Central Holland

8th September, 2011 (Tony)

With each passing day we are finding the Netherlands more likeable and enjoyable. The people are very friendly and helpful and despite our total lack of comprehension of the dutch language almost everyone is able to converse in perfect English. The waterways are so busy. Practically every family in Holland must own a boat. Mostly they are yachts — there are marinas and boat harbours everywhere packed with thousands of sailboats. There can't be many Dutch people who haven't experienced the thrill of sailing. And they have the most perfect open water areas to do it. Every bridge across a waterway in Holland has a lift-up section to allow tall-masted boats a free passage. Sable fits under most bridges but we are constantly amazed at traffic hold-ups, even on motorways and railways, while a bridge is opened up for sailboats and big commercial barges. We have encountered very few boats like Sable yet she replicates a typical "Dutch Barge". However there are lots of traditional old-timers, mostly Tjalks, complete with big timber masts and brown canvas sails and dagger boards. I guess few Dutch folk live aboard their boats so are inclined to favour smaller, 10-15 m cruisers which are ideal for weekends away with family or for month-long ventures. Everything is so neat and meticulously maintained. No waiting for the rain to ease before mowing the grass — if it's supposed to be mowed today, today it is. Even painters are busy applying a lick of paint in between showers.

We love the yummy grain-filled selection of breads and the beer is excellent. But we miss croissants and baguettes, gourmet delicacies such as foie-gras; confit de canard; rabbit; soft and blue cheeses; and of course, patisseries. And just when I've learned to understand French wine labels the choice of French wines is considerably diminished, replaced by varieties from all around the globe and even more confusing. Most of all I think we miss the tranquilitiy and serenity of cruising French waterways where life moves at a much gentler pace and the towns and villages have a rustic, almost abandoned, sort of feel; and you sense you are alone in a picturesque world where time has been forgotten. All the same it is doing us a world of good to discover a new country and culture. The countryside is luciously green and fertile. And flat. The best way to see Holland is on a bike and we have made a number of extensive forays, often forty kilometres or more, to discover wonderful places and attractions. Our motorbikes have not been off the boat since we left France.

We approached the lovely old city and regional capital, Utrecht (pictured), from the south and moored up to the canal bank and walked into town. Perhaps we should have taken our bikes as it was a much longer walk than we expected. The old original centre of the city is charming and fun to explore. The canal continues right through the city centre but is narrow with numerous fixed bridges too low for Sable. A huge ten-year project is underway to construct a new canal linking the southern and northern approaches whilst retaining the existing old canal as is. What a boon to the tourist traffic that will be. As it was, we detoured around the city and moored on the Vecht at Maarsen, about 12km north of Utrecht and biked back around mid-afternoon to check out what we may have missed on our walk. On the outskirts of the city we were astonished to come across a long line of floating cabins rafted to the side of the canal. Several girls in bikinis were having a natter outside the door of the first cabin and I thought they must be desperate to get a late summer tan. Then I noticed all the cabins had a large plate glass window and inside each was a gorgeous young female posing in erotic lingerie. There must have been thirty or so (although I can only recall twenty-eight). Ignoring their beckoning gestures we cycled on into town and discovered a whole new modern heart to the city that we had missed by mere metres on our walkabout. We had a coffee and snack and set off to return to the boat shortly after 4pm. Obviously, factories and other workers must knock-off about that time because along the full length of the esplanade in front of the cabins there was not a vacant car park, blokes were promenading along the footpath and almost all of the cabins now had curtains drawn across their windows. Several girls were still negotiating in their doorways. Seemingly on Friday evenings many young Dutchmen, sensibly, dispense with the sex quest before heading for the pub, or home. That must save a lot of disappointment!

Another exhilarating bike ride took us far out into the countryside around several large lakes. The waterside properties were quite stunning, both architecturally and garden-wise. Most appeared to be holiday homes, or else everyone was at work in the city, but generally they were substantial houses on prime real estate allotments. This area was once on the New Holland Waterline. The remains of large forts are dotted throughout the region. They were constructed to defend the country west and south of the line and vast areas were able to be flooded quickly to keep invading armies out. The line was used successfully against the Spanish and French in the sixteenth century but in 1794 the area froze and the French crossed the ice in the depth of winter. It was planned to be deployed in WW2 but German paratroopers and the panzer army swept around the area before the defenders had time to react. We enjoyed a stopover at Breukelen, a beautiful small town in whose honour Brooklyn, New York was named. We also found Weesp a very pleasant town and spent the best part of a week there. All in all the Vecht is a really nice waterway. We would have liked to linger at Muider, another attractive lively town, but finding a mooring there for a boat as long as ours was impossible so we headed out into the open water of the Ijlmeer where we could see the buildings and bridges of Amsterdam but then turned east and moored for the weekend at Naader in the largest marina in Holland. Expensive but superb. Naader is the best preserved example of the classic star-shaped fortifications common to many towns and the town itself is delightful. For two consecutive evenings we revelled in perfect summer sunshine, dining on the top deck until well after sunset. What a pity it couldn't last!

We decided there is enough time to make a sortee up into Friesland before wintering Sable in Zan Dam, near Amsterdam. So we have headed up the broad waters that separate the original coastline from Flevoland, the vast area reclaimed from the Zuiderzee since 1918. Flevoland was created entirely out of water, mud flats and sandbanks by building dykes around it to protect it from the sea. Much of it remains below sea level. The channel that was created between Flevoland and the mainland carries a lot of commercial barge traffic and is also a fabulous recreation ground for yachting and all water sports. It is also rather exposed and inclined to get choppy in windy weather. And in this terrible European summer there has been a lot of wind. We see it every night on TV, massive storm fronts moving across the Atlantic towards the British Isles. And the Channel acts like a funnel blasting the fury straight on to Holland. Luckily we had the wind on our tail most of the way and the following sea caused us little discomfort but we felt for the boatees struggling in the opposite direction ploughing head first into a half-metre swell. We bit off a couple of long days in order to get the ordeal over with, stopping overnight at Harderwijk and Ketelhaven. Thankfully we are now safely back in the calmer waters of canals and are looking forward to exploring Friesland, home of the Friesian cow and which from all accounts is an attractive area to visit.