Saturday 19 September to Thursday 1 October 2015
What a mad flurry of activity this period has been!
A very pleasant cruise from the pedestrian bridge
mooring, via Scheepsdalebrug mooring for a shopping stopover (great tip, thanks
Sian and Ian)
(I cannot get the video to upload, nor can I remove it!)
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| Scheepdalebrug |
and watched the Springboks shock loss to Japan in the
Rugby World Cup.
Sunday was spent relaxing and preparing Elle for visitors; bright and early on
Monday morning we had a taxi take us to the station where we boarded a train to
the Oktoberfest in Munich where, despite arriving two hours late due to an
uncharacteristic delay in the German train system causing us to miss a
changeover, South African friends Gerd and Lesley were there to greet us.
The next two days were an amazing adventure through the
Hofbrauhaus, Oktoberfest, English Garden, Hofbrauhaus, Oktoberfest…
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| Arriving back on Elle |
Determined to show Gerd that Europe was not the
overcrowded, polluted place he remembered from decades ago (although I suspect
the time they had spent in Bavaria before meeting us had made a favourable
impression), Friday was spent doing the tourist ‘thing’ around the city
including the 40 minute boat trip through the canals, sampling the fabulous
Belgian beers before enjoying a really good meal in the tiny Vaetvient restaurant
– you are served a simple but delicious meal off the menu which seems to change
daily. Google or pass by to check opening hours before arriving and booking in
season is 100% essential. I think we were lucky to get a table…
(Note: Lesley had been clicking away furiously with her
battery of cameras so I asked if, before they left us, I could copy her
photographs for the record – and then I forgot to download them which is why
this blog is quite picture sparse). Saturday was a ‘chill’ day with the
highlight being the Springboks beating Samoa, watched in the Irish Pub with Ian
and Sian who had arrived in the Flandria Yacht Club earlier in the day on their
boat Njord.
The next morning, not wanting to arrive in Ghent too
early, we made arrangements with Andy the English winter havenmeester to let us
through the pedestrian gate at 11h00; once through we were promptly told by the
unseen bridge operator to be patient as they would only open the bridge once a
commercial had arrived which was about half an hour later. And then for the
next few kilometres of bridges we travelled in her wake
eventually arriving at
the Linderlei Yachthaven at the end of the 47 kilometer trip just before 18h00
where there was just time for a quick walk and sundowners at a café next to the
Palace of Justice. Then it was back to Elle
for supper and off to bed.
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| View from our mooring. |
(perfect to run aground in too!) was a joy and all too soon we
were tied up in Deinze ably assisted by John and Sue from barge SO99 (it was a
fuel barge owned by Esso and numbered 99 but not being allowed to use the
trademark name when they bought her, they named her SO99 – geddit?) moored nearby.
The afternoon was spent chatting followed by an on board braai. Early the next
morning we were on the bicycles to the beautiful Oidink Castle...
...and then back to Elle for the trip south to Kortrijk.
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| Arriving Kortrijk |
Gerd and Les did most of their exploring during their
customary hour-long sunrise walks so by the time everyone was spat and polished,
there was not much to do other than replenish beer and wine stocks, find snacks
for lunch and a restaurant for our last dinner together; before we knew it
Thursday 1 October was upon us and at 06h30 Gerd and Les were collected by taxi
for their respective flights to South Africa and the UK, Lesley to visit her
mom and sister before returning to SA. And later in the day Ian and Sian said
their farewells as they began their return journey to Diksmuide where they will
spend three weeks on boat maintenance.
And then silence descended – whew!
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