Farewell to Holland

13th July, 2012 (Tony)

A number of big locks on the Maas in Holland and Belgium are undergoing major reconstruction to make them even bigger — to accommodate commercial barges up to 180 m long. So it was no real discouragement to accept the advice of authorities and deviate back up the Canal Nederweert-Maasbracht and rejoin the Zuid-Willemsvaart Canal to Maastricht — through Belgium. We were welcomed into the basin at Maastricht, close to the city centre. Gray, Suellen, Elsie and Joey joined us there a couple of days later. Maastricht, which we visited in 2008, is probably our favourite town in Holland. No evidence of recession here — the shops and restaurants all doing a roaring trade. Now, Maastricht is also the home town of André Rieu and every year, in the last week of June, he takes over the entire town centre to preview his forthcoming world tour. For 75€ one can buy a ticket to a hard plastic seat in the square; or for 80€ one can enjoy a three-course alfresco dinner and view the concert from the comfort of a padded dining chair at one of the restaurants on the periphery of the square. We succeeded in booking one of the few remaining tables for four on the last night. And to our surprise, we found ourselves in a premium postion with not only a good view of the stage, but also a big-screen nearby; and right on the edge of the road which a band and later André and all his entourage paraded past close enough to touch. In times past I have been a bit ho-hum about A R notwithstanding that we have a number of his CDs. But this concert was sensational entertainment, clearly appreciated by his home-town crowd. The BBC is advertising the soon-to-be released DVD of this concert from Maastricht, "Songs from the Heart." I can't wait to buy it!

We bade farewell to Holland and enjoyed a leisurely day's cruise upstream to Liège. As expected, the port was full and we found ourselves rafted for a night to Sable's sister ship, Highlander whose owners are long-time acquaintances of Bob and Bea, Sable's previous owners. It was nice to finally meet up with them after all this time and to also meet Roger and Mary from Sydney who were about to put pen to paper to sign a contract to buy Highlander at the very instant we hove into view. Talk about coincidence. I think they were relieved to chat with us and we like to think we may have allayed any doubts or fears they may have had about the commitment they were about to make. I'm sure they will be delighted with their new asset. Liège was abuzz with the excitement of hosting the start of the Tour de France. We were all in the centre of town next morning when the caravan went through, then we relocated to a roundabout a couple of hundred metres from Sable's mooring to watch the riders whirl around it in the time trial prologue event. Having Sable so handy meant we were able to cart chairs and steps to better view the three-hour event. The following day we found a seat on a wide stone balustrade beside the road at the start of the 1st Stage race to Seraing. It really is an enthralling spectacle. Needless to say, Elsie and Joey collected a pile of sponsors' give-aways.

Gray and Suellen were joined by their friends, Steve and Prue and daughter, from Brisbane to spend a week cruising aboard Sable which provided a window of opportunity for Sally and me to head off to Prague, a city that has long held a fascination. Liège is the closest place that Sable could ever be, relative to Prague, hence we jumped at the chance to catch a train via Cologne and Munich to spend a couple of days there. Our first impression was, frankly, disappointing on arriving at the old railway station surrounded by crumbling and decaying buildings that reminded me of old Macau. However, all was redeemed when next morning we wandered around the heart of the city and especially when we later took a guided walk through its historic centre. The highlight of our visit was attending a proms concert in Smetana Hall by the Czech National Symphony Orchestra, conducted by guest conductor, Karl Davis. Marvellous. On leaving Prague we took the metro to the train station to discover a fantastic, truly modern hub underground, built beneath the old station that had so disgusted us on our arrival. Presumably the old station will one day be restored to its original grandeur as it must have been a nightmare to construct the new station under it without demolishing any of the ancient structure. Our apologies to Prague... a wonderful place to visit; and judging by the number of tourists, very popular.

We continued by train to Berlin, a lengthy detour, but well worth it. There's a lot one can say about trains in Europe — they are very fast and comfortable. Our day in Berlin was very enjoyable and, if only we had time, we could have spent a week there. A magnificent city. In the Philharmonie, Spohie Anne Mutter with Daniel Barenboim and the Berlin Philharmonic were due to perform but, alas, our chances of getting tickets would have been negligible. Instead we rode the buses and walked Sally's feet (and knee) off inspecting all the main tourist sights. On one of the balmiest evenings this summer we promenaded along the river bank and stumbled upon an exquisite French restaurant. If nothing else, it made us yearn to get back to France. On the way home we stopped off at Wiesbaden to catch up with Miles and Skye who arrived next day at Frankfurt to begin their holiday in Germany and France. We'll be seeing them again next week as they return to fly home. Our return to our boat required a changeover at Metz where by conspired coincidence the finish of Stage 6 of the Tour was about to happen. Strolling out of the station we found ourselves a spot on an embankment within 15m of the finish line, high enough to see over the heads of the crowd crushed against the barricades. It was an exciting finish. The atmosphere was electric. So too was the sky for soon after we were drenched in a thunderstorm as we waited for the presentation of the maillots. A beer in the square soon revived us and we were dry again by the time we caught the train out of Metz. In all, a hectic but pleasant week's break.

We re-embarked aboard Sable at Fumay, still on the Meuse but now in France. Sally and I cruised with the kids to Charleville-Mezieres while the Generation X-ers motored off in a hire car to investigate the sights, smells and tastes of Champagne. After a weekend of indulgence they returned with a bootload of bounty, some to take home, some for Sable's cellar. We are now off the Meuse, having brought the gang down to Rethel where they caught a train yesterday to Paris. They celebrate July 14th in Paris and fly home next day. We have had a wonderful sojourn in Holland. We have seen and learned a lot about a country we had no previous experience of and whilst it is easy to blame the weather for our occasional indifference it has to be said that all over Europe it has been a dreadful summer. Here's hoping for a vast improvement, especially for the Olympic Games.