunch at The Bistro on the same plaza. After that it was either walking out to Centraal Station or back toward Plantin-Moretus.I went back to Plantin-Moretus, one of the first large commercial printers, which I found interesting. (If I’m in Antwerp again, Centraal Station will be a must see, and riding the metro as well.) By then it was time to head back to the Grote Markt for the ride back to Willemdok. (Those who went the opposite direction in the morning usually ended up at the MAS museum.) Once on the barge, we headed out to Tholen where the next day’s ride was to start. However weather forecasts indicated high winds, and Caroline wisely decided to cancel the ride. We ended up sailing all the way to Dordrecht. Poor Caroline, who had taken the van and trailer to Tholen, now had to drive all the way to Dordrecht, where she ended up getting a hotel room that night, while we remained on the barge.
It was indeed windy with gusts up to 50. Willy tried to get the barge into a more sheltered marina, but access was through an older drawbridge, and because of the wind it wasn’t permitted to rise. We did get into another cove where the drawbridge was newer and more solidly built. Caroline had parked the van and trailer on a quay, and as we maneuvered from one marina to the other she followed us up and down the quay, with the wind blowing at her. Once back on the barge she said she’d give us a walking tour of Dordrecht in lieu of riding, which she proceeded to do. The tour ended at Het Hof van Nederland, the building where the Netherlands was founded. Some decided to enter the building, but I wanted to see the Grote Kerk instead, and headed in that direction. There was a Grote Markt on the way, and it was alas wrong on both counts: not particularly large and not a markt but just a parking lot. The Kerk, however, despite being on the other side of town, was worth the walk. After the usual bout of pictures there, I wandered back to the barge for lunch, then off again to see the Museum 1940-1945. Despite just about everything being in Dutch, it was interesting to see artifacts and displays from both sides in the war. After finishing there, I walked back to the barge to relax, and where we later had the experience of eating fresh herring, a Dutch specialty. This was the day we had free for supper, so I checked again with Caroline, Merel, and Karima if they were still interested—they were—and a little later we left for dinner. The weather which had gone from windy and threatening rain to sunny now had come back to a pretty heavy rain. Caroline had heard of a restaurant on the far side of town, and, braving the rain, she drove us there in the VBT van. The food was very good, surpassed in excellence only by the company I was with. I put the meal on my credit card, but have subsequently never gotten a bill for it, so either the restaurant had forgotten the charge (unlikely), they are unusually dilatory in posting it (possible, but unlikely), or that loveable sneak Caroline cancelled by charge and paid for it herself. After dinner we came back to the barge where I got a hug from all three of het mooie vrouwen, and settled in for the night.
Thursday had its share of ups and downs. The weather was gloomy with rain threatening and wind. The barge took us from Dordrecht to Kinderrkijk where we disembarked and rode a short distance to the windmill exhibit. After an orientation film it was on to the windmills themselves, and it became obvious that running one was not an easy job and a tough life for the windmill keeper’s family. Leaving the windmills brought us the rain that had been threatening, and we started off on the day’s ride. A blocked bike path and detour were overcome with Caroline’s guidance, and we continued with the rain coming ever more heavily. At about 15 km. we had a rest stop at a store, where we kindly coated the shopkeepers’ floor with the water dripping off our clothing. Ken had somehow fallen behind, but he eventually showed up to everyone’s relief, especially our guides. When we restarted, the rain was perhaps not as heavy, but the wind wasn’t and made this a difficult leg, especially the last run in to the ferry across the Lek River at Schoonhoven. After the ferry ride, it was a short trip through the town to the Sailing Home, which was waiting for us on the river. The majority of us called it a day, and rode the barge, but several continued on in what proved to be a windy and very rainy afternoon. We picked up the soggy survivors at Vianen later in the day.
The last day, against all odds, gave us sun and blue skies. The barge took us to Breukelen where we disembarked and rode over the original Breukelen Bridge, which New Yorkers can only envy. There was a pretty ride to where we met the barge for lunch at Nigtevecht, a change from the original plan. I left lunch early and shortly thereafter the clouds rolled in again. I made it to the windmil that was planned as the original lunch stop shortly after the rain started again. It was time to change the cue sheet here, but I did get a little shelter at the windmill, so it didn’t all end up as papier maché. The group started to catch up with me here, and we rode on to Weesp which called for dismounting to walk through a pedestrian shopping area, then on to the van at a MacDonald’s in Diemen. A few people actually lowered themselves to grab a bite here, but the van snacks were more satisfactory. Some people hopped the van for the final leg into Amsterdam, but I wanted to do the whole thing today, so I went with the rest on the last ride of the tour. We crossed into Amsterdam without trouble, though I was getting tired. It was Merel’s first tour, and she wasn’t sure which way were to take to get from De Ruijerkade to Oosterdok where the barge was now moored, so we overshot, but she got us there by an alternate route. The only glitch was that Jack had gone on ahead, as he too had missed the turn. He made it back to Centraal Station, called Merel, she found him, and everything was copacetic after that. As I was to be in Amsterdam for a few days, and having had a good time in Antwerp and Dordrecht, I asked Caroline if we might have another dinner. She needed to check her schedule, but along with Merel we agreed to do so. We now had a little time to explore the city, and my first stop was to walk to the transit building at Centraal Station to get a three day pass. Having accomplished that and with a suggestion from Caroline I went to the Resistance Museum. On returning to the barge, I freshened up, and we had our final dinner.